List #5: Hibernation activities

Hibernation: to pass the winter in a torpid or resting state
Torpid: having lost motion or the power of exertion or feeling

We are hibernating. In these cold months we have had colds, viruses, stomach flu, RA, back injuries, etc. We are in a resting state. We have lost motion. I think I am OK with that. Some of of our inside winter activities I had planned to do as Advent activities and round 1 and 2 of Mr. stomach flu pushed those back to January.

Here are some of the things we have been doing to keep the fun going around here while at home so much.

Muffin Tin Rainbow Lunch: Freeze dried Strawberries, Goldfish,
Barilla plus pasta, Peas, Blueberry juice, and an Oreo (see I totally break my own rules).

• Muffin tin lunches. Does your one to two year old only eat processed snack food to sustain herself and even then only a tiny bit a day. D did this at that age and Mags is on the same track. I think it is partly all the teething that takes place and partly the new found battle of wills, etc. I remembered reading about muffin tin lunches in the blogoshere and looked them up. Basically it is adding fun to eating, packaging your meal into muffin tins or other cute containers. Most grown ups and kids fall for something if it's presentation/packaging is pleasing to the eye. Dorothy prefers her muffin tin lunch to be rainbow colors. I try to have just 1 or 2 to be a processed snack and at that hopefully with no corn syrup, since I know it makes my RA flair up. I don't always follow this. To each his own. This really does not take me much extra time, I just use what bits of food we have and don't make this complicated. The green cup is almost always peas or green grapes because in the winter those are some of the only green food we ever have :) As they get older, I see us branching out into themes to go along with the season or a favorite book. For example, look at these great examples: Thanksgiving, Chicka Chicka Boom Boom Book, Valentine's Day.

• D is working on writing her name. She use to hold her pencil naturally and then I think her teacher and I both made comments on holding the pencil properly and she got nervous and now questions how to hold it. Well we had a million character band aids around that never stayed on when the girls needed them so we began using them as stickers. I wrapped her pencils with a Dora or Mickey and now she knows to place her grip where the band aid is. It really seems to help.

• D also needed a boost in her confidence about writing in general, not just her grip. She told her Aunt Dawn and I separately that it was one of the hardest parts of preschool (Is that not adorable?). While sick, we didn't spend as much fun time doing art or drawing at home, so I have a writer's work shop basket where she can doodle, draw, and explore whenever. It doesn't seem like such a chore now at preschool or when I give her specific tasks, because she has lots of opportunities to do it on her terms just the way she likes it (This is our approach for reading/letters/phonics too). Right now we have just a basket that can be put out of Mag's reach. When Mag's can be trusted to have pencil access it will be on a lower level for both of them to use whenever they want. Here is a super inspiring Writer's Workshop for young writers. Love it.
  

• Mags is really into sorting and stacking. Sometimes I help and show her colors and sizes, but a lot of times I just let her do it her own way and have fun. In the picture above she is lining up our Mickeys and Minnies by size. No that is not even all of the ones we own. I guess we hoard -I mean collect Mickeys and Minnies :)

• Speaking of hoarding. I watched a couple episodes of Hoarders to kick start a much needed donation pile in our home. We are going to be in this house a couple more years and we need to get rid of about 1/4 of our things since there is no space or need for them anymore. I though that show would kick me in the pants and inspire a house purge. Then I watched Toy Story 3. Darn it if those two shows don't cancel each other out....sob. That Andy and Woody. House reorganization to. be. continued...sob.