Week 3: January 15 - 21, 2010 {#Mamatography}

It was so hard to choose photos for this week's Mamatography post. It seemed like I had the camera out all of the time. And we did so much! I had the kids help me choose which picture to include and this is what we decided on:

Day 15 (1/15/12)

"I push this button!"

Little Guy was just thrilled when "Brubber" invited him to play computer games on his laptop with him. Usually, we try to keep him away from our computers because he gets over-excited AND had that "I know what I'm doing and I'm going to do it myself" attitude going. The two of those, together, usually equal a computer that is completely frozen up within minutes and hours of trying to figure out how to fix it. But, my oldest patiently kept little guy in check and found a game that would allow him to use the mouse pad easily. He had the BEST time!

Day 16 (1/16/12)

Warm Winter's Catnap

Number 1 has been in heaven lately. He comes into the house after spending a few hours in the freezing cold, gets a bite to eat, then lays down somewhere for a nap - purring the entire time. I can't help but wonder if he ran into a stray who told him he should be grateful for a warm home and food in his belly. He's been showing his appreciation in many ways, too. He knows how much I like a kitty sitting on my lap, but he never really cared for it himself. Not recently! He's been bringing up "presents" to the door (and sometimes tries to sneak them into the house) in the form of field mice. My oldest usually is the recipient of these gifts, since he's often the first one to leave the house in the morning! And, he has even been hanging out with Little Guy, who has just recently made the differentiation between stuffed animal and real animal.

Day 17 (1/17/12)

Goofball

If you're my friend on Facebook, you already know about this picture. My oldest borrowed my camera for a school project he had to do (how cool is it that he can email his homework to his teachers?!) And, while he had the camera, he had to screw around a little, right? I found about 20 goofy pictures of him and his friend on my camera after he returned it to me. I jokingly told him that he should always delete photos after uploading, or they could make their way into the wrong hands. Then I mentioned putting one of the pictures on Facebook and tagging him in it. The kid actually DARED me to do it. Well, being the mom that I am, that's exactly what I did. I started feeling bad a few minutes later, so I removed the tag (the picture is still there.) I just don't know if one of his classmates might get a hold of his goofy picture and turn it into some kind of nasty joke. So, it's on my wall and he can tag himself in it if he wants. And I'll be having prints made of these photos because they are just too fun to forget about!

Day 18 (1/18/12)

You Could Have Put Your Eye Out!

You know how you're always warning kids to be careful with scissors? Yeah... While Little Guy and I were making our Craft Idea Book, I put the scissors down for a split second. That was long enough for him to come charging across the room at full-speed to grab them. Only I was faster and snatched them up. And, as you can see by the picture, I didn't do so safely. I stabbed myself in the hand - and it was a bloody one. Little Guy's eyes were like saucers when he saw what had happened. I think that he truly did not believe me all of those times I told him that scissors are dangerous. He probably thought I was just saying it to keep him from having all of the cutting-up-paper-fun. Ever since this occurrence, though, he hasn't tried to get my scissors. And I'm on the look-out for a good pair of child safety scissors for him. It is fun to cut paper and why should I be the only one to enjoy it?

Day 19 (1/19/12)

My Very Cold Friend

It was so cold! The wind was blowing like mad and the temperature, without taking windchill into account, was 9F. We have a pair of Blue Jays that have decided to winter in the woods behind our house and I couldn't help but see this bright blue guy all puffed up and trying to stay warm when I passed the window. I tossed a handful of seeds out for him and he quickly swooped down from his perch to fill his stomach.

Day 20 (1/20/12)

The Sick Blanket

Another chilly day. Rather than heading outside, Little Guy and I had an all-day indoor camping trip. This picture was taken early on in our day. We ended up making a campfire out of paper towel tubes and tissue paper. We made beds and Little Guy took a nap in his tent. We had snacks. We even went fishing, using sticks, yarn and paper clips for hooks. We didn't catch anything and concluded that fish do not like gummy worms, so we ate the worms for "dinner", instead!

See that striped, crocheted blanket? My great-grandmother made that before I was born (I think it may even be older than my mom.) It is known as "The Sick Blanket" because that is the blanket that we used whenever we were ill and laid on the couch in the living room all day, while our mom or dad nursed us back to health. It is used for the same purpose for my kids and, hopefully, one of them will become as attached as I have to it and their kids will get to know The Sick Blanket, as well. And when we were well, that blanket made the BEST tents... Still does!

Day 21 (1/21/12)

Wintertime

This is the picture of winter in my mind. Sled and squirrel tracks in the snow. Kids' footprints, big and small. The sunshine creating those cool blue shadows that you can only see in the wintertime across the snow...














So, what did your week look like? If you'd like to join me in this endeavor, just click on the Mamatography button at the top of this post to learn more. I'll be linking this post at Diary of a First Child's Week 3 Mamatography Linky when it's posted on Wednesday (1/25), so if you'd like to see more photos you should head over!

The We Do Listen Foundation {#Giveaway (12/5) US & Can}

I've wanted to write up this post for over a week, but just couldn't find the time. Yeah, I could have done a quickie post... But I think The We Do Listen Foundation deserves more than that. This non-profit's mission is to help children learn to communicate their emotions effectively and find their own inner peace (how cool is that?!)

So, how do they do this? Check out the We Do Listen Foundation Web site. There, you will find FREE animated books, songs, posters and non-violent games. Additionally, the foundation sells nine Howard B. Wigglebottom books. The books are pretty darn great! Each one is focused on a subject that is important to children's personal growth, self-love, and general emotional well-being. Some of the topics covered in the books include: listening to what others have to say, bullying, anger management, divorce, peer pressure, and the need to belong. I received a book on the last subject for this review, and I love it!

My oldest was always pretty happy with himself. That is, until he decided to go to "real" school. The first month was pretty hard for him. His dad had cancer and was pretty sick at the time, so I attributed his quiet, withdrawn behavior to that. Then, I received a call from his teacher. It seems that he had started to make up unbelievable stories about himself - things he had done, toys he owned, people he knew, etc. - and the other kids knew that he was lying, the stories were just too amazing to be true. He wanted them to like him and thought this was the way to do it. After a long talk about listening to his own heart and being himself, then reassuring him that he would find friends who liked him just for who he really was, he managed to get past this huge speed bump. Within another month, he was one of the most popular kids in the class due to his empathetic nature (oh, and he was "totally cool" because he could draw neat pictures, too! LOL)

I really believe that the Howard B. Wigglebottom books, games, songs, and lesson plans would have prepared my oldest for his first taste of "I'm better than you because I _(fill in the blank)_" that seems to run rampant in classrooms.  In the book Howard B. Wigglebottom Listens to His Heart, written by Howard Binkow and illustrated by Susan F, Cornelison, Howard (a cute bunny who has the same feelings and makes the same mistakes that most children do) wants desperately to fit in. When his classmates laugh at him when they see him doing his very favorite thing, he vows to never do it again. Instead, he tries doing all sorts of other things that he thinks will make the other kids view him as being "cool".He screws them all up... miserably. He has a talk with his grandfather about the troubles he's having and, without telling him what to do, Grandpa steers Howard in the right direction. In the end, Howard is once again caught doing his favorite thing but, this time, he is cheered for it!

I am so glad to have this book for Little Guy. He's pretty self-confident right now, but you just never know when that confidence will crumble. It happened to my oldest! I've also been taking Little Guy to the Foundation's Web site to watch the animated versions of all of the Howard B. Wigglebottom books, play games, and learn new (catchy) songs. I've also taken some time to read over the lesson plans. There are some really great ideas in them! I think that, at three years old, it's the perfect time to introduce him to these concepts. Although I don't intend for Little Guy to go to school (he's 100% the unschooling type!), he'll still be around other children and need to be prepared for the inevitable.

I strongly urge you to go check out The We Do Listen Foundation's Web site and then head over to their online store. Right now, for U.S. buyers, all hardcover books are on sale for only $6 each (regularly $15)! And you can buy all 10 books for just $50. In addition to the Foundation's online store, you can find Howard B. Wigglebottom books nearly anywhere books are sold throughout the U.S. and Canada.

So, would you like to WIN your choice of a Howard B. Wigglebottom hardcover book for a special child in your life? Just enter in the Rafflecopter form below!

Get a Melissa & Doug 25% Off Coupon When You Take the North "Poll"

I know that many of my readers prefer to give their children wooden toys and toys powered by their children's own imaginations. So, I'm going to assume that many of you will be checking out Melissa & Doug this holiday season. If so, here's a very fun and easy way to get a whopping 25% off your order!

Melissa & Doug want you to tell them which of their educational toys you think is the best! Just click on the image below to place your vote in the North "Poll!" You'll Get a Melissa & Doug 25% Off Coupon** to use at MelissaAndDoug.com just for voting!

Watch Out for Traffic and Falling Things!

Lately, Little Guy's sleeping habits have been all over the place. One day he'll take a normal nap (2pm-4pm), on others, he doesn't take a nap at all. Then there are those days that I think are no-nap days and he crashes on me around 6pm. Those are the tough ones because I never know if he'll stay asleep all night (rarely), or if he'll wake up at 9pm and decide that he's just had the most refreshing nap of all-time. And, his bedtimes change just as frequently. He might fall asleep at 11pm, midnight, 1am... I never know. And there's no rhyme or reason to it. It doesn't matter if he's had a nap, gone for a long walk, or eaten sugary foods. He's going through little growth spurts here and there and how much sleep he needs fluctuates daily.

Since he weaned himself, getting him to fall asleep has been very hard. Nothing like a little mama's milk to knock a kid out, ya know? I've resorted to making "bedtime tea" for him. We have a nice little variety of different teas with the main ingredients being chamomile, peppermint, and lemon balm. I add a little local honey for sweet-tooth appeal. This is usually enough to at least calm (read: quiet) him at night so my oldest can get some sleep - he's growing like a weed and gets up at 5:20am, 6 days a week. Plus there are the neighbors. Our walls are thin, so are the floors. These poor people have a bedroom that sits just below the living room (where our bed is) and their wall is on the other side of our stairwell. Every word echoes perfectly down the stairs and through the wall. The guy that lives down there gets up at 6am - I hear his alarm go off. So, it's very important to the harmony of our little duplex that Little Guy is quiet at least by 10pm.

Now, I have the luxury of being able to catch a nap with him if I happen to be so zonked from lack of sleep that I wouldn't be productive while he sleeps. (IF he naps.) So, I really don't feel the need to regulate his sleeping patterns. He'll even out... eventually. Right?!

Well, Friday night, he fell asleep at 7pm. I really wanted to go to bed early, so I enacted a strict "you must tip-toe and whisper" rule in the house. If he had been awoken at 9 or 10pm, I'd have been screwed. We made it to 11pm and I crawled into bed. That's when my husband decided he needed a snack. That man can make a dish towel crinkle like a bag of chips! He finally finished making his snack and ate it - while watching TV. Did I mention that we all have to suffer because he decided to spend his youth listening to ear-splittingly (no, I don't know if it's a real word) loud music? He finally hits the hay at 12:30am. Yeah, just as I fall asleep, the oldest wakes up freaked out from a weird dream and decides he has to tell me all about it. "Ummm hmmm... yeah? Yeah, that's really strange. Hey, don't you have to get up at 6 for cross country? G'night." Now it's going on 2am. Next thing I know, my eyes are being poked out by buzzards. No, wait... there's giggling. Yeah, guess who's awake and ready to roll?

"Mama, good mornin!"
"Oh, let's see if Thomas is on. I'll get you some milk and honey and you can watch Thomas while Mama wakes up."





I head to the kitchen, start the coffee, and mix him up some milk and honey. While the coffee's brewing, I pop in a Thomas DVD, hand him his drink, and crawl back into bed with him and lightly doze. Then I hear it. It's called Engine Roll Call. "They're 2, they're 4, they're 6, they're 8..." If you know Thomas, you know this song. Around here, it's the "Jumping Song". I brace myself for the full weight of a little body to come crashing down on me. Time to get up, I guess. At least the coffee's done!

Now, it's 5:15 on a Saturday morning. The poor guy downstairs finally gets a day to sleep in. Uh-uh. My very happy little one has decided to be a train... oh, and he's still jumping on the bed... which has squeaky springs.

"CHOOOOOO-CHOOOOOOO!"
"Hey, can you be a quiet train?" I'm whispering for effect. "It's very, very early and people are still sleeping. We need to be quiet so they can get their rest."
Big smile, then a test, "CHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO..."
"Oh, come on! We really need to be quiet. Do you like it when people wake you up? Noooo. You get crabby when people are loud and make you wake up."

He actually sits down and watches another episode of Thomas! I get about half of that first cup of coffee down when he decides he wants to watch the "Truck Show". If you have a little one who loves trucks, trains, etc., then check out the "Lots and Lots...." series. They're amazing DVD's! So, I put the Truck Show into the DVD player and we sing a few of the songs. My eyes are open a little wider. The oldest has rolled out of bed and is getting his own "coffee" (a splash of coffee in a cup of warm Ovaltine

"HONK HONNNNNKKK! I a big Mack truck! HONNNNNK!" Oh no. Not again. He knew that the attention was focused elsewhere and went for it. My fault. Sigh...
"Oh, honey, please try to be a quiet truck. It's very important to be nice to the people downstairs and let them sleep."
"OK, Mama. I not be a truck." Hmm... that was easy!
"WEEEEE-OOOOOO! (repeat. over and over. and over)
"Shhhhh! Man... Look, you really have to be quiet. Look outside, the sun still isn't even awake yet. And I thought you said you weren't going to be a truck anymore."
Bemused look on Little Guy's face, "Oh, Mama! I not truck! I firetruck! WEEEEE-OOOOOO! WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"
"I'm sorry, honey. You really just cannot be a firetruck yet. Firetrucks are very loud and we can't be loud right now, remember?"
"Oh, I fordot. I be a diff'rent thing."
"OK, think of something that's quiet, please."
"WEEEEE-OOOO! WEEEEE-OOOOO!" As I go over to have yet another talk, he quickly says, "I not firetruck, Mama! I bein' a amblalance! Ha ha ha ha!" Yeah, he got me. Silly, silly boy.

It went on like that forever. We finally decided on pretending to be things like fish and elevators. Quiet things. It's not easy to think of quiet things to imitate on just a few hours of sleep and not even a full cup of coffee. I used to get so frustrated over this kind of thing. I used to assume that he was trying to get on my nerves. Just pushing my buttons. But, I know that he's just happy. He wants to express that happiness and he does it by imitating his favorite thing - mainly, anything on wheels - traffic. I used to just shush him, threaten to turn off his show, slam things around (like THAT was showing him how to be quiet!) All he wanted was a little mama time. And, once I got into trying to find things to imitate that are quiet, he calmed right down and played along with me. Even the teen stepped in and pretended to be a chocolate chip cookie on a plate while I ran to the bathroom! There was no power struggle - if he detects one, all bets are off and he will win or we'll have a very, very loud and angry tantrum going on. And who wants to start their very early day on that kind of note? Not me!

 

I'd rather start my day 

as a tall tree whose leaves 

are being blown away 

by the autumn wind.

I'm Sick of Yelling - I Want to Play { #CarNatPar }

Welcome to the September Carnival of Natural Parenting: Parenting Through Play

This post was written for inclusion in the monthly Carnival of Natural Parenting hosted by Hobo Mama and Code Name: Mama. This month our participants have shared how challenging discipline situations can be met with play. Please read to the end to find a list of links to the other carnival participants.

***

I'm at a stage in parenting that is just confounding to me. My oldest is now a teenager - starting high school this year! - and truly feels that anything I say must be wrong. Little Guy is driving me up a wall with his almost-3-year-old attitude. I find myself going in a circle with both of them. I start out by reminding myself that I was once their age. I really try to understand situations from their points of view. I explain that, yes, I understand why you want ____, but here's my reason for not allowing ____ at this time. I speak in a low voice, I keep emotion out of it (unless the situation calls for empathy), and I stay firm. This lasts a very short time. I find myself slowly slipping into a angrily slamming things around phase. Then there's the yelling. And, finally, I re-think my position on spanking. That always brings me back to the beginning of the circle and it all starts again.

 This can't be good for any of us. My poor husband really tries to follow my parenting philosophies. When he steps out of those bounds (You Have to Play By the RULES!), I am there to remind him to "play nice" with the kids. Then, he watches as I slowly begin to lose it and become the biggest hypocrite ever. The kids don't know what to expect, either. So, being kids, they push it as far as they can go. If I'd had enough at some point and allowed them to do something that I previously did not allow in a slip of sticking to my words, they'll try 20+ more times to get me to allow that thing again. My oldest uses the talking back and stomping around method (we call it "Humphing"). Whereas, Little Guy does the typical toddler tantrum thing. He throws things, screams, whines, stomps, and occasionally hits or kicks. I see where these behaviors come from - me. It seems to them that the louder and angrier I am, the more I get MY way. Heck, why wouldn't it work for them, too?

I've really been trying to figure out how to change this - for good. That is when I saw that this month's Carnival of Parenting  hosted by Lauren at Hobo Mama and Dionna at Code Name: Mama. is based on Parenting Through Play. Hmm... Both kids like to play. My oldest loves board games and joking around. And Little Guy, well, HE'S ALMOST THREE - of course he likes to play! So, I have a plan that I'm already testing out and fine-tuning. What if I tried teaching my children the lessons they need to learn (the reason behind 99% of the rules in our home) through playing with them?

 Here's how I'm envisioning it (so far):

For the Oldest, it's going to take a little work. I want him to become more responsible for himself. His biggest excuse for everything is, "I forgot." And, you know what? I believe him. But it is infuriating when he constantly forgets everything, all of the time. Little things like picking up dirty socks or throwing a candy wrapper into the trash, middle-ground things like not taking out the trash when the wastebasket is full, and BIG stuff like forgetting to ask his coach for the phone numbers of a few of his cross country teammates so he can catch rides to and from meets (first one is TUESDAY and I have absolutely NO IDEA how it's going to happen for him and no coach's phone number- ARGH!) I've tried charts, calendars, planners, lists, leaving post-it notes everywhere, verbally reminding him... everything I can think of. It works for a few weeks, then we're back to me screaming at him and him shutting down. But, with this new trial of parenting through play, I remembered that he remembers conversations we've had while playing games with each other from way back when he was just 5 years old!

• I am going to try to make time to play board games or cards with him (or my husband can) two to three nights a week. 
• Before the game, I'm making a list of the things that need to be talked about.
• I'll also search for funny quotes or jokes that have to do with the things that he needs to remember and out them on the list, too.

Little Guy is going to be kind of tough, too. He's stubborn right now. I just read a post by Hybrid Rasta Mama about her Mindful Mothering Challenge this morning and, I swear, she was describing my kid! (Off the subject of Parenting Through Play - I'm going to start on this challenge, from The Parenting Passageway ASAP!) Anyway, she described her little one as blatantly doing exactly what Mama doesn't want her to do, and not doing the things Mama really wants/needs her to do. This is Little Guy. I feel like reverse psychology is the main theme of my life - I'm even using it on hubby. I feel like I'm being less-than-honest when I do this. So, Here's what I'm thinking for little guy:

• Books - lots of them - from the library about cooperation. Books that show how happy everyone is when they use teamwork to get the job done right. Books that explain the dangers of doing things like not holding hands in the street and taking off in a busy grocery store so Mama can't find you.
• He loves playing with his Hot Wheels and often has a lot of dialog going on with them. I'm going to try to naturally work in different scenarios that often end up with me yelling and him having a tantrum, but with the endings showing him WHY I have certain rules. Maybe one would be: "Blue Truck" doesn't listen to his mommy when she tells him not to do something and then he gets hurt. Nothing preachy, no, "Let's talk about what that truck just did and how it pertains to you!" kind of lectures. 
• I also saw an idea for something called The "Fix" Game on Dr. Laura Markham's Aha! Parenting. Basically, you take a few minutes out of your day and chase your little one around giving hugs, kisses, and snuggles... Getting your "fix" of your little one for the day. It shows them, very clearly, that you DO love them and gives them the direct attention they need. I've already been doing this a few times a day and I've really noticed a marked improvement in attitude and cooperation from Little Guy. We all need some silly lovin' and, with a kid who automatically goes into negative attention mode whenever he feels no one is paying attention to him, it's so important!!!

Well, this is all I have for now. I find myself thinking of this subject often and brainstorming for Parenting Through Play ideas whenever my mind becomes idle - doing dishes, folding laundry, etc. I would absolutely LOVE to hear anymore ideas from you. My entire parenting scheme needs changing and I have to do it NOW... or else. I've fallen into too many bad habits and that circle I'm rolling around in is making me and my family sick. 

***

Visit Hobo Mama and Code Name: Mama to find out how you can participate in the next Carnival of Natural Parenting!

Please take time to read the submissions by the other carnival participants:

• On being a more playful parent — Isil at Smiling like Sunshine shares how the Playful Parenting book impacted her.
• Parenting a toddler through play — Alicia at I Found My Feet lists some examples of how she uses play to parent through everyday tasks and challenges.
• Splashing in Puddles — Abbie at Farmer's Daughter shares how she learned to get dirty and have fun with her little boy.
• Say Please — Cassie at There's a Pickle in My Life explains how they taught their son manners by "play," showing that actions speak louder than words.
• No Nanny Needed — Laura at Our Messy Messy Life wishes parenting through play was her only responsibility during the day.
• I'll Run Away With Gypsies — Nikalee at Spotted Pandemonium maneuvers physical and emotional obstacles while spinning playful tales, jumping through hoops, and inspiring the kids to clean the living room.
• A Promise To My Daughter — Lindsey at An Unschooling Adventure writes a poem for her daughter promising to use play instead of anger when facing difficult situations.
• Parenting Through Play — Not Always Easy But Always Rewarding — Amy at Peace4Parents discusses how play hasn't always come easily to her, the power of appreciative observation, and how her family learns together through play.
• Imagination Plays a Role in Our Parenting — Tree at Mom Grooves shares how parents can use play to set the foundation for communication and understanding.
• A Box of Crayons — Jenn at Monkey Butt Junction talks about how a simple box of crayons has become a wonderful parenting and teaching tool.
• The Essential Art of Play — Ana at Pandamoly shares some of her favorite lessons available for young ones through play.
• The Art of Distraction — Amanda at Let's Take the Metro shares a list of distracting alternatives to harsh punishments in tough parenting situations.
• Grace and Courtesy Games at Home or School — Deb Chitwood at Living Montessori Now has ideas for grace and courtesy games that help you encourage courteous behavior without reprimanding your child.
• I am woman, hear me roar! — Mrs Green from Little Green Blog shares how one simple sound can diffuse an argument in an instant.
• Getting Cooperation Through Play — Amyables at Toddler In Tow talks about respecting the worldview of a preschooler by using play to encourage connection and cooperation.
• Playful Parenting = Extra Energy?? — Momma Jorje didn't think she had the energy for playful parenting. See what she was surprised to learn…
• Dance Party Parenting — Laura from A Pug in the Kitchen learned how to be the parent her children need through play.
• Wrestling Saved My Life — Wrestling is as vital to her son's well-being as babywearing once was, finds Hannah at Wild Parenting.
• Parenting through play — By playing with her children, Tara from MUMmedia is given amazing opportunites to teach, train and equip her children for life.
• Parenting Through Play Starts in Infancy — In a guest post at Natural Parents Network, Issa from LoveLiveGrow shares that though she only has a 3-month-old, playful parenting has already started.
• Play Before Sleep — Adrienne at Mommying My Way writes about how playing and singing with her son before he falls asleep helps calm her frustrations that tend to arise at night.
• Playful Parenting — Or 5 Lessons My Son Has Taught Me About Parenting Through Play — Charise at I Thought I Knew Mama has learned to be a better parent by following her toddler's lead in play.
• Hurry up! Hurry up! I mean it! Quack, quack, quack! — Kellie at Our Mindful Life leads a trail of ducklings
• On the Road: Learning to Play — Seonaid at The Practical Dilettante discovers her inner adult through a summer of playing with her children.
• Preventing Tantrums Through Play — Gaby at Tmuffin explains how she keeps her household happy by not taking things too seriously.
• Carnival of Natural Parenting: Parenting Through Play — Lily, aka Witch Mom, redirects unwanted behavior in a toddler using games and play.
• Exaggerating for effect — Lauren at Hobo Mama has learned how to ham it up.
• Handling Big Emotions with Role Playing — Zoie at TouchstoneZ plays at tempering her parental frustrations while helping her children handle some big emotions
• How To Herd Toddlers by Talking Pictorially — Jennifer at Hybrid Rasta Mama demonstrates how talking in pictures is a playful way to engage your young child in transitioning from one activity to the next.
• Getting a Toddler to Go Where You Want…Playfully — Sylvia at MaMammalia describes how a game of hide-and-seek can be used to steer a wandering toddler in the direction of her choosing.
• Playful Parenting: Chores That Do Themselves — Remember chores when you were a kid? If chores were this fun for Chante at My Natural Motherhood Journey, she wouldn't have needed any reminders!
• Clown School Express: Playing away Fears — MudpieMama describes how she helped her boys confront their fears about starting kindergarten by playing with trains.
• Practicing Playful Parenting — Terri at Child of the Nature Isle realizes that playfulness is the best way through the day and seeks more ways to practice it.
• Today, Tomorrow and Every Day — Starr at Taking Time addresses her children in a letter sharing with them how improtant it is that they spend their childhood playing.
• Learning Through Immersion — Luschka at Diary of a First Child shares how she helps her daughter develop naturally without focusing on teaching, but rather by immersing her in their family's way of life and making her an active part of her environment.
• Play Here Now — Jessica at Instead of Institutions learns and relearns and tries to remember the value of play.
• Play: A Wonderful Parenting Tool — Mamapoekie from Authentic Parenting offers a list of examples on how to use play in real-life parenting situations.
• Playful Parenting — a Book Review — Erica at ChildOrganics shares simple yet sage advice from Dr. Cohen on how play can change your child's life.
• Mock Threats: Turning Real Frustration into Playful Parenting — Threatening is not an effective discipline strategy, but Dionna at Code Name: Mama explains how parents can turn their frustration into playful moments by making "mock threats."
• I'm Sick of Yelling — I Want to Play — Alicia at McCrenshaw's Newest Thoughts realizes she needs to change the way she's parenting and is forming a new plan.
• Sing-along, Brush-along Songs — Shana at Tales of Minor Interest shares a few songs to make brushing her three-year-old's teeth more fun.
• Monster Voice — Ever have those frustrating moments with your kid(s) when you just want to scream? Amy at Anktangle shares a silly strategy for getting through those difficult times.

Backyard Camping {Wordless Wednesday}

The pics are pretty blurry, but what can I do with children who move and a little digital camera in the dark?! Just know we had LOTS of fun!!!

Got the tent...

... and the food.

Here's the entertainment!

Gotta check everyone for a bellybutton. (Just learned about why they're there and that everyone has one...)

Running off the sugary marshmallows!

Being goofy like Brother.

Time to play games in the tent!

Time to sleep... Zzzzzzzz...

A Whole New Twist on an Old Game {Day 5 - KY Intimacy Experiment and GIVEAWAY!}

To all the little kiddies under 18 out there:

This is not a post for you. Please hit the back button, close the page, or anything else that will get you away from this page!

Sincerely,
ME!

Day 5 of the KY Intimacy Experiment is all about having fun together. This is something that has been long lost in our relationship. There are just too many responsibilities that we never make time to just have fun anymore. Even going to the park or taking walks as a family, Hubby and I are continuously on alert. With a headstrong toddler, you can't ever let your guard down! So, after reading what today's day- and nighttime exercises were supposed to be, I was excited. We need to be able to just let our hair down and have a good time!

Today's daytime exercise was great to plan and even better to actually do. We were to choose an activity that we've never done together before and then do it. So many possibilities! There were the usual things - we've never had a picnic with just the two of us. There were also the extreme ones - hubby suggested cooking a meal together. Extreme? Yes. I could only envision him not following directions and me ending up frustrated and angry. Not really something that makes you want to get smoochy, you know?

We settled on one of my favorite activities - Fishing. I haven't been fishing since before I was pregnant with Little Guy. I've always loved just sitting by the water, alone with my thoughts, with a pole in the river. I never keep anything - even if I wanted to, the water here is so bad that they tell you not to even feed your pets the fish from this river! Hubby used to go fishing with his dad when he was a kid, but his part mostly consisted of being quiet so he wouldn't scare the fish and handing his dad another beer. (It wasn't a bad experience for him, but he just never got to actually fish.) So, we planned an afternoon of fishing.

Photo credit: Livestrong.com

We quickly learned that he can't bait a hook. I laughed so hard to see him pull up his pole and show me a hook with a worm dangling down - it was hooked ONE time. We decided it would be my job to put the worms on. Then, he caught a tree - the one behind us - as he attempted to cast. Twenty minutes later, I had untangled his pole, got all the knots from his line, re-baited his hook (I have NO idea where the worm ended up!), and cast his line for him. I finally had gotten myself situated when he got a bite. He yanked the pole so hard that the poor fish was probably left thinking maybe he had just imagined the worm was there. After a short lesson on how to set the hook and reel in a fish, he was on his own again. Neither of us caught more than a single baby large-mouth bass, but I was having a great time. Hubby's unintentional antics had lightened the mood and, by the time we headed home, we were holding hands and making silly jokes with each other. We really had a lot of fun and didn't let ourselves worry or get frustrated with one another. He let me teach him how to fish and I didn't get angry about having to fix his mistakes (repeatedly! LOL)

That night, we tried the nighttime exercise. It was a twist on poker. (I really, really wanted to title this post: "Hit Me!"  "I'll Pass" I tried it out on Triberr's headline voting thingy and it was shot down - 14 dislikes and 0 likes! I thought it was funny! My other idea was "A Royal Blush" and it was just as unpopular.)
Now, this was a lot of fun for us because we really got to know each other over playing cards. I loved playing Rumy with him (I always won) and he had a great time showing me the zillions of different poker games he knew (he always won!) For the Intimacy Experiment version, we were supposed to take a pile of index cards and divide them into four equal piles. We each got two piles. On one pile, we were to write different body parts. On the other, different actions, such as "kiss", "blow", etc. By the time we were finished writing on all of the cards (we shouldn't have gotten the 100-card pack!), we were giggling at our ideas.

We shuffled our "body parts" cards together and our "touch" cards together and set them between us. Then, we played Five-Card Draw. Whoever won each hand got to choose one index card from each pile and the loser had to perform the touch on the corresponding body part. Now, this ended up being the most hilarious game of poker I had ever played. You see, since we each had to think of 25 body parts and 25 touches, we were running out of ideas toward the end. At one point, I received an ear massage. And hubby got to have his knee licked. Yeah. But, there were some pretty hot combos, too! After our agreed-upon twenty-hand game of poker, we were hot and bothered enough to not notice how late it had gotten. I'll leave off here by saying we had an amazing time and are saving the cards for another round of poker!

Here is today's EXTRA ENTRY question!!!
For TWO MORE ENTRIES, I'm going to give you a choice. Answer one of the questions below in a comment on this post:

1. Can you think of a fun activity that you and your partner have never done before? I'd love some ideas!
2. What weird body part/touch combos can you come up with? (Kind of like the ear massage I got!)
   

Answer the question in your first comment, then just type "Entry 2" in your second comment for two entries. Don't forget to leave your email in one of your comments.

You must have done the Mandatory entry on my original giveaway post HERE, in order to receive the extra entries on this post. I will add these entries to the original entries when I choose a winner.

This is open to US residents. YOU MUST BE 18 OR OVER TO ENTER! Giveaway will end on July 30, 2011, at 11:59 pm EST

*I received no monetary compensation for this giveaway, this blog post, or the blog posts that will follow. I did receive a K-Y Brands Intimacy Experiment package in order to fully participate in the program and tell you about it.