Hiccups

Some people have asked how I manage to homeschool L, yet make time to care for and mother my other two kids. Honestly, I'm not sure. 


N the baby, is quite easy to handle these days. She loves to watch others from her pack 'n play or be on the floor, crawling about and getting into simple baby mischief. And sometimes she naps in the morning, but not often enough these days. For now, though, she's easy to manage, and I'll take it. 


My son, S, on the other hand is less manageable and totally 2. Sure, he has his days where it's easy to commandeer him. But, in general, my creative hat is worn daily specifically for this dude. 


Thankfully, he loves playdough. Colorful, pliable, MESSY playdough. He also loves playing with dry beans. The kind that find their home anywhere but inside their convenient Rubbermaid bin. He also loves throwing fits at the most inconvenient times. But the fit is usually thrown due to boredom (or his 2 year molars) and that's where I must rise to the occasion: I include him in storytime. I use songs to help him learn concepts with us. I send him on missions to make me coffee (!) or buy his sister some diapers (he loves pretend play right now). I build him a fort (or give him a box) to play in. I cut up tons of scrap paper into random shapes and let him paste to his heart's content using a gluestick. I set up a starting line for his "races" down the upstairs hallway. I could go on.


On Friday, he was a challenging handful. Today, he was wonderful handful. He's a ball of energy that must be managed and engaged, and the Lord has given him to me...to enjoy. My husband reminded me the other day that S is tenderhearted, needing much more demonstrative displays of affection than L ever did (cuddling, conversation, calm tones of speech lest his feelings be hurt). I needed that reminder. 


Friday was an OK day for S. Today was a good day. I'll focus on today.