Organizing E's Toys

I am pretty sure I previously mentioned that I rotate Eliza's toys. Eliza is learning to clean up after herself-sometimes. It is a work in progress. However, I think it is much easier for her to clean up when there are not too many things to mess up.

I am NOT a fan of toy boxes. I refuse to buy one for Eliza because I think toys end up broken, with missing pieces and mostly forgotten. There is nothing more annoying that attempting to play with a toy or game that has missing pieces. Up until now I have been storing E's toys in all kinds of hidden places around the house. It wasn't really working for me and Marcy suggested I try some clear plastic bins. SCORE! I love this idea. I purchased four clear bins to organize and rotate her toys. Now, every week or two I can just rotate the bins. As she receives new toys I will make adjustments to the bins.

Here is my plan. I would love to take pics but hubby has the camera on a photo shoot today.

Step one
Round up all of E's toys from various hiding places. I am going through them to check if anything is broken. Also, if she no longer is interested in a toy I will either find it a new permanent home or put it in storage for baby #2. So far, I have two missing pieces that I am attempting to track down. This is extremely annoying. I have searched high and low and still can't find the pieces. Hopefully, something will turn up soon.

Step 2
Arrange them into the bins. I plan to divide the puzzles up, stacking toys, sorting toys etc. so that there is usually one of each kind in each bin. I have a LOT of puzzles so I will either double up or or put some away for a long while.

Step 3
Find a place to put the bins! :) They need to be accessible to me but not to E!

Fostering Independence

I have been focusing on helping Eliza to become more independent. Lately, it seems that she really wants to start doing things on her own. She discovered that she can turn the water on and off in the tub, take off and put on her own clothes, and open various doors, containers & cabinets. Pete questioned me on why I encourage her to do so much independently. He loves to play devil's advocate. His argument is that she is a kid and should be a kid. I totally agree with his statement. However,I think that kids are very capable and should be encouraged to do as much as they can independently. I don't think they should be forced to do things, but if they desire to do something it should be an option. I would never say to Eliza that she couldn't do something because she was too little- unless of course I felt it was dangerous. I believe that kids feel proud when they can do something without help. I also think they also really love to help out and imitate what they see adults doing.

* I told my husband he is just lazy. (which he really isn't!) Honestly, it is harder to be patient and let kids do things on their own. It is easier to just do it yourself-but they really don't learn anything that way.

Things we have been working on...

Drinking out of a Glass
I have been helping Eliza to drink out of a glass and not a sippy cup. She still gets her sippy, but she also has a glass available to her at meals. It is a very tiny glass that is E sized and perfect for a toddler's small hands. Has she spilled her drink? You betcha! A few time she spilled the contents of the glass down her shirt. She has quickly learned how NOT to spill it when drinking. She holds it with two hands and takes tiny sips. Sometimes she dips her hand in the water. I guess she can't resist! She also dunked her cookie in the water. A future Oreo dunker?

Cleaning!
When I taught K the kids loved, loved., loved to clean. They would sweep at the drop of a hat. They also wanted to use the real sweeper and NOT the fake toy sweeper. They loved to wipe down the tables after messy craft activities. They showed more excitement about cleaning then about any other classroom activity I did. Eliza is also learning to help take care of our house. She has a little pink microfiber dust cloth she uses for dusting, a tiny little broom for sweeping and her own cellulose sponges to use for dish washing. Most recently we bought a carpet sweeper thingy that adjusts to E's size. Here she is in action! Go, E, Go!

Setting the Table
Eliza sets her table for each meal. She uses the placement to help with her setting. She knows the names for everything and she also knows the ASL signs. All of the materials are available to her in a low cabinet. The reason she looks miserable is because she is sitting with a set table and I am taking pictures and not dishing out her lunch. She is very serious about eating.

Here is her cabinet.

and that is all for know because I need to go make some turkey meatballs before little miss sunshine wakes up from her nap!

Poppin Peas like Candy

So my little Eliza is loving peas lately. Recently, I have been trying to give her more finger foods to eat. In the past she would usually gag whenever I gave her something with more texture than oatmeal, but lately she is really getting the swing of this eating biz! I bought some frozen organic peas and have been making them in small batches for her every few days. She loves them and pops them into her mouth rapid fire. I also cut up and steamed some carrots for her to eat. She is enjoying them as well. I am thinking of changing my Tasty Tuesday to recipes from my toddler feeding adventures.

One morning I couldn't figure out how to keep the banana bits from slipping between her fingers. Then I saw the box of Cheerios on the counter and decided to make her some Cereal Covered Banana Bits! It was a huge hit and she could finally get a hold of those slippery bananas! Did I forget to mention how fun it is to smash Cheerios with a rolling pin! woo hoo The things that get my motor revving these days.

YUMM-O

What? Do I have something on my face?