Falls Ending

Every year I want to go to the neighboring town of Ashland and its wondrous Lithia Park during the fall but generally I miss it. It’s a bit out of the way so the hour drive isn't very appealing at all. But it’s so beautiful and honestly I love Ashland. This year we made it with both boys and my new camera luckily before all the foliage was gone. I was so happy. Have to share. 

Even brown crumbling leaves held beauty

Got to love the Duck pond

The Boys certainly did.

Narnia Lampposts Everywhere.

Dart’s Room Makeover

Little Dart has becoming increasingly more agile. So ‘Trouble’ as my grandmother has nicknamed him, has figured out the crib. He can no longer be contained! After flopping on the ground and getting hung up on the crib once I was done with it. The mattress was on the floor next to the empty crib. Rearrange time!

After reading about Montessori info on baby/toddlers rooms the mattress is on the floor. Clumsy little guy doesn't need anything to get hung up on climbing in and out of bed.

Dresser had to be moved as well. Shelves were hung above. Dart climbed up on top and started emptying them. No good, fragile items. I love this adjusted kitchen cabinet turned dresser, however, it’s huge. Good for not tipping when toddler climbs up, not very well for space utilization. 

Also I have a corner area with the book at the end for the bed. All cardboard books are down low. Paper books are up a little higher on the dresser. He CAN still get up on top but it's not easy so he doesn't do it much...for now. It takes time for him to get up there so I have a chance to catch him.

The recliner has stayed. I need it for the night. And Dart now knows it as his nursing chair. He's gotten very good at asking too "narse?peas." before he tugs, not so gently on my shirt. I tried a nice pretty glider but the mauve recliner won. Many hours of nursing as well as sleeping of both mother and child spend in this chair. And no one has ever fallen out, I totally recommend it, I would have lost a ton more sleep without it.

In the middle of the room I added the old beat up 3rd hand-me-down baby mattress. What for? To jump and wrestle on. I saw something similar in Montessori inspired bedroom for babies. My boys love to wrestle and if I could I'd just plaster the rooms with wrestling mats but this will do. Plus they get to jump on the bed, really, how cool is that. At the end of the night it fit right in the closet. 

Last thing I add was in the corner behind the recliner. This was kind of a void space when again I saw a Montessori inspired bedroom and with a potty in it. This seemed like a possibility  Dart still has no interest in it and honestly I don't want to push it especially with this room change. But it's there and I added a box of activity for when we do attempt to sit with Mr. Dart and his very short attention span. 

After a few nights of waking up in a panic he seems to have adjusted fairly well. We've gone back to waking up at nights at least once, a major bummer. A lot of adjustments lately. The largest problem is that he won't stay in bed at bedtime. It's been almost 6 weeks and every night he pops up repeatedly. Bedtime routine has not effect and neither doesn't a mean or nice voice, or even not saying anything at all. We have made progress he usually goes down after 4 or 5 replacing instead of an uncountable amount. I wait until he's really tired then call Daddy upstairs, this usually gets him to stay. It's been interesting but then again, that's just Dart.

A Montessori School

So I've enlisted in some help. I broke down and signed up for Light for school. I found a Montessori school in the area. Just down the street area. I feel slightly odd about the whole thing. I’m still working out if this feeling is just simply sending my little man to school or if my mommy sense is going off. The ‘mommy sense’ has been awesome to me since I learned how to listen to it. That’s the really trick, I suppose, learning when to trust that little voice or alarm inside. So when I get a weird feeling it’s hard to shake it.

It’s been two weeks and we've been really happy. I admit it’s been an adjustment. He’s gone 3 and half hours in the morning and I feel like I’m missing something the whole time. Often Dart and I run some errors. It’s really nice because it’s just one kid I feel like I can do stuff outside the home again. Add the Beco Butterfly to the mix has made my error running a breeze. I love strapping the little guy to my back it’s awesome. Mostly I get comments on how happy he seem. Alright, I have a happy kid, the Beco shouldn't be judged on that. I think he still likes it better than the stroller, he can actually see.

This is all in good timing too, for Christmas. Since I actually have a bit of money this year I’ve been happy take some pressure off in the creative department. Not that I’ll not make anything, nope, habit are hard to break. Plus crafting makes me happy and the receivers seem to enjoy it too, which only adds to my pleasure of giving.  

To top off the benefits to going to school I get one on one with little Dart. The teacher at the school lends books on Montessori as well. This was pretty exciting to me as we were on tour she handed the book to me and said I could borrow it. Titled “Teaching Montessori in the the Home. The Pre-School Years”  by Elizabeth G Hainstock. I have finally finished it and it’s terrific. It lays out Practical Life Exercises and Early Sensory Exercises. Most of the exercises are for ages from ages 2.5 to 5. Right about were my children are.  

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/

or

http://www.amazon.com/

So I’m by no means, not long homeschooling. Because children learn so much while at home that I think everyone home schools a bit. I've just got some help and that makes us all happy I think.