Batteries...what happened to creative play??

Don't you just love how kids have a way of reminding you (as parents) that life gets too busy and everything runs like an energizer battery...never ending!? Konnor did this to me two days ago in the car. We ran into a store and I bought him this miniature wooden robot. He was having a blast with it in the store and car...the arms and legs move to different locations, the head turns all the way around. In the backseat of my car, I heard that the robot was dancing, then he was marching, running, etc...and then Konnor stops and asks me "where are the batteries?" I was taken by it and told him it didn't have any. Then I started to feel guilty wondering if my kid had too many "interactive toys" that have hit the stores these days. Yes, he has a TON of toys that are simple and enhance creativity (more than the "battery-filled" ones), but those "interactive" ones that he does have are his favorites sometimes. So what happened to giving kids a simple object and letting their imaginations run? What happened to those days when boxes and pots/pans did the trick? It definitely got my attention and I have been thinking about his question since the day it happened! While I think that toys that play music, talk, sing, move, etc are GREAT, I also think it's equally (if not more) important to have simplistic toys that stimulate their little minds. It's amazing what something as small as a fuzz can do (ever watched, "Horton Hears a Who")?? So as I am typing this, Konnor is on his laptop playing a little "mouse in the maze" game...wonder what we'll do when I close this laptop :)

biG helper, bIG heart, BIG brother

It's so precious to watch kids go through transitions. Granted, there are times I have wanted to pull my hair out, but I'm not bald yet and managing ;) Anyways, now that Kara is getting older and more interactive, Konnor is really taking to her. She is no longer a "blob" to him. He will talk to her and when she smiles, he'll giggle and say, "look at that smile!" He now claims her as his little sister. So yesterday when I put Kara in the exersaucer, Konnor wasted no time getting out his tools to make sure everything worked the way it should for her. The two played together and he showed her how everything worked. And then Kara spit up (as usual) and Konnor started gagging until I heard that dreadful "deep-in-the-stomach" gag where I thought something else was going to come up! He wouldn't play with her until I wiped her mouth! I don't know why he has started gagging at the sight of "liquid sugar" or "baby perfume", but I will enjoy these days because I know in years to come, they will not want to own one another and will bicker back and forth...then they'll make a complete circle as they mature and become recognizable siblings again!

Daddy's Belt

I'm sure when you read the title, you probably thought Konnor got in trouble or something, lol...far from it ;)...and no, we don't use the belt in our house! Anyways, Konnor grabbed Rob's military belt from the dining table and wrapped it all around himself and told me he was ready to go to work. Then, he came to me and said, "Give me a kiss"...it was so sweet! It was yet another reminder of how kids are constantly observing our actions, language, etc. Of course Konnor has also picked up on us telling Toby (one of our beagles) that he stinks when he farts, or how to pop Hunter (the other beagle) when he runs off with the dish towel. They are little sponges and it's remarkable on a daily basis! I can just sit back and watch the wheels turning in my little boy's head, or interact with Kara and just see the magic in her little baby eyes. It's a big responsibility to have to teach kids about life, so I have to constantly remind myself that they are watching my every move and learning through us as well. They teach me a few things, too (ugh hum...PATIENCE), but raising kids is a job that I am so fortunate to have....and my reward is reflected in my children. ....PAUSE....Konnor just finished his lunch and his plate was all clean. I asked him if he ate all of his food and he told me without hesitation that Hunter ate some of it, too....agggh, honesty! I give him kudos for telling the truth!!!!!! Got to look at the positive in things, right?!