CO & H2O

My son loves water. He loves to play in it, he loves to drink it & he even likes to wash with it. If I am washing floors, walls or doors he loves to get right in there and help with the process. He has even been caught getting his own bucket and rag to clean all on his own (this is frowned upon as it usually leads to a lot of water where it isn't wanted as he isn't the greatest as wringing out the cloth yet).
Where he lived before coming to stay with me he played with water so much at the kitchen sink that he swelled up the counters (they had plans to redo the kitchen anyway after he left them).  He will stay in the bathtub for up to two hours playing some days. Some days he will have three baths :) (I let him bathe on demand on the most part...if I can't remember when he bathed last, I tend to give lots of encouragement for him to take one...he rarely needs much encouragement)
He is an 'able' boy and very much loves to 'do' for himself. This past week I put out a small jug of water for him on the counter with a cup. He was able to get himself a drink whenever he so desired the only 'rule' was he needed to drink what he poured and he wasn't supposed to 'muck' and dump the water back into the jug. (I am working on teaching him that when 'sharing' something like a knife or jug that we don't lick it, etc.)  Now he just needs to learn that he doesn't need to drink the whole jug every time it gets filled up :) the boy does not have to worry about being dehydrated! He went through many pants as he wasn't able to get to the toilet intime as he was peeing SO often.  Hopefully the longer he has access to it, the less he'll over drink.

another week over...

this Bob movie is what CO is watching right now while I blog. I don't really like Bob. We rarely watch it.

I look forward to the nicer weather so we can spend our evenings in the backyard catching fireflies, looking at the stars and enjoying campfires. I think this summer we will try tenting in the backyard together.
Friday is here...and another stretch of being a stay at home mom is over. I have to leave for work at 11pm and work my 40 hours. I am blessed. I know that it is rare that a single mom is able to have SO much time with her child and be away from them so little.  CO has issues with being 'left'. It took him many many months before he would be ok with the fact that I left him for the weekend to go to work (even though he was with my parents). It used to be I'd come home from work Sunday afternoon and he'd be a monster for me until Tuesday. I figured this was his way of punishing me for going to work.  Even though I got him at a young age I think the many transitions he had as a baby does have an effect deep down. So having the job I do really helps him to have the stability he craves.

Today we had another speech assessment. Unfortunately when I told him we were going to 'speech' today. He heard 'beach' and was a little disappointed when we showed up.  He had even brought his 'water glasses' (goggles) along.  He has made some improvement with his speech in the last three months. Sounds he wasn't using at all he is now using 'in' words. He still doesn't use them at the begining of words but that will come. He is going to be attending a speech 'camp' of sorts two days a week after march break.  It is three or four weeks long. We'll see how that goes.

CO is such a clown and makes me laugh with the ideas and thoughts he is sharing with me these days. He talks all the time about when he gets big what he is going to do. He is going to drive a snow plow, be a farmer, a superhero that helps people and flies through the clouds. He is going to drive a big truck and own a backhoe, combine, excavator & tractor. That is just some of the ideas he has thrown at me this past week.
He has been ALL about being outside this week. I couldn't interest him in crafting at all (which is something he usually LOVES to do), not even painting. So our activies that I'd planned to go along with 'the Snowy Day' mostly went out the window this week. He LOVED the book and I've read it a few times a day. He enjoyed doing the science experiments that went along with the book. We brought in snowballs and put them in different places like the freezer and fridge and then predicted what would happen. He loved to make tracks in the snow. Mostly he loved doing what he loves best, and that is digging. There were a couple of days this week that the ground was icy and hard and he then switched from shoveling snow to digging with any gravel he could get loose from the driveway or playing on his 'hockey rink' (which is a small frozen patch of ice on the front lawn).

We stopped off at the library on the way home today and picked up some books on growing and gardening. Next week our book is 'the Carrot Seed'. I'm excited to start planting seeds with him. I found a cool seed grower that will enable him to see in the soil and watch the roots grow as well as the plant above ground.  We've read this book in the past (not as a weekly focus) and he really liked it. So I think I'll be reading it MANY times next week.

We are off to Ottawa for March Break. We are taking Morgain. I am looking forward to the week. I find her much more relaxed and less needy than she was when she first moved here almost two years ago.  Most of all I am looking forward to going to here.
We are going to attemt to drive down (vs taking the train). So that should be an interesting adventure in itself.

I'm blogging and avoiding housework

not something I am proud of but my little one is enjoying his long bath (he took a bunch of stuff from his play kitchen in with him so he'll play a long time) and the silence is kinda nice.
looking at my house...I am not really sure where to begin to deal with it. Though I am plugging away at it and I am making progress even though it isn't always noticeable. I am in the mood to get rid of stuff. Stuff that is taking up space. Stuff I don't need or use. I would LOVE to get rid of the Girl Guide stuff that has taken over sections of my house...maybe I just need to go through all of it and get rid of the unnecessary stuff...
This week CO and I are reading 'The Snowy Day' which he is LOVING but is not really interested in doing many of the activities I planned to go along with it. He did like the science experiment of putting snowballs in the fridge and freezer. He'd much rather just be outside playing in the snow.

I still fight loneliness. I find my house is less organized when I am letting myself think about my loneliness. Somedays I think it would be nice to have a friend. One who actually emails me. Or calls me. Or writes me a letter or is available to do playdates together. Somedays I think a husband would be nice. Someone to be in a room with. Someone to hug and to feel safe in his arms.

goodbye February

CO was very sad when we transitioned to February from January. It was his first exposure to the months changing I guess since we just started focusing on 'calendar time' every morning this year. This time he remembered that when January was all done that we cleared the calendar for the new month. I warned him that it was the last day of February on the 28th and he wanted to jump into March right away. But we held off. He thought it was funny that night to say goodnight and see you next month that evening.
This morning we changed the calendar. We sang goodbye to February and Hello to March (a song I made up last month for the transition from January). Aunt Ruth said she heard him today singing goodbye to February while he was outside playing at one point. (cute)

I am trying to set myself into the routine of reading my Bible daily this year. I have set this goal other years and was not successful. This year I thought I'd follow a guide but at the same time keep track of what days I read and what I read on those days. I am happy to say that I improved in February from January as to not procrasinating and therefore missing a day forgetting to open my Bible as many days. In January I missed 10 days (I know that is terrible) but in February I only missed 7. Hopefully this is because I was better at making a point in my day to open my Bible rather than it was a shorter month. Looking at the dates, it seems that the time I miss reading usually lies on the weekend. So this is where I need to definately set my alarm earlier and just make sure I do it. Some mothers are up before thier kids and spend time in the word then. I have yet to make this transition. My son is 99% of the time awake before me. I am happy the mornings he doesn't wake me up until 7am. (the latest I think has been 7:15), the earliest...maybe around 4am  (ug)

one of the reasons is I seem to fight to be a night owl. I don't know why I choose this because long term is just is sucky as I am tired and less patient over all. And since it is late now...I need to head to bed...

one thousand gifts

I am excited to begin this book. It is the book club book on the incourage website. I think it will be a good challenge and encouragement to me. They are already a few chapter in but I can go back to catch up with thier summaries as I read through the book.

if you can't beat it...embrace it...

well since the snow has decided to return and remind me that it is ONLY February and still winter, I decided to embrace it...
CO and I went tobogganing today. It was cold! I had to switch to a warmer hat as the wind was blowing through the one I was wearing and into my ears. CO didn't seem to be fazed by the cold. I think he is decided to embrace every moment of winter that he can. He played outside this afternoon for about 3 hours. Digging, swinging, sledding, dumping, etc. He was HAPPY! not so much when I dragged him in for supper...but happy again now as he is snuggled with his 2 duck blankies (he came with one very LARGE one that I cut in half and usually have one hidden away but he spied it going into the dryer and stalked the dryer so he could swoop in and save it once it was dry) and watching mighty machines recycling which is one of the two movies that comes with the garbage dvd


we've only seen it like a million times. It is interesting...and educational and Canadian...which is even better!
I help foster his love of mighty machines by pulling over whenever we are driving anywhere and see something going on so he can watch it in real life. Last week we watched the hydro company cutting down trees. The man was in a bucket which was very fascinating for CO.

where did spring go?

I have to say...I was very excited that most of our snow melted last week and that there was more green & brown to be seen than white. The thought of an early spring sent thought of gardening and cottaging through my brain. It sent thoughts of outdoor projects that I'd like to do this year.
Yesterday morning....the snow is back. We are back in a white winter world. My son is very happy. He loves snow. He loves shoveling. He loves loves loves it. I think he likes outside no matter the weather but he really loves to shovel so having snow makes it all the better.

Once again my thoughts of gardening, and outdoor projects are on hold.

Yesterday was family day and we got to spend it as a family. My son was in a non-baby proofed house for most of a day and the only thing he got into was he tried using the towel bar in the bathroom as a monkey bar (his plan failed, it fell, he fell, he apologised for breaking it)

I think it is very important to teach him to say sorry when he breaks something. Even if it was a complete accident. It BUGS me when someone breaks something of mine and doesn't point it out or fess up. I have come across some of my things that are broken and someone has just picked up the pieces and pretended that nothing happened under their watch. Which is crazy. I get more upset when I find something broken and placed back together because I wish that someone had just told me it was broken than over the fact that the thing is broken. Yes I have little things all over that are from memories of my life but if they get broken, oh well. I have memories that can't be broken...in my heart and mind.

anyway, that was totally off topic. I need to get the coffee brewing and the oatmeal cooking...
my son couldn't wait, he is out playing in the new snow...so he is going to be VERY hungry when he comes in from shoveling...and the coffee...I am just tired! I lost sleep once again at work on the weekend and last night...had my nose stuck in a book....which I am happy to report is finished :)






It was a good book. I didn't want to put it down. Angela Hunt is good at being creative in her topics that she puts in her book. This one was about a lady whose husband died and the evidence points at her. So the story is mostly about the trial. I recommend this one if you are looking for a novel to read...that has some good spins to it.

wondering

what the purpose behind the book of Numbers is? it is SO difficult to resist the temptation to skim the pages of this book rather that 'read' it. I find I am falling behind in my daily reading of the Bible this past week with this book...

**update: so once I forced myself deeper and got past the first few chapters, it is easier reading :)