The weather is finally warming up here in Southern Connecticut and we are loving it!
To be honest, the beginning of 2022 hasn’t held a lot of outdoors time for us, with the temperatures falling so low. I know that some people don’t mind freezing temps, but I get too nervous to risk it, since my son can’t really speak yet.
This kid loves a good patch of dirt
One of our favorite places to go has been our local botanical garden. It’s been a great way to immerse ourselves in nature and gives Jameson plenty of opportunity to explore and climb.
Why use the steps when you can scale the rocks?
We’ve also had fun visiting our local nature center, which has an awesome outdoor playground.
The playground is built into the side of a tall hill, which makes it seem like a part of the landscape. It’s beautiful to look at and lots of fun for kids!
I’m going back and forth about actually committing to a membership to the nature center though. It’s fun, but we already have so many memberships to other places in the area. But maybe a few more trips will convince me!
Headed to slide, of course
We’ve also spent a lot of time at our local playground. Simple, fun and always a good time!
Is it warming up where you are, or are you lucky enough to live in a place with year-round warm weather?
A very busy weekend means that this post is coming to you on a Wednesday instead of a Monday!
Consider it your pass to daydream about all of the fun things you’d like to do this weekend as you’re sitting at your desk 🙂
Saturday:
The big snow storm visited us here in Fairfield County!
Unfortunately, Jameson was still feeling a little under the weather, so there was no playing in the snow for us.
BUT he did have fun playing with some dried oats while I made oatmeal that morning.
Yes, I had a lot to sweep up after this
I gave him some kitchen tools to scoop and sift with, but he had the most fun just using his hands to scoop and feel the oats.
This was another weekend where we did not add any hours to our 1000 hours outside goal, mostly because of the cold and Jameson being under the weather.
Warmer days, where are you?
Sunday:
I spent the entire day at a blood drive my Junior League chapter was co-hosting for the Res Cross.
Our goal was 28 donors and we managed to get 40 donors! I was so worried that the storm from the night before would deter people from coming in, but it was a huge success.
Checking in donors at the blood drive
D and Jameson had some fun, dad and son bonding time while I was at the blood drive. I made it home in time for dinner and bath time.
Monday
Jameson and I met up with some friends at one of our favorite coffee places, Honey Joe’s.
While I chatted and had some mom time, Jameson got to play with his buddy on the indoor play sets.
It’s crazy how much his climbing and maneuvering skills have improved since the first time we came to this play area. He really is becoming a big kid right before my eyes!
After our fun morning, I dropped Jameson off at daycare for a half day so I could drive to my sister-in-laws studio salon.
And she blessed me with these beautiful brows!
This is my first time getting my eyebrows micro bladed, but I love it.
So that was our weekend! I have another long weekend coming up again, so we’ll see what we get into then.
A couple of weeks back I checked out a book called The Montessori Toddler from my local library.
It’s an amazing book and I highly recommend it to anyone looking to add more aspects of Montessori learning/lifestyle to their home.
With that being said, there were some things in the book that felt a bit overwhelming to me, a working mom.
The reality is, if you work a full-time job, you just don’t have as many hours in the day with your child as a parent that is a full-time caregiver or even works from home.
This realization got me thinking about ways I can fit “Montessori moments” into my time with my child, to get all (well, most) of those great experiences with less of the fuss.
Here are some ways I’ve been putting this into practice so far:
Teaching my toddler how to pour into a cup
The other night, Jameson only wanted the peas on his dinner plate…and then some “to-go” peas afterwards. He also felt like rummaging through his cups and plates cabinet.
Cute an “aha” moment for a teaching opportunity.
Teaching opportunity? Just let me eat my peas in peace, mom.
I put some extra cups on the ground and sat with him. Then modeled how to pour the peas from one cup to another, using two hands.
I went as slow as I could so that he could see the steps I was taking. I also made sure to not talk while doing my demonstration, because apparently talking while demonstrating makes toddlers confused about whether they should be watching you or listening to you.
I don’t know about all that, but I kept my mouth shut anyways. Well, at least most of the time. I mean, it’s weird to be that quiet for so long, right?
Enjoying his cups of peas
But anyway, Jameson had a lot of fun watching me pour his peas in different cups. He tried pouring them himself and I have to to say, his skills have definitely improved from the other week when we tried this with water.
Letting my toddler choose his outfit in the morning
Jameson’s room isn’t set up for a tiny Montessori style wardrobe to be set up, so I’ve improvised by making the top shelves of his toy rack into clothing choice baskets.
This works for us because a. It doesn’t take up any additional space in his already small room and b. I now have the shelving space to use for this since I’ve started rotating his toys to play with and keeping the rest stored in his closet.
Okay, so I will admit that I have been so-so about remembering how to do this.
This is relatively new for us and there have been a few mornings this week that I’ve scrambled for an outfit for him, completely forgetting that I have two preselected ones for him to choose right across the room.
BUT the mornings I have remembered this have been mostly successful thus far.
Two of the times he picked an outfit, he seemed really excited about it. The third time, he pushed both of the choices away from him and did not want to be bothered.
I’ll chalk that time up to him watching Sesame Street when I asked him.
Pro-tip: when attempting Montessori independence fostering activities and rituals: make sure frowned upon screen time tv characters have not hijacked your child’s attention.
All jokes aside, the point is that Montessori doesn’t have to be elaborate or time consuming. You can pick and choose what works for your family and toss the rest.
Either way, you’re doing a great job. Now excuse me while I go sweep up some random peas I just found under the dishwasher. xx
It was another cold one this weekend, but that meant it was perfect for having some fun indoors in our area!
Jameson and his cousin (left) on the big school bus at Stepping Stones
Saturday
D and I take turns sleeping in on the weekends, and yesterday it was my turn (hallelujah). While I slept in, D and Jameson went grocery shopping.
Later in the afternoon, we met up with some family to go to Stepping Stones Children’s Museum in Norwalk, CT.
Stepping Stones is a great place to take toddlers because there is just SO much to do. From water play to make believe to a life-sized, moving dinosaur! This place knocks my socks off and I’m 32.
A cool make believe/ dress-up area at Stepping Stones
Thankfully, Jameson feels the same! This kid has a blast everywhere he goes, but he especially loves it there. We got to share our favorite place with his cousin, Sebastian, so that made it even more fun.
Sunday
We started the day off pretty laidback. Watched some Blippi with Jameson’s morning milk and then had some fun with Play-Doh.
We love Play-Doh and Christmas pajamas, no matter what month it is
After his nap, we went to the Maritime Aquarium in Norwalk, CT. This is another one of our favorite places to visit when it’s too cold to be outside.
Fun fact: D and I used to have a huge freshwater fish tank in our first apartment. At one point we had an eel and a stingray! It’s something we plan on having again when we buy a house. Sadly, it was too difficult to find another apartment that was okay with a 500 gallon fish tank moving in with us *sigh*.
Our old fish tank that’s we somehow fit into our 900 square foot apartment
Did you and your family get into anything fun this weekend?
Paige is Parenting 