We’ve reached that part of toddler life where tantrums ensue at any moment over the most ridiculous of reasons.
*My shoe is on the right foot! Yes, I said right foot…it can be an issue apparently.
*I wanted to eat that regurgitated piece of food I threw on the floor!
*I need to wear Daddy’s shorts on my head today!
My daughter is EXTREMELY active. She’s a fast learner and I truly struggle to keep up.
Because of this, today I felt like throwing in the towel. Yesterday I had posted on my Instagram account the drama filled chaos of our day. This morning (I’m talking 5:30am) this same toddler was trying to change her wake up time. It didn’t happen and she managed to squeeze out a few more winks thankfully. Eventually at 6:30am, however, she was banging on her cot calling out Mama so I grabbed her and brought her into my bed for cuddles. Which lasted for about 5 minutes.
Somebody please send her the memo that everyone else in my life understands. Mummy is NOT a morning person!
As soon as our cuddles were over she was running amok through the house, staging a repeat of yesterday.
Which brings me back to how I was feeling. Exhausted, stressed, anxious. Ready to leave any mess she made for the rest of my days.
Until miracle of all miracles happened and she passed out 2 hours early on the living room floor.
Thank God.
So I scooped her up and put her to bed for a nap and upon walking back to the main living area realised I just can’t live with the chaos. I picked up every bit of mess from our morning and then took a moment to breathe.
In that moment I realised I needed to get out of the funk I was now feeling myself in and try harder to keep this little girl of mine entertained. How I ever survived toddlerhood with my other 4 children I have no idea! I took to Pinterest to look up some ideas to keep this active mind of hers busy.
We’re a single income family, living with Auckland rental prices so resources are limited. But this is nothing new to me. Long time readers will hopefully be excited as I say this.
I’m going to use my extensive Pinterest collection and my own inspiration to create affordable activities for my daughter to keep us BOTH sane. And then I’m going to share those activities on here!
Simple solution to the problem right? I get to create, she gets to play and learn. You get to read and join in on making some of the best, super easy ideas that the internet has to offer. Everybody wins!
Hooray! And the crowd goes wild.
So here’s our first little project. Sensory and recognition play mixed together. I’ve used a gorgeous wooden alphabet set I picked up from Kmart for about $4 as my main accessory.
Step One: Stencil puzzle letters spelling out your child’s name onto card.
Step 2: Make it bold for their little eyes.
Step 3: In a large container add the likes of rice, pasta, lentils, dry beans etc. Whatever you may have on hand. This is a mix of pasta and rice. Things that have just been sitting in the cupboard going nowhere! Step 4: Place the letters into the box and let your little one begin the hunt!
Simple enough for you? Have a go and show me your photos! Tag me on Instagram and use #creatingmyreality, or upload them to the Creating My Reality Facebook page!
Idea inspired by Busy Toddler.
