Easter Craft and Parenting

I finally did a craft project that I found on Pinterest! I think these eggs are super cute and were pretty easy to make. I wouldn't recommend making them with young children but they were a fun project for me. Something cuter than plastic Easter eggs for my display bowl. I had a fall leaf collection and a winter pine cone one, but had nothing good for Easter. Now I'm enjoying these bright little pops of color in my kitchen.Spring seems to be arriving and the above average temps outside have encouraged us to get out and enjoy it. X pushes his bubble mower, rides his trike, we blow bubbles, check out the new buds popping out on our shrubs and trees, go to the park... it's been quite lovely.

We introduced our son to Bugles this week. He enjoys dinosaurs, so I told them they were his dinosaur claws. He thought it was pretty cool. It's nice that he's young enough that I can still amaze him with new things. The day will soon arrive when I have very little 'cool' stuff left to show him. The whole picky eating phase started a few months ago. He's not really overly picky, but decides randomly if he's going to like something or if "this is yucky". He was still eating broccoli and I was super excited about that, but then in the last week or two started avoiding it as well. So we encouraged him to eat his 'trees' like a dinosaur. We model the act of devouring a 'tree' like a dinosaur, he smiles, and does it too. Magic! :) Until he gets wise to our little scheme...

This tantrum issue we're dealing with on the toddler front is no joke either. Whenever we say 'no' to something little mister X wants to do, he flips out and starts crying. We're trying to show him that he doesn't get his way when he displays this type of behavior, and if he keeps it up, receives some discipline instead. But it's kind of a long and arduous process. We will prevail - I hope. It's harder than it seems to provide consistent discipline and to know where to draw the line and which battles to fight.

Tonight for example, I was putting him to bed... He always enjoys it more when we stay with him while he falls asleep. Or better yet, rock in the rocking chair with him. But we've been working with him to get to the point where we can tuck him in and leave the room and he goes to sleep on his own. He's done pretty well with this and many nights is able to do it just fine. Other nights he comes up with plenty of excuses, but also goes to sleep eventually without much of a fuss. Tonight he just would not stay in his room nor would he stop crying when I left. We battled it out a few rounds of me putting him back to bed and leaving again, but to no avail. The last time before daddy came in to take over X was pretty worked up and just clung to me when I picked him up to put him back in bed. When I got to his bed to put him down he held my neck and shook his whole body, refusing to let go. I have never had him do this before. So we stopped our battle and I asked him what was wrong - if he was scared, hurt, anything...? No, he just wanted me to stay. Wow. So daddy ended up staying with him while he fell asleep. He just wouldn't calm down enough otherwise. I have no idea if something scared him today so he didn't want to be alone or what. I'd love to cuddle and rock with him every night, but I do have other things to do and he needs to learn how to go to bed on his own.

This parenting thing is crazy.