No agenda today! Seriously, this is like the first day in forever that we had nowhere to be at no particular time. So…I planned on going to the zoo bright and early. Unfortunately I shared this plan with Tatum, and she expected to go. Upon pleading with her to go another day, and that we would have a blast at home playing in her house, she agreed.
Before we went down to have brekkie, I asked if she wanted to grab a book. She plopped on my bed and started reading Polka Dot Puppy.
Great! She is over going to the zoo and we can have a great day. I figure I will work on organizing her closet and making more Tot Books. That means laminating laminating laminating cutting cutting cutting and pasting pasting pasting. Much effort but worth it.
Luckily, she just stayed busy. I love that she loves to read. The toys she tends to gravitate to are now Bella, her kitchen, and well…books! Tot grabbed a book and a Highlights magazine. We popped up the tent in her room so she could hide and play.
Next thing I knew, she pulled up her ladybug,
read, then disappeared for a minute. Then…I found her on the stairs reading to Bella!
Aahhhh, the joy of her independence while I laminated!
My Tot Books are going to be so great thanks to this site!
Her room is getting there…
Closet…..
(organization of children’s things should be a business!!!)
Room…
Work in Progress. Also..rotation. Tatum kept finding things in her closet that she poo-pooed before and now loved! It was a great strategy to keep her busy while I laminated AND she discovered old toys/books new again.
We then ran out to the store, and she got her daily dose of friends. She asked everyone she could see, “Hi, what’s your name? I’m Tatum.” In the car ride home, “Mommy, let’s have a conversation.” It never ends, my little chatterbox social butterfly.
Even when she slips up, she still maintains her sweet demeanor. Right before nap, I wanted her to come to me, and she just stared and did not respond. I had to ask her a few times, and finally I just plopped her in her bed for 2 minutes. She cried, and I returned for her only to apologize. She looked me straight in the eye and said (without any prompting from me), “Mommy, I’m sorry I did not listen to you. I did not honor-love you.” (This is straight from her wall and she remembered!) Wow. This is all about learning and her growing.
I couldn’t hold back but I had to surprise her with her new Minnie suit. This made her want to go swimming, and I couldn’t believe the growth in her stroke! Man, those lessons give her confidence.
While I cut out all the laminating, she put Jack and the Beanstalk storyboard together and I made more!
Then we played cards after dinner. We did the fishy find (match the fishies!), and then embarked on Memory cards (match the two based on memory) 
What a fun day! We always end in prayers, prayer sticks and a “conversation” about our day and what is to come tomorrow. (And of course a series of games to get her to go to bed!)
This time last year, I was disorganized, unsure how to be with a 2 year old all day, ill-equipped on how to teach her…and the list goes on. Now, I see her become independent, kind, helpful, and introspective with a true conscience.
This organization day helped me organize her room AND gave me a whole new appreciation for my Tot.