E for Effort (Toddler Activities)

My daily life with our two ladies has really picked up speed lately. Brite's sleepy newborn days are long gone, and not only that; she has become a bit of an inconsistent napper. In Babywise language, we are dealing with "the 45 minute intruder." In regular language, "Dude, my baby is the lightest sleeper on the planet. Please quit breathing SO loud." Along with short baby naps, and the Georgia heat keeping our play inside a lot, my time with Marin has felt limited and interrupted. Combine all the inside time with constant baby holding and leaving to reinstate the paci, and I've been left feeling a bit defeated in the big sister department. I mean, the TV watching alone!

I'm a big proponent of the "It's only a season" mantra and "Give yourself some grace" because mom guilt is REAL, friends. BUT I've been feeling the need lately to try a little harder, you know, to invest in my oldest a little bit more.

Marin is such an imaginative kid, and I think kids generally have intrinsic desires to learn and explore, but sometimes a mom just needs to look back at her day and feel like she put something together, besides another quesadilla. SO, thanks to Pinterest and extra coffee, we've been working on some activities that change things up a bit for Marin and take the edge off of SO MUCH PEPPA PIG.

Here are a few we've enjoyed in case you find yourself in the same predicament.

Happy Tuesday, mamacitas!

MATCHING UPPERCASE AND LOWERCASE LETTERS ON EASTER EGGS.  Marin really loved this because of all the PINK.  It was a bit much to expect a toddler to have the endurance to do the whole alphabet, so we matched letters in chunks of five, starting with just A-E then picking up a different day with other letters. Breaking it into fewer letters gave her a more immediate sense of accomplishment.  We even threw in an Easter egg hunt in the living room one day.

PUPPET THEATER.  I happened to be awake extra early one morning, so I found this old science board and some leftover party materials and put together a small puppet theater.  We glued felt  eyes onto old socks to create puppets.  Marin named hers Blueberry.

PINK SEA FOAM. Marin loved this! Combine water, pink bubbles, and sea creatures and you have conquered the day.  To make the bubbles extra bubbly and pink, I followed this mama's instructions.

COUNTING. I know, whomp whomp. Marin actually enjoyed it, with the accompaniment of lots of clapping and cheering, so I think it's one we'll keep around.  It took a bit more teaching and coaxing over a few days, but overall it was a positive experience.  Don't think I'm selling this one very well; back to the sea foam we go!