Butterflies All the Way Around

This week was my first week off of school for the summer, and my first week off with Lucy.  I always freak out about summers off, only because I am such a workaholic that I worry that the same ol' routine won't satisfy me.  I can't just lay around and be lazy.  I feel like I have to constantly work to achieve goals, whether that be cleaning my house, planning for that BCSN's Teacher of the Year Award (why the heck won't my kids get on the ball and nominate me?? Darn it, I wish I could nominate myself, haha), or getting the most out of time with Lucy- I am a planner.  Lucy is so smart, and although I would like to take most of the credit, and I do in public, I do attribute it a lot to her educational daycare.  So...in the absence of daycare, my goal with Lucy is to keep educating her with themed weeks.

This week we conquered butterflies and ladybugs.

Successes: symmetrical butterfly crafts, and fingerprint lady bugs. We also colored a lot of bugs and we read the fun facts.  I also think that having a very regimented schedule helped.  We walk every morning at 10 at "the forest" as Lucy says (by the way, the Tickle Monster hides in the forest, so we are quiet when we walk in particular areas) and then we come home after Lucy is done swinging at the playground.  At home, we do our learning activity/craft, have outside play time in the water, go eat lunch, watch one Disney Junior program, NAP, wake up, snack, Free play or one more show, then DADDY IS HOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Failures: my being a poor and non creative craftswoman.  Our fingerprint ladybugs did not turn out how I would have liked because I had to keep turning my back to check Pinterest on my phone to see if I was doing the craft right, and then Lucy would go hog wild in the paint.  Messy all the way around.  Oh, and another failure would be comparing Lucy's art to Pinterest.  Toddlers aren't making half the stuff people are saying they are.  Just sayin.'  But, with that said, there are some very crafty moms out there, and I am jealous of you.

Now on my other thoughts this week:

Potty training is my HELL.  How do you even teach a child the urge to go?  And now she insists on M and M's just for sitting there....and since I gave in a few times, I guess that is my fault.  I even tried tickling her on the toilet on purpose so that she would go, and then she did, and now when we sit her on the potty, she has to make a game.  "GET OUT PEE PEE!!" she yells, which is cute, but that is what I said when I tickled her, so now she waits to be tickled.  AHHHHH!!!

Lucy watched fireworks last night at her Aunt and Uncle's for Summerfest.  To say she was adorable was an understatement.  "SO beautiful" she would say.  "From outer space!"  As I watched her, I knew that God gave me the sweetest little girl on the planet.  I knew I wanted to experience that moment a million times over.  Its not like she was doing anything spectacular, she was just oohing and aaaahing over fireworks.  But it was the most beautiful thing I have experienced in a while- watching my daughter experience something new.  I know that I said before that I am not ready for baby #2, and to be honest, I am not.   I am still scared out of my mind.  But watching Lucy gave me butterflies and confirmation that being a mommy is the best job.  It is worth the scary parts.

See you next week, it will be PRINCESS week at the Koz house!

Meg