Tantrum Redirection

In the last week or two, we have entered some new (and rather scary) territory with Miss Sophia. She's almost two, as you know, and is really starting to act her age. ;)

{Read: exerting her independence and acting out when she doesn't get her way.}

The tantrums usually show up mid to late morning and in the evening when she's winding down and getting ready for nap or bedtime. They're not always consistent, but when they hit... LOOK OUT! There is no reasoning with her and she doesn't even seem to know what she wants. Usually these can be avoided just by keeping her daily routine pretty consistent and making sure she gets to bed on time, in which case, our happy, carefree girl is the norm. However, on week days when we've been apart all day long, it seems no matter how much I prepare and how fast I work, I can never get food into her belly and bath and bedtime done fast enough to meet her needs. In survival mode, I've found that simple activities that keep her hands and her brain busy are a life saver when I'm trying to get a meal on the table and get settled back into "mom mode". Puzzles, sorting games and Connect Four are great examples of these and I depend on them during that crunch time between 5:15 and 6:00 when my attention is being pulled in eight directions. Sophie's recently taken a big liking to these graduating size/color puzzles. I don't know if she recognizes the color change or the width change, but she did the green one almost exactly in order without a mistake. The blue one seemed a little trickier as far as just choosing the exact pieces in order, but I was really impressed with her method of trying each piece in the smallest space and moving one space to the right until she found the match. Very clever problem solving!

Color sorting is another favorite. When she's feeling ornery though, we find these rings in the heating vents! Thankfully, they're easy to retrieve. Stinker.

And, of course, Connect Four. There's no rhyme or reason to the way she plays. She just likes dropping the pieces in and filling the entire board before dumping them out and starting again.

Sometimes life is just so monotonous and exhausting: get up, get us all ready and out the door, work all day, come home, make it through the evening routine and hopefully squeeze in a little quality play time with my kids whom I want more time with, various housework depending on the day (pack lunches, empty dishwasher, clean this or that, work on house projects, etc.), then spend a little quality time with the hubby (whom I also want more time with) and/or have some ME-time, and go to bed. Repeat. It just feels like it's never ending and there are very few breaks.

Sometimes I day dream of a relaxing weekend away for Craig and I (which we cannot afford right now) where we sleep in and just be "us" again. Sometimes I wonder what I will do with all my free time when my children are grown. But I also think about how, when that day comes, I will day dream back to the days where every minute of my life was filled with urgent purpose and, though someone always needed me, it was rewarding to be able to fulfill that need and know that I made them feel loved. Thankfully, there are infinite rewards in the mundane works of family life and it is always possible to find and focus on the joy in the routine. I am tired. :) But I am happy and I love my life. I wouldn't trade the ability to hold my daughter in my arms for all the tantrum free days in the world.

{Or the sweet sentiments from my son who still giggles about butterfly kisses for all the non-pee-splattered-toilet-backs... courtesy of my 3-year-old's occasional poor aim. :) }