Sep. 18, 2007 - Homeschooling with a 2-year-old under foot
I'm beginning to feel that my entire life is one big balancing act. There are so many things that have to be in place for things to run smoothly around here. Morning school work can't start until baby is napping. The kids can't concentrate unless Elijah is quiet. Baby can't stay sleeping unless Elijah is quiet. Elijah won't stay quiet unless I'm constantly keeping him occupied with one activity or another. You get the idea.
So lately I've felt like my life is a balancing act. And there's really nothing like a 2-year-old to throw everything within reach off balance. Want to know what my little guy has done since we started school last week? He learned how to climb his big sister's bunk bed, not by using a ladder (I removed that completely soon after he learned how to walk), but by scrambling to the top like a little orangutan. And what did he find up there? Big sister's ice cream cone shaped lip gloss. YUMMY and just the motivation he needed to climb that bed over and over and over again.
Later in the week he found my long-forgotten case of make-up and decided to find out what liquid foundation tastes like. I'm glad he found a use for the stuff, because I honestly can't remember the last time I applied make-up (I have a hard enough time trying to take a shower these days). Of course, when he did this, he managed to wedge himself in the closet with the closet door half open so that I couldn't open the bathroom door without ramming it into the closet door. So what did I do? Frantic mommy that I was, I told him to get out of the way and rammed the door as hard as I could (there is now a big gouge in the bathroom door, thank you very much). At this point he'd decided that all make-up is not created equal (at least in the taste department) and had already discarded the bottle of foundation. I, on the other hand, was hoping the number for poison control was still on the refrigerator.
My little monster also dropped one ball of clay into a sink full of soapy water, pulled the erasers completely out of half a dozen brand-new pencils, and performed countless other acts of mischief. I'm trying very hard to provide him with activities to do (puzzles, stickers, pasting), which works for a while, but inevitably he gets restless and wanders off to find trouble. I honestly wouldn't mind if he rummaged around in the cupboards, played with the pots and pans, dumped toys all over the floor, that sort of stuff. I even filled up the bathroom sink with water and let him play with his toy boats and fish in there. But this child just won't settle for ordinary messes like that. Nope, he's way beyond that. Basically, he's just not happy unless he's risking his life or going after something valuable (like Daddy's dvd collection).
Nevertheless, I'm proud to say that I'm doing my best to go with the flow. Because if there's anything harder than trying to teach with a wild toddler in the house, it's trying to teach with a wild toddler in the house when your emotions have gotten the best of you. No one learns very well when Mommy is a big, impatient grump :)
So I will continue searching for things to keep Elijah happy. And I would welcome any suggestions! I really never had this problem with the other two; Savannah has always been happy to follow along (or jump ahead) of whatever I've taught Noah. Elijah just seems to have a much higher level of energy and curiosity. And I'm still learning how to divide my time between all 3 of them (or 4 on the days when the baby wakes up!)
Anyway, time to upload some photos. Thanks for reading!
