Play Time

Mr. Potato Head gave Rachel fits today. She doesn't push the parts in hard enough to be secure and her response when it falls to pieces is typical two-year-old - she shrieks with outrage at the toy's brazen refusal to bend to her will. Well what would you do?

Anna's toddler-related control behavior is slightly different although now that I think about it, there is also shrieking involved. My sweet cuddly three-year-old has lately demonstrated a distinct gift for giving orders. Instead of building a fort she will stand on the chair and demand that I place the pillows and blankets just so. If her vision is not fully realized she emits a sound that has seriously caused wallpaper to peel to the floor. That actually happened. Ok fine, the cat did that, but the screaming did not help.

There are three activities that my girls can agree on. Play-Doh has lately become Mommy's Little Helper. (Other items that have previously held this title are the Fisher Price Baby Papasan swing, Baby Einstein's Baby Galileo video, and wine. For Mommy, not for baby.) Their latest set came with super dull plastic scissors and Anna pretty much thinks that's the coolest thing ever. She smashes up whatever pretty color suits her fancy and then spends twenty minutes cutting this massive blob into thousands of tiny pieces that then find a semi-permanent home in our carpet. Rachel tries very hard to recreate the little bears that Daddy made the first night we opened up the kit.

Stickers are another favorite. Totally random, any stickers with any pictures on them will keep these kids busy until there is no more functioning adhesive in the room. They will stick them to paper, cards, clothing and body parts. For some reason this is just endlessly amusing.

And finally, my girls enthusiastically participate in the super exciting game of Questioning Mommy. So many questions. All beginning with the word "Mommy." Mommy, what are you doing? Mommy, what are you talking about? Mommy, what's that smell? You get the picture. SO. MUCH. FUN.