The Play Room

After reading Simplicity Parenting (a few thoughts on it here) I went through M's play room (she calls it her downstairs living room) and purged about half her toys. It still looked cluttered, but I reorganized the layout and found a place for everything.  I've tried to teach her how to clean up her toys but those who know me know I have no business teaching anyone anything about cleaning.

Simply getting everything in its place took so long we both ended up frustrated and irritable. Throughout the process M would find a toy she hadn't played with in a while and understandably want to play with it. The first few times I gently asked her to get back on task, then I finally resorted to the ol' standby threat, "Mabel, if you can't take care of your toys we're going to give them to someone who can." I had a box in my hand to really drive the point home.

With that motivation she picked everything up, threw it all in the box threat and asked me who would get the toys and where we were going to take them. She didn't see it as a threat so much as an opportunity to share. Lesson learned.

Since then we've been tidying a little bit every day but the room generally looks like the toy monster vomited a rainbow of plastic all over the floor.

Yesterday I gave it a thorough once-over...it took a solid 8 hours.  Since it's clean, I took a few quick camera phone pics. I'm not one to miss the rare opportunity to brag about a clean room.

My system? I applied what I know about how Mabel plays:

• she's more likely to play with her toys when she can see them; 
• she won't dig through a giant toy box to get out one toy, she likes to peruse the buffet before deciding what looks fun;
• she simply won't make a choice (i.e. she'll ask to watch TV) if given too many options;
• she's much more imaginative if she has a place to park her rump and/or move around without obstacles; 
• given a task she can do herself (e.g. hanging a jacket, putting away shoes) she rises to the challenge; it's a simple way to build her self-confidence and she loves knowing she can do something "by mine own self".

Going through the room, I made a small pile of toys to get rid of. Then I whittled the selection of books, puzzles, and art supplies to about half. Those went into a closet to use as back stock. I bought a few more baskets to organize the cubbies.  I like the clean look of those bins made fit these kinds of shelves and hide the clutter, but picked low-walled baskets so M can easily see what's inside. in loose themes like "things with wheels". At some point in the near future I'll add pictogram labels to each. I  moved a table in from another room, making a corner for crafting. Above the table are some cute little clips for an easily changeable display of her artwork. Just inside the doorway to the room are lots of hooks at her height for hats, necklaces and jackets. Below the hooks to the left is a sizable basket for shoes and slippers. Below the hooks to the right is a picnic basket sturdy enough she can stand on it and play with her nature shelf.

What's nature shelf? They're common to both Montessori and Waldorf philosophies. Generally it's an area dedicated to all the fascinating finds from the great outdoors. I took a wooden box some flash cards came in and made one (errr...asked Charlie to make one) for M. She loves collecting natural objects, examining them, and showing them off when other kids come over. This little area provides the perfect spot for that.

It's back to being a play room meant for play. At least for now.

A Big Shop Announcement

I've been debating over whether I want to reopen the shop, deciding how to balance all of my interests without falling prey to the need to constantly update the shop and maintain competitiveness of mainstream consumerism. (Anyone else feel like etsy no longer sets an independent pace but pushes shop keepers to stay ahead of the retail curve?) I don't have the drive to make items based on holiday themes, nor do I have the time.

All rants aside, when the shop reopens, I'm going to have a different structure and a different process: I will just offer 1 print at a time in very limited editions. The paper, the size and the time of availability will vary, but my goal is to have a new design every 2 months. If an edition doesn't sell out, I'll still pull it from the shop.

It's a way for me to keep pushing myself, stay outside that retail rush, and feel passionate about my product.

This print is nearly finished, and will be the first available in a 16 x 22" poster as an edition of 10 ($75). Smaller prints (8 x 10", edition of 20, $30) will be available through the fine retailers that carry Wolfie and the Sneak wares.

It handles beautifully

Before I really started learning about plants and gardening, I had no idea what an invasive species was. Now that I'm paying attention to what grows in our yard, I know first hand: wisteria, Japanese honeysuckle, privet, and many others. We fight them back as best we can by uprooting, avoiding chemicals, but most of the time it feels like a hopeless battle.

Out of his own personal curiosity, Charlie saved a few logs from chopping back the privet, air dried them, and saved them for a time when he could experiment in the wood shop a bit.

One of our back doors goes to a porch we never really used, mostly thanks to some out of control holly bushes that made the porch experience uncomfortable. The brick stairs were separating from the main porch, and though sturdy, their use always felt a bit precarious. Also the screen door handle (originally an acrylic rod)  was missing, so reentry was cumbersome. Out of sheer laziness, we just didn't use the porch. Until...

We were required, as part of the appraisal and loan approval process, to rebuild the porch. During demolition the hollies were leveled to the ground. Without the overbearing prickly shrubs, the area was once again functional. 

Over my maternity leave I worked on little projects around the house, including painting thresholds and sprucing up around the exterior doors. The missing handle could no longer be ignored, so I suggested we turn a handle from some pecan saved from a fallen branch. The pecan wasn't dry enough to turn. Charlie took the idea and ran with it though, making a lathe-turned handle from one of the pieces of invasive privet! He finished it with shellac (I believe), and the door is as functional as ever; dare I say it handles beautifully?

Seen Home Scene

Now that I'm back to work and my days aren't spent soaking up the time with Mabel and Fox, I just might get back to writing. *Might*. After Mabel I wondered how stay at home parents do it, and while I didn't figure out how to keep a clean house and keep up with 2 kids, I did enjoy the time I was able to spend at home with lazy mornings filled with snuggling and downing coffee and afternoons outside playing, exploring, and learning from our discoveries.

What are the pictures? A rock that caught Mabel's eye at the park; saving seeds from bolted cold crops; an eyed elater (aka click bug); anole eggs.

And then there were 4! We welcomed our little Fox into the world April 25 and have been happily tucked into our nest getting to know him and love him more and more by the second.