Life With Livia Lately

As I type this post my daughter is currently decked out in the the sweat pants and shirt she slept in, Hello Kitty pink rain boots, her polka dot rain coat and a fur lined Christmas cardigan (which is on top of the rain jacket of course). We won't even talk about what her hair is doing at the moment. What can I say, she got my fabulous fashion sense ;) Yep, parenting is an adventure! (Dommage that my camera is currently at school!)

I'm loving this new stage that Livia is in though. She's all about becoming more and more aware of the world around her and imitating it. If you ever need a good laugh just have a toddler. (Of course it comes with a few good cries--both you and her--so be careful what you wish for) She's also currently discovering the function of the garbage can so I just took a break from writing to rescue some pinched fingers and explain why we can't chuck Papa's bible in the bin.

The best part about this stage is that she loves to be Mama's lil' helper. This form of free slave labor helpfulness comes in many forms: scrubbing the kitchen sink, "folding" clothes with me on laundry days, even cleaning up toys (when she's in the mood of course!). The Montessori teacher in me  just hasn't been able to resist (Montessori is all about encouraging children towards independence and personal responsibility) and I've already gotten Livia her own Livia-sized sponge (I happened to find some small ones but you could just use a normal sized one or cut one in half) and later this year I plan on getting her a pint-sized cleaning set (broom/dustpan) to go with the play kitchen that Matt and I will give her for Christmas.

Washing dishes :)

I figure now is the best time to teach her basic life skills while she's willing and just dying to be included. So what if she's a bit more of a hindrance than a real help at times (okay, let's be honest, just about all the time!). We've all got to start somewhere right? I figure, better now than at 25 :)

For anyone who is interested in Montessori for tots and can read in french, here is a great book that gives you lots of ideas and  pictures about all the things you can do.