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Showing posts from April, 2010

What Works for Us: Room Time

I've decided to do a new series of posts on how I make parenting work for us. Every parent does it differently--which is great!--but I have a hard time keeping my discoveries to myself. The things I do may not work for anyone else but I want to record them and remember them. Hopefully, it will also help me vent my soap-box-y-ness so that I'm not always imposing my ideas on other people. That will be what "What-Works-for-Us Posts" are about. One of the things that we have always done, but has made a HUGE difference in the move from one to two children, is Room Time . When Soren was 6 months old, I started having him play alone (in a safe place) every day for a few minutes. At first it was only five minutes in the port-a-crib but we quickly worked up to fifteen, then thirty. At that time, I used those precious minutes to do housework or relax on the couch. When I was pregnant with Carl, Soren would play alone for about an hour in his room and I would usually tak

Soren Speaks

SOREN: (putting to Carl's head) It's my head. ME: No, that's Carl's head. SOREN: Yep.  Carl's head. (pointing to my head)  This is Mommy's head. ME: And where's your head? SOREN: (pointing to his head) This is "the boy's" head.

Soren's Hobbies

Soren has spent the last several months perfecting his artwork.  Like he used to practice standing up or walking---over and over and over--he now practices drawing for hours every day.  His hands are always covered in marker and my floors are always covered in paper but his effort is paying off.  There has been a marked improvement in the past couple of weeks; now his drawings are recognisable!  He has gone from making rudimentary scribbles (self-identified as shapes and letters) to much more complicated drawings.  The above picture is of a prehistoric landscape featuring two different dinosaurs and various scenery elements.  He also enjoys drawing the latter-day prophets (especially Joseph Smith and John Taylor), compliments of his Uncle Brinton.  I have a harder time recognising the prophets but they are definitely people-shaped. Soren's other favorite thing to do is sing.  Luckily, he can sing and draw at the same time.  I started teaching him some of the primary songs for t