Musings of a Momma

The other day I was watching the precious little life I've been given and my mind started to wander. It was a random stream of consciousness that started with the thought, "My kid is so cute!" She's pretty smart too... Yay! Then I started to panic.

... oh crap... 


I know it's a great thing to have a smart and cute kid. But, I started to wonder, "When will she realize that she'll be smarter than I could ever hope to be? When will I cease to distinguish between her intelligence/adorableness and bad behavior?" It's so hard to not smile or laugh at a toddler when they do something they shouldn't.

They're just these cute little people exploring their boundaries and pushing the threshold with these cute little nudges with long bangs in their eyes because they refuse to leave their ponytail alone. Seriously, how can you be mad at a tiny little thing in polka dotted undies who is pulling all her clean clothes out of her dresser? Speaking of undies, why don't they make them in a 12-18M size? I know they do sell infant underwear online, but why can't a major retailer/discount store carry some too? 2T-3T is really just too big for a little bitty bug.

I digress... I have started to realize that my child needs more structure than the typical "go play with your toys" schtick. We've been going on "outings" (spending time out in our dirt patch of a yard, pulling weeds) as often as the weather/ground conditions have allowed. But that's just not enough.

Pinterest has fully inspired me to expand Ms. Bug's horizons and sensory experiences. I've started to collect a few items to begin sensory bins.

What's a sensory bin, you ask? It's a collection of items that are rather "everyday" to us boring adults, but these items are super fun to explore for young hands and minds. Our collection currently contains colored rice and some dry pasta that is awaiting a color bath. We use simple things like measuring cups, aluminum foil bread tins, whisks, and spoons. As Ms. Bug gets older, we'll add more interesting things for her to explore. There are a gazillion and one different sensory bin ideas out there, just check out Pinterest for proof!

I realize that by expanding my child's mind with different experiences I'm only speeding up the process of her becoming smarter than me... But I can't help it! These activities are just as much fun for me to set up as the are for her to investigate!

My new thought process about Ms. Bug is: Keep her mind busy and her hands busier. I think if I can do that, I'll do some kind of justice by her.

Lindsey