This Particular Project Phase

Sometimes it's hard to believe that I've been doing projects with the kiddos as long as I have, given how tiny they still are.

I mean, The Learning Tower is like a permanent fixture in our kitchen to the extent that it's hard to imagine it not being there one day. Chica wasn't even two years old yet when it arrived in our home! (Warning: the following tiny-Chica pictures...I die.)

 

I don't know what it is, exactly, that makes me power through the complications so that we can get our craft on.

It's probably in part the joy the kiddos get when they focus and create, and in part, the joy I get from the very same thing. Plus, I just love projects and crafts.

But these days, we're in a bit of a double complication (or perhaps triple complication, ha) phase.

I have soooo many awesome projects I'd love to do with the girlies, but no clear-cut time of day to do them when I'm not excluding Little Man or exhausting myself trying to fend him off.

So those projects--the more complicated or messy Learning Tower-necessary projects, aren't really getting done, and instead we're crafting a bunch upstairs in the playroom.

But my secondary problem is finding projects that will capture Chicklet's attention despite being surrounded by a gazillion of her toys. So I'm making a concerted effort to catalogue the list of thumbs-up items that work for her.

For example...

If she gets to play with glue, she's in. Like these acorn jewels we've made a bunch of times in the past and just did another round of yesterday:

K

If she gets to paint, she's totally in. But, again, that's harder to accomplish these days unless the girlies wake earlier from naps than Little Man.

If she gets to taste test, she's also totally in, but that gets a little loud--and messy, ha--when all three kiddos are "participating," ha.

And, lastly, if she gets to play with stickers--particularly, peel off the backs of the foam kind of stickers, she's golden.

So today, I snagged her attention not once but twice throughout the day and we decorated some valentine hearts. :)

My heart goes pitter-pat when I dream of all the projects we'll be able to tackle when everyone is just a year or two older.

But...I'm not gonna lie: complications and all, his phase is still pretty, darn great.

Happy Tuesday, peeps.