Conquering Boredom

That was the theme of our days last week. And, I'll be honest, it was a struggle and we were not always successful.

Why was boredom such a big issue this week?

* Carver was up by 6:30 a.m. every single morning this week. He usually wakes up between 7:30 and 8:00...sometimes even a little later. After 7 solid mornings waking up early I am fearing that it is a new trend.

* 2012 has brought a renewed attempt at being financially responsible and staying on a budget. Buying a new car and expecting a sweet baby in a few months solidified this need. So, less options for entertainment.

* It's been fairly cold outside and apparently this week will be even colder. I do love winter, and cold weather, but with a child that would live outdoors if possible, it tends to be a little bit of a struggle.

* Early in the semester (of teaching) = limited drama and limited grading of papers/exams and those other time consuming things.

* Hoping/trying to limit Carver's TV exposure. Which is a good thing, but let's face it, he is much more calm when he is momentarily distracted by Mickey Mouse Clubhouse in between his sprints around the house, unloading of every toy he owns, and trying to break into the kitchen cabinets, the bathroom, the washer and dryer, climb on every piece of furniture, and go around turning on and off every light in the house.

Sometimes I just need a moment of peace.

It's been a long, long, long week.

Here are some of our attempts at structured activity:

We spent countless hours at the park. We go almost every day, weather permitting. Sadly, we are both getting a little bored with the park. We may need to venture a little further away and visit some new ones.

Watching the airplane fly across the sky.

We've played and played and played with sidewalk chalk...and stolen the red berries off of our neighbor's bush...and "weeded" the flower beds. (i.e. I pull out the weeds, Carver pulls up the daffodils and tulips that are just starting to break through the ground--- and that I wait for all year in anticipation, and throwing handfuls of mulch out of the bed and into the yard).

We've taken Lea for walks. In hopes that she and I can both burn a few calories.


We read a fun book about Noah's Ark, I painstakingly put the ark together, and Carver has done his very best to destroy it. He loves it though, and I must give a shout out to the publisher of the book for using heavy-duty cardboard paper for the ark. It's not indestructible, but it should take him a little time to shred. (Thank Ellen, Terry, and Emerson for the sweet birthday present!).


We made brownies. From a box. They were good. Let's not think about how many I ate.

Watching the mixer....

Turning up the speed to maximum velocity...

We gave Lea a bath. I wanted a picture, but thought that protecting Carver was the more responsible thing to do. Lea does not love baths and really did not love Carver trying to help bathe her.

We're learning to color with crayons without breaking them or drawing on the walls.

And, we (or I) have made our plans for Valentine's Day. Stay tuned to see how that turns out-- we'll see.