Seeking Imperfection

This weekend was unseasonably HOT. So, my outdoor loving girlie got into the Unplugged theme of yellow by picking dandelions, which she often calls, "dandies."



Then we went to check out the neighbor's yellow daffodils.



Then more "dandy" picking.



And there was swinging on her yellow swing.



And back to the "dandies."


Then Paige wanted to take a turn taking the pictures. Here I am holding the "dandies."



And I checked out a tulip that is growing in our yard that bloomed today - and turned out to be yellow!

Sometimes being imperfect is just plain fun. As a perfectionist, this is hard for me to accept, but I must. My daughter, for one, seems to love my imperfect ideas more than my "perfect" ones.

One day, over a year ago, Roland and I needed to run out and do an errand unexpectedly in the early evening. Paige was already in her pajamas, and was saying something about how could we go out when she was in her jammies already. So, I started using my excited Momma voice, and told her she was going to do something extra special - go on a "jammie car ride!" Paige thought this was the coolest thing, and asks to go on jammie car rides all the time. As she's not in school yet and spends the day with my mother-in-law, it even works out when she wants to go on a "jammie car ride" every morning.



One of Paige's other favorite activities came from a moment of frustration on my part. Before we moved, our house was always very disorganized and chaotic (working on this in the new house). One day, when trying to get us ready and out the door, I was going through piles of laundry and could not find two matching socks for her to save my life. So, I finally grabbed two random socks, and told Paige it was "silly sock day." She LOVED it! Along with being a perfectionist, I can be a bit OCD, and it did bug me a little that the socks didn't match, but it was bugging me more that we needed to get out of the house. From then on, we had many silly sock days.


Oddly enough, since we've moved, Paige has always had matching socks, and I haven't really thought of silly sock day. The other day when we were getting ready to go outside, she asked if we could have silly sock day, and before I knew it, she was purposely unballing (I think I just made that word up) two different sets of socks, and picked one from each. She was thrilled to do silly sock day again, and asked me again this morning if I could put on silly socks with her jammies as she got ready to go to Grandma's.

Apparently sometimes being perfect and having matching socks isn't all it's cracked up to be.

This is my first time participating in Aloha Friday at An Island Life. My understanding is it is a place where I can ask a question and see if I can get some input, and maybe meet some new friends too. I thought I'd give it a try to see if anyone has an idea for me. Couldn't hurt, right?

We moved into our new house in mid December, after staying with my inlaws for about six months. Prior to moving out of our old house, my now four year old shared a room with my husband and me, and was in a crib. Now she's in her own room, in a big girl bed, in a new house, and she's having a lot of anxiety. A couple of days ago she told me that she misses the old house because she misses her room with her crib with Momma and Daddy. I know she misses sleeping in our room because that's all she's ever known. We've tried all kinds of things to make her feel more comfortable in her own room...nightlights, dream catchers, special stuffed animals to watch over her, the fan and the radio on for white noise...you name it, but she would still prefer to sleep in our room. Someone suggested to me that I try finding a book about moving to read to her.

So after all of that wordiness, my question is, does anyone know any good children's books about moving, or getting your own room?

I like this little Round Robin Event for posting fun crafts, activities, memes, etc.

I will have to try making this cake for my husband.

I've been seeing banners everywhere and want to make one. I finally found a tutorial.

I like this list of quick and easy distractions for the little ones.

Dear Paige,

I am beginning to think you are in my life to help me mend my perfectionist ways. Someday you may know about all the blogs, websites, and books that I read, looking for activities for us to do together. You may or may not eventually realize that you almost never complete a project the way these resources tell me you will. You do not care much about how I've presented a project to you, but instead care about what you want to do with the resources in front of you. I dearly do not want you to inherit my perfectionism, so I sit on my hands and bite my tongue to keep myself from telling you how something is "supposed to be done."



For example, on Sunday I was showing you how to glue little scraps of tissue paper onto a pickle jar to create a candle holder. You seemed to be enjoying the activity, but you didn't just want the little pieces of tissue I had cut for you. You wanted to cut your own pieces, with your scissors. You didn't just want the bowl of watered down glue I'd given you, you wanted me to hand you the glue bottle so that you could squeeze increasing amounts into the bowl. Then you wanted me to cut long strips that you could wind around the jar, instead of just using the little squares that I had provided.



Try as I might not to, on these occasions I always think how no one on the blogs, websites, or books I've read talk about children who won't want to follow the directions or use your materials as they've been provided...and really, what does it matter? So I listen to you, and cut a long, slim piece of red tissue paper for you (your favorite color) and you wind it all the way around the glass and paint it on. Afterward, you look at what you've done, smile, and say, "Look how beautiful it is." Would you have reacted like that if I'd forced you to only use my sad little squares of paper? If I'd told you that my way was the only way? Probably not.



I hope you will continue to challenge me, little one. Help me to see outside the lines. Help me to see that some things do not need to be done the way the directions say, or be the way I feel it it is "supposed" to be. I warn you, I may be resistant at first, but I want you to know I'm trying. I want to learn not to let the little things matter so much to me, and to see the beauty in my own ideas and creations, as I do in you.



I love you,
Momma

This week we were pretty unstructured and didn't really do anything that could be considered a science (the most recent Unplugged theme) project. However, over the past week I've noticed Paige starting to make some interesting observations about her environment. I've always thought it was fun to watch her learn and develop.

One night last week in the bath tub, she was playing with a plastic cup and requested a plastic spoon. She then noted on her own that when she looked at the cup, the spoon looked bigger than it is. A few minutes later she told me how the spoon is the right size when you look straight down at it in the cup. This led to a tired Momma trying to explain how the water works as a magnifying glass. Then, an even more tired Momma trying to explain what a magnifying glass is. I think I may need to get one for her.


I know the spoon isn't actually in this picture...I just thought this one was cute.

Then on Sunday, I was showing Paige how to use diluted glue to paint tissue paper onto an old pickle jar to make a candle holder. As she was painting on the glue, she said, "Momma, when I paint on the jar, it makes a very beautiful sound." I decided there was probably some science related reason for that too, although I couldn't begin to explain it to her. Instead, I jotted down the cute comment and noted how she's beginning to make more and more observations like this, and how children really do learn the best through play. Don't we all?

I'm falling back into my perfectionist ways.

If I don't feel like I have anything "interesting" to post (which is most of the time), I don't post.

If I don't feel like I can get a post written the way I want it to be (interesting with just the right amount of wit, of course), I don't post.

If I don't have a chance to get the picture just right for the post, I don't post. (Case in point, I have had a post in draft for a couple of weeks waiting for me to get around to putting in a picture.)

If I'm exhausted (which has been the case lately) or lazy or bored or any number of other things, I read all kinds of blogs, but I don't post.

Needless to say, I'm not posting. I'm in a perfectionist rut, and I need help to get out. My motto for my students and my daughter is that what is important is "the process, not the product."

Now if only I could figure out how to practice what I preach.

I like this post about decorating with words. I love quotes and such, so I really like these ideas.