Following and assisting balanced with leading and molding

Hubby gave me a Pink dragon for Valentines Day. As I was about to drift off to sleep for a rare Sunday afternoon nap, I found that this little pink dragon loves kisses, can sing and dance to Miley Cyrus' Party in the USA. She, though it is a manly yet high pitched voice, wanted to snuggle in and nap with me, which she did for three hours. We were tired. Who wouldn't be after partying in the USA. Any one else out there disturbed that Hubby knows the words to Party in the USA? Thank the LORD, literally, that he is done with that almost two hour commute. Another of his favorite singers is Lady GAGA.

On to other topics. I've been wondering about toys and how to help Miss Wiggles utilize that small amount of time she has that she is awake these days. We have lots of toys but she doesn't utilze half of them. There are a lot of things that are just that, things. They are toys that are just toys. We do have some that are more usefull, things that will help her grow her mind and motor skills. I'm interested in those.

Well, earlier I went on to a new blogger pals blog, Sarah, who has a list of fave blogs (mine is on there, I'm so honored) and there is a blog called, My Little Green Notebook. Well, after loving both these blogs, the latter blog had a link to an article on the site of New York Social Diary about toys or as Lisa Mahar calls them, materials. I am quite intrigued about some of the ideas Lisa has regarding how she is working with her children to help them develop, learn and grow. During my time at Arizona State University West' Child Development Center as an Associate Teacher, we learned rather than "play", the children were working. This is quite accurate since what they are doing is working on growing socially, developmentally, motor skills, problem solving skills etc. I do believe an area of thinking has been opened up to me that I am eager to venture into and learn more about.

Lisa Mahar's children's materials (love love love the blocks and shells)

You see, I believe that there is great vastness in a child's mind that gets more and more honed down as they get older. Particular parts are used while others aren't. Those rooms get closed and then go away. I want Miss Wiggles to venture into as many of these rooms as possible and I want to follow her as she decides for herself which ones she wants to build in and which ones she wants to leave alone. I do know, for an example, that my daughter utilizes her pointer finger and thumb quite a bit. I want to go with her there. What I mean is, big bulky baby toys aren't going to cut it all the time. Of course I can't leave her alone with little bitty things that are pointer finger and thumb only size. This means more time. I'm actually quite excited about this. Miss Wiggles sleeps a lot so until she gives up a nap, I want to make sure her time is full and valued and not wasted.

Really what I want is a balance of leading and molding with following and assisting. This means some sacrifice on my part. I watch my daughter to see what her responses are to things. Yes, I love country. One of Miss Wiggle's favorite CDs however is Celine Dion. She sings along with her. I know she likes Miley Cyrus but doesn't respond to JZ. When offered identical objects in various colores, green and blue are prefered over red. If I liked red more than blue, I would then need to be aware of my choices regarding her things picking colors I know she likes, not just picking things I like. We are working on decorating her big girl room. I want to paint her room a color she would like.


So all of that is really thinking via blogging. Partly I'm going stir crazy here inside. I am looking for new ways to enrich our time inside as we wait for the earth to invite us back out again.

Just a quick rundown of progreess on the house. Dining room, Family room, Foyer are all painted an Airy Blue from Better Homes and Gardens Wal-Mart color line. It is such a light beachy blue with a hint of sea foam green. I realize Dining Rooms shouldn' have blue, but if we were to eat outside (which is the best place to eat), the sky is blue. So if it's good enough for God's dining room, its good enough for mine. ;) The kitchen is a cross between a country green and a spa green. The Library is a khaki color while my office is the same as the kitchen. I was quite fortunate to have my good friend, Cloggsy come spend the day with me and help sort out my office a bit or what I am now calling it, the IM139 Studio. All that is left before I start moving my way down the hall way to the bedrooms is finishing up painting the eggshell trim white. Pictures are of course to come along shortly. I especially want to show you my mantle as it has been completely redone frome what I first did. Gotta love a mantle redo.

As you begin your week, I want to leave you with this. During Jesus time on earth, He radically swept through with a completely different way of doing things than what was expected by the Hebrews. He turned all their preconcieved notions on their heads. Women came down from their secluded second floor rooms to sit with the men in church and learn alongside them. They all learned what God had to teach. Widows, ophans, homeless, the sick all were to be embraced, not abandoned. The last shall be first, the first last. Serve serve serve! The lowest is the most precious. Think upon it this week as you go about your routines. What are some paradigms in your life that Jesus is trying to shift in you? Will you let Him radically change you to be more than what you are settling for today?