Under the Sea

I've noticed in the past few weeks that I have become a "NO!" person. The oldest does things like barrel into his little brother or turn on the tv or throw toys or hit or . . . and I tell him no. Can he have a cookie? NO! Will I play trains with him? NO! Can he watch another movie? NO! (You get the picture?) So I decided that I would try and be less of a nay-sayer for a day. And I also decided that the best way to start was by saying no to the tv. So instead of letting him watch movies while I worked during the youngest's nap, we played together.

I pulled out some craft ideas and asked what he wanted to do. While he liked the idea of making a bumble bee, he loved playing with scissors. (Don't worry. He doesn't really understand how they work, but I like letting him try.) So I asked him what he wanted to make.

A fish.

Then he wanted to make more fish.

Then he wanted to make some jellyfish (a mom and a baby).

This was yesterday. In the end we created part of a nice little ocean for fun. And he likes to stand on a chair and get stung by the jellyfish's tenticles. (If you are wondering, it is high so that the youngest won't be able to get at it.)

Today he asked for a shark, so maybe our ocean will be more populated later.

As for saying no and having it be a good day. It was great! The best we've had in a while.