Recently at playgroup a friend asked, in slightly desperate tones, if anyone could suggest some fun toddler activities -- especially those that would occupy her daughter for more than five minutes. Her daughter had just transitioned to a single nap and she was having trouble filling up their days, which suddenly seemed very long. I told her that although I didn't have any new ideas for activities, my days seemed to pass fairly quickly. When she expressed interest, I told her that I would write down what we did for a whole day.
So here is my accounting of what we did on Tuesday, March 20th. I purposefully chose a drizzly day, because otherwise our list of activities would read: (1) Go outside and play. (2) Come in for lunch and nap. (3) Go back outside and play. For the same reason, I also chose a day when we didn't actually go anywhere.
As usual Isaac and I had a fun time, but now that I see it all in black and white, I'm positive that no one else will find it useful as a source of fun toddler activities. I knew that we weren't living life in the fast lane, but I was still surprised to discover how slow-paced things were around here! But that has its advantages -- when you can entertain yourself for 30 minutes with something as mundane as nail clipping, you never have to worry about the afternoon stretching on too long.
7:00 a.m. Isaac wakes up. He nurses for ten minutes. I dress him, then I get dressed. We go into the kitchen, where I make and drink a cup of tea.
8:00 a.m. I make our breakfasts. We eat breakfast. We brave the drizzle and take the dog out into the yard to relieve himself. Isaac gives the dog a biscuit for going in the right spot. We come back inside and read a few books on the couch in the family room. Isaac wants me to bounce him on my knee and sing "Ponyboy" many times. (He had heard it for the first time the previous day.)
9:00 a.m. I put away the food from breakfast. We unload the dishwasher together, an extremely popular activity. I load the dishwasher. I wipe off the kitchen and dining surfaces. Isaac plays nearby with utensils he has filched from the dishwasher. We discuss Isaac's upcoming visit to the dentist.
10:00 a.m. Isaac feeds the dog. We go into Isaac's room and read a few books in the armchair. He nurses for five minutes. We sit in the chair, cuddle, and talk. He wants to sing "Ponyboy" again. He climbs into his bed and pretends to sleep. I join him. I pretend I am a dentist examining the stuffed animals' teeth.
11:00 a.m. I get us both dressed to go outside in the rain. We play outside for half an hour. We come back in. I clean up the mud and change our wet clothes. We sit in the armchair in Isaac's room and cuddle and talk some more. We sing more "Ponyboy." We read a few more books.
12:00 p.m. We go into the kitchen. I make our lunches. We eat lunch. I clean up after lunch. Isaac plays nearby. (I feel like something else must have happened during this hour, but my notes don't mention it.)
1:00 p.m. We prepare for Isaac's nap. He nurses for 15 minutes. He falls asleep by 1:30.
3:30 p.m. I wake Isaac up after a two hour nap. We sit on his bed together. I clip his fingernails and toenails. He pretends to clip my nails. We pretend to clip the stuffed animals' nails. We read even more books.
4:00 p.m. We go into the living room. I manage to clip three of the dog's nails before he refuses to cooperate. Isaac watches with interest. All three of us have a snack. I print up and fill out the new patient form that is required by Isaac's dentist.
5:00 p.m. We go back into Isaac's room. We read books for half an hour straight. Isaac nurses for five minutes. We sit in the armchair and cuddle and talk. I work on my blog. Isaac plays nearby.
6:00 p.m. Daddy comes home!
8:30 p.m. Isaac falls asleep.
Midnight - 3:00 a.m. Isaac can't seem to stay asleep. But that's a topic for another post ...
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