5 Reasons We Should Let Our Kids Make Messes

I have a tendency to avoid messes because I don't like cleaning them up. I'm a toy minimalist (we do have some, but I'd be thrilled if we didn't), and I really don't like to see things in disarray. That said, I know I need to let my kids explore their environment, engage in messy play, and just be kids. I'm trying to challenge myself to make changes that will benefit my whole family and this was an easy one to start with. 

Here are the reasons I'm trying to change my miserly ways and let my kids enjoy some good, old fashioned play. 

1. It's a good way to engage the senses. Let your kids feel sand run between their fingers; let them hear the crunch of grass under their shoes; let them play in the rain. Count sticks, sort leaves, and make mud pies. These will all help your child's brain development.
2. It will help kids cultivate their imaginations. Kids love to pretend. Parents do kids a huge disservice by plopping them in front of the television. Rather than watching cartoon characters do interesting things, allow your kids go to town with play dough or building blocks. 
3. It will spark interest in new things. Give your kids opportunities help you in the kitchen.  Have them sort and organize their own toys. Sure, you might have some messes along the way, but you might help inspire a future chef and you might find that your kids have a great way to organize toys. 
4. It's a great opportunity to teach kids how to clean up their own messes. Sure, let your kiddos enjoy making a great mess, but don't let them off the hook when it comes to the cleanup. Kid will whine and complain, but just remind them how much they enjoyed creating the mess and just explain that it's a part of life. 
5. Build great me memories. My girls and I made two types of play doughs this past week. They mixed, stirred, and got flour all over my floor. Their dresses were covered in flour, and they had pieces of play dough stuck between their toes. This isn't my cup of tea - I would much rather sit on the couch and read books. They loved every second, though, and can't wait until we do it again. 

In case you're wondering what they're playing with in the photos, the girls and I made cloud dough and the softest play dough ever. Both of them take very little time to make, and were great fun to play with. Caroline's favorite was the cloud dough - she liked scooping and "making cookies" with the crumbly, pliable mixture. Riley enjoyed the play dough - she pretended to make pizzas, examined her fingerprints, and squished it through her fingers. 

See Ya Later, Crib!

David and I have been talking about switching Caroline into a "big girl bed" for months (Riley made the switch at about 20 months). We're in the very slow process of adding on to our home. With the changes, Caroline and Riley will be switching bedrooms. In an attempt to minimize furniture disassembly and rearranging, we thought we'd keep Caroline in the crib until the switch was made. Since it was taking longer than anticipated, we decided we couldn't keep waiting. 

This evening, David, along with some adorable helpers, took the side off of Caroline's crib (essentially making it a toddler bed). It looks adorable, and she's very excited. 

We'll see if she stays in it tonight. Riley didn't get out of her bed one time when we made the transition to her twin bed. I'm hoping Caroline follows in her big sister's footsteps. 

When did you make the transition from crib to "big kid bed"?

How to Clean Your House Fast Using a Timer

I'm not a naturally neat person. I'd much rather be playing with my kids, reading a book, crocheting, or chatting with my husband than cleaning house. That said, my spouse is a naturally neat person. Due to this fact, I've had to change my ways over the course of our 7 1/2 years of marriage. 

Even though I have changed, that doesn't mean that our house is neat and tidy all the time. It really does look like a tornado (aka Riley and/or Caroline) went through at break-neck speed from time to time. In fact at some point during each day, my living room looks something like it does in the photo you see below - books on the floor, necklaces behind the chair, pillows and blankets thrown haphazardly on the couch (which is usually a pretend house, boat, or car at some point every day). 

When the house looks like this, I find myself whispering quiet prayers that my mom (aka next-door neighbor) or BFF won't stop by. Yes, they know that it doesn't always look like this, but it's still embarrassing (I know, I know... "it doesn't look that bad." Black and white improves this picture a lot, people). 

Enter the timer. I set my phone (or the kitchen timer) for 10 minutes, promise myself I won't answer texts or be distracted by children, and get to work. Sometimes I even run from place to place putting things away and straightening pillows. In just 10 minutes, I can take my living room from looking like the photo above to looking like this. That includes sweeping and dusting. Not bad if I do say so myself.

Now, just in case this didn't impress you. I'll show you my dining room from this morning. My kids were messier than usual. Caroline brought me clothes that she wanted to change into then got distracted by breakfast being served. Riley brought me her American Girl doll so I could "fix her piggy tails" and put her baby on the floor when I said I couldn't fix it right that second. 

I know, I know. I should have made my kids put those things in the proper places right away, but I didn't want their cereal to get soggy (besides my husband, is there a person on this planet who likes soggy cereal?) so I let it slide. Then I got busy talking to my husband about something or answering an email or reading books to my kids, and I just forgot. When the kids were both productively engaged, I decided to set my timer and clean it up myself. 10 minutes later, the area was much easier on the eyes, the table was cleared, and the corner stand was dusted. 

Sometimes, 10 minutes might not be enough time for the room or task you're working on. That's ok, either work in several 10 minute intervals or up your time to 15 or 30 minutes. Either way, you're working in manageable increments and you'll be able to see progress quickly. I think that's the key to staying motivated. 

Here's a transformation that took 15 minutes. 

My goal is to have my house look like the after pictures at the beginning and end of each day. Sometimes that doesn't happen, but that's my current goal. 

Do you use a timer when you're cleaning your house? Does your house generally look neat? 

The Backstory

First of all, let me introduce myself. I'm Lauren Brown. I'm an assistant pastor's wife, stay-at-home-mom, and blogger. The two cuties you see in this post are my little girls (often referred to as the chickadees) - Caroline (2.5) and Riley (4.5). Let's just be honest, you're going to be seeing a lot more of their pretty little faces than you are mine. 

Some of you may know me from my popular crochet blog, Daisy Cottage Designs. After toying around with the idea of making that into a more eclectic site, I've decided to start an entirely separate blog rather than overwhelming my current readers with topics they're not interested in. 

While I definitely love my chaotic life, there are some things that I need to change. I need to organize better, cook more, and do exciting projects with my kids. I'm planning on chronicling those things here on this new blog - maybe it will hold me accountable. Maybe some other moms will be able to relate to me and realize they're not alone. I will not always post perfectly edited pictures; I'm not going to present an immaculate house when it really looks like a tornado hit. This is going to be a glimpse into my real life (hopefully my mom and mother-in-law won't find this... jk) - the good, the bad, and the ugly. 

Enjoy the ride, friends.