So big yet so small

I have a toddler. Toddlers are funny little things, so full of determination and independence. Holly likes to do everything for herself, even if it causes her immense frustration. She is certain her way is the right way. Although people may look at us oddly in the shop when Holly has her shoes on the wrong feet or when she is wearing a wooly hat and gloves on a hot summers day, I let her assert her independence because one day, this personality trait of being such a determined little miss will stand her in good stead. It is funny because with a new baby in the house we often praise Holly for being such a 'big girl' when she does things well. Then, like today, I turn around and look down and see she really is such a wee dot, this big little girl of mine.

Holly's treasures

My girl, like many toddlers, loves finding treasure. Even a walk to the shop is filled with stops to examine flowers, plants,leaves, berries and any other special finds. So, it is no surprise that a trip to the beach is one of her favorite things and a bag to collect her treasures is a must.

Holly got to do just this last week during a special trip to visit her Nan and Pop. She bought her bag of treasures home, spending much time playing with her new finds, examining them and carefully lining them up before proudly showing them off.
The thing that is most beautiful about her treasures is what she chooses. Unlike and adult, who would select beauty based on shape and colour. She selects her shells for their unusual little features, a bit of dried seaweed still attached, a hole in it or two shells fused together.

For me, it is another example of the joy I get as a parent, glimpsing the world through the eyes of my child and it, like her little shells, is beautiful.

A recipe for fun

Play dough

2 cups of plain flour

1 cup of salt

2 cups of cold water

2 tablespoons of cooking oil

2 teaspoons of cream of tartar

food colouring

Cook in a pan over a medium heat, stirring continuously. Remove from heat when mixture starts to ball. Lay on a bread board to cool. Kneed well. Store in an air tight container in fridge.

Add a little rolling pin and some stamps and let the fun begin!

My little picasso

Miss Holly is proving to be quite the little artist. She loves to draw and spends many hours with her little bucket filled with her crayons and one of her many many colouring books. She carries these around the house and sets to work on her pictures in all corners of the house. She puts alot of effort into her drawings, lifting up her head to show me which colour she will use next. Some times she will invite me to join her only to quickly take the crayon off me again, I guess my colouring is not up to her standard! 

My big girl

There is a certain irony that this should be my next post after my one about modern cloth nappies but it appears Miss Holly has decided to toilet train herself. We have had a potty in the living room for a while now and Holly has used it a few times when asked but it is not something we have pushed. Well the last few days she has decided that nappies are not for her anymore and she has been taking herself off to use the potty! I am surprised how quick and easy it has come to her. I had imagined I would have to initiate it alot more but so far all I have had to do is get ridiculously excited when she shows me the full potty and give her a chocolate button for every 'deposit' .  I am so proud of her as her nappy days start to come to an end but at the same time there is a tinge of sadness as she throws off the last vestiges of babyhood. My little girl is quickly growing into a big girl.