Sensory bins are a big hit here

In just the last 48 hours, Jeanne has requested the 'rainbow rice' 20 times.  I'm so glad I am now able to sleep and organize these things for her, she loves them.  She was actively engaged for over an hour with a single box of rice, some spoons and a couple of bowls.  Go figure, Loki digs them too.  Although, for my sanity, i made larger sized objects for him.  Rice just worried me too much.  Here's a photo shot of the last 48 hours.  It's been a blast for all of us.

Loki and Jeanne pour and dump blue rice

Realizing the baby spoon feeder can become a rattle

"Look what I did"!

Never to be left out, she wanted to take pictures too.

She perfects her aiming.

Showing Loki how to play the 'right way'.

A very unhappy Loki.  He didn't like being told "Not in the mouth" about the rice.

I see this as "but mommy, please"?  Alas, no.  No food coloring for you little dude.

Seriously, this went on for over an HOUR.

Later that day, we played with ballons filled with unknown substances.  I thought this would be really cool, and it was.  But it took Jeanne approximately 30 seconds to guess correctly one was filled with water.  O.K.  I'll need to do better than that I guess.

You see, she squeezed the ballon so tightly, you could see the water.

She wanted to play with them again as soon as she woke up. 

She asked to cut them open to see what was inside.

One had yellow rice in it.  Here Loki has also just woken up, he's still trying to rub the sleep out of his eyes, but won't stop playing.  

Ohh, the yellow rice and the water make yellow water.  What fun!

I, however, didn't "love" picking up the thousand pieces of blue rice all day, so made some colored larger pieces of pasta.  When it would get dumped, and I knew it would, it would only be a hundren pieces or so, not the thousands of teeny rice.

So far, Loki's favorite place in all these activities in right in the middle.  Literally.

 

In an attempt to "let go" and allow the children to explore a little more, I have stopped correcting Jeanne about playing with her food.  Now, she just isn't allowed to throw it or touch the walls with dirty hands.

Here, she made a "house" out of her cheese and sliced carrots.  She was quite proud.  

She asked me to take a picture.

I let Jeanne play with the rice while Loki napped.  She at least helps me clean up the rice.  Loki will, in a flash, dump the entire bin.  I also let her mix all the colors together.  She about flipped her gourd when I gave her all the colors.  So simple, so much fun.  Bowls, spoons, some 'things' and she is occupied for a long time.  Although, I am with her.  She is much more interested if I am by her than if I leave her.  She also sings to herself the whole time.  She sings what she is doing in the moment.  It's really kinda cool.

The next day, she wanted to play with her HEX bugs and the 'grass' aka rice.  It didn't work as she thought, but I suggested we glue down some pinwheels  and make a path for them.  I told her to clobm her chair and I would get the glue.  Once there, she told me her chair was dirty, and wanted to clean it first. 

 OK, no problem.

Then she saw that Loki's chair was dirty and wanted to clean it.  Yep, sure can sweetie.

Then she saw some spinach on the wall from last nights dinner ans asked for a wet towel to clean it. 

Oh, yes my dear, let me get that for you.

On Wednesday's we pick up our CSA at the farmers market.  On our return, she asked for only one of the items from this box of goodies for lunch.  Can you guess what it was?

Our CSA box included the following: (left to right):

Butter lettuce, radishes, spring onions (the beets were purchased at a separate vendor for $3), bunch of Kale, 2 quarts of strawberries, and a pint of sugar snap peas.  We left the famers market dishing out a total of $3.  I pre-paid for the CSA, but this box is $20 worth.  Not a bad spread if you ask me.  

Now, can you guess which item she asked for lunch, and it was the only thing she ate for lunch too....

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It was the KALE.  And she ate it, raw.  That bowl is vegetarian shepard's pie made with yukon gold potatoes, spinach, spring onions, peas, corn and portabella mushrooms.  It is AMAZINGLY good.  She didn't touch it today.  Yesterday yes, today, not one bit.  The kale though, she ate that.  

She was the one who jumped for joy when she saw the kale at the market too, 

and she picked out most of it, 

"All by my seff".

Yeah, that does feel good.