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Like most kids, my kids enjoy playing with bingo-style dot markers. They enjoy completing dot marker worksheets (we’ve found some fun ones here and here), as well as creating open-ended art with them. Which is where the seeing comes in.
One of the reasons I started blogging was because I wanted to focus my mind on the positives of raising young children. It is so easy to be bogged down by sleep deprivation, laundry, tears, and diaper changes. Blogging has done a lot for me, in terms of helping me see more of the things I love about being a mom – hence the name of this blog!
And sometimes I really need the second look I get, writing a post. Watching the kids with this project, here is what I saw:
Emma writing her name:
Lily making abstract art – every once in a while she does act like the two-year-old she is, not the five-year-old she thinks she is…
And Johnny drawing a cute little circle guy and a square guy:
Then, I loaded the photos for this post and realized they were people letters! Spelling his name! Pretty neat for the three-year-old he was way back in October when I took these pictures!
I’m so glad I took the time to sit down and see.
And now I’m off to play with my kids. Because dishes – and blogging (these pictures sat on my desktop since last October, and the worksheet pictures are from June!) – will wait, but life will not.
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We love those dot markers too!
And I agree, blogging is a great way to focus on the good. You do a great job of that :)
Visit Amber Liddle … Home
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Awesome people letters!!! :) I agree, blogging helps me see too.
Visit Elisa | blissfulE … Duplo hospital
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Oh, and that is a SUPER cute picture of Lily holding her dot marker. :)
Visit Elisa | blissfulE … Duplo hospital
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maryanne Reply:
February 28th, 2012 at 9:19 am
Thank you! I think she is pretty adorable :)
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The people letters are so cute. We love dot markers. The thing I love about blogging is that sometimes I feel like I haven’t done anything with my kids….then I look at pictures I have taken and posts I have written and I know that I have tried to engage them, have fun with them, and show them I love them.
Visit Christy … Rainbow Toast
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maryanne Reply:
February 28th, 2012 at 9:59 am
I love that too – sometimes as a mom it’s easy to feel like everything you do gets undone/forgotten. This is a way to remember the good times =)
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Dot markers are my number one favorite item for my younger ones while the big kids are doing school! They don’t spill…and if they get on the table, they wipe off! The kids love them too! They love to match the lids to the right marker!
BTW…you radiate joy with children…no one would ever guess that you have ever been tired! :)
Visit sherri … I bought a sewing machine….
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maryanne Reply:
February 28th, 2012 at 9:59 am
I definitely get tired! But honestly, I’m living my lifelong dream right now, so the sleep deprivation is worth it!!!
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I won some dot markers and then the first time we opened them one of the boys (this was over 3 years ago) pooped the sponge part off and spilled the entire bottle of paint all over my floor. Needless to say they got put away for a little bit :)
Enjoy life today!
Visit Ticia … Review: All American History Jr.
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Agree! A life with three (or any number, really) is so rich and full that I often feel I need two or three lifetimes to fully take it all in. I miss so much everyday, and not only because of the dishes or cooking or vacuuming – life is just so full even without them. We do what we can, and capture what we can, and savor what we can. This is a season of blessing, exhaustion or no, is what I tell myself, especially when it’s the end of the day and there are still Lego and Playmobil and prickly little pink plastic dress-up jewelry on the floor to pick up. Hurrah for you recording all the positives here, MaryAnne! Someday your kids will read this blog and say, “Wow, you saved our artwork, Mom!” and smile to read your words about why they were so precious to you.
Visit LiEr … Cultural Shopping Overload and Two Giveaways!
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Great idea and not a big production! Also like your reflection today and can relate : )
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These are cute! How cool that his name is spelled out. I didn’t see that at first either!
Visit Jenny … Homeschool Weekly Review: February 20-24
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How creative, Johnny! Love it!
Visit Jen … soccer season opener
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Those pictures are so cute. It’s also really funny for T’s 1st birthday next week we have brought her a messy apron and some dot markers!
Visit Cerys @ Rainy Day Mum … Shaving Foam Fun
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maryanne Reply:
February 29th, 2012 at 2:26 pm
She’ll love them!!!
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I love the people letters, and your comment about “seeing.” Have you read any of Annie Dillard’s essays on that topic? They’re more in the context of seeing nature, but still applicable, I think.
Visit Katey (Having Fun at Home) … Coloring Page: Girl with Piglet
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maryanne Reply:
March 3rd, 2012 at 7:08 pm
I haven’t read them – will have to look them up. Thanks for the recommendation!
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I always smile visiting your blog, so you are doing a great job reaching your audience :)
Visit Natalie … What My Child Is Reading–March 10, 2012
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maryanne Reply:
March 12th, 2012 at 1:50 pm
Thank you, Natalie!
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