new house

this is beth's new house. we found it for her on craigs list. for a deal. had to have it for her. had to. and when we gave it to her, it was as if christmas suddenly manifested itself to her in this house. she LOVES it. loves, loves, loves to play in it. (ps: her laugh is so spectacular... you have to turn up the sound. it's kind of hard to hear.)

it sits on our deck outside and you can see it from the windows in our kitchen. so when we get home and sit down to eat, beth looks out the window at her new house and points at it, wanting to go out and play. and when we're done eating and i let her out of her high chair, she runs to the back door and pounds on the window saying, "ma... ma..." (that's "mom" of course), begging to be let out so she can go and play in her new house.

there's a little phone in it that she'll put up to her ear and talk to(where does she get this stuff - she's one for crying out loud!), and hang back up when she's done. and she'll go from window to window, poking her head out and talking to... anyone who will listen and perhaps talk back. usually she just ends up yelling at the dog and giving orders, who miraculously seems to comply, and satisfies her need for some control.

there is nothing better than giving your child something that brings them so much joy in the simplest of ways. i could sit and watch her play in that house for hours.


we have also had really good luck with baths lately. not in the "whoa, she actually comes out clean" sense, but in the "this is fun for everyone" sense. someone once told me that if you have a cranky, whiny or bad mood kid, stick them in the bathtub. incredible advice! it's as if there is a magic veil that hangs from the ceiling and falls down to the edge of the bathtub separating it from the outside world.

out of the bathtub, screaming. in the bathtub, splashing and playing with nothing but squeals of delight. out of the bathtub, tantrums on the floor over hearing the word "uh-oh". in the bathtub, laughter and singing and toys for everyone! it's amazing. we have such a blast that we all end up soaked, including the dog who is usually napping in the family room one floor below us. and it has literally meant that those it's-almost-time-for-bed-but-not-quite-and-i'm-so-cranky moments are fun instead of torturous. thank you, unknown author, for giving me such great advice.

and as a bonus? she comes out clean as a whistle. (who came up with that term, anyway? are whistles really that clean? really....?) it's brilliant. like a baby therapist and body scrubber all in one. i'd really like to post a video of her in the tub sometime. it's quite amusing.

almost as cute as the full 1 minute and 52 second video above... :)