JUST DO IT, already!

When I was young, I used to call my mom names when I was mad at her.  Well, now it's my turn.  Kate has been calling me the meanest names she knows in order to get me to bend to her will! 

Last night, before bed, she was washing some "cars" in her car wash invention and I asked her to get ready for bed.  She would say "just a minute" or "I'm coming" but 20 minutes later hadn't moved.  This scenario is typical for us.  It is always hard for her to transition from the activity she likes.  She just gets "stuck" there.  Anyway, I feel like it would be easier to move from one thing to the next if her inventions weren't out all the time because the inventions get "stuck" too.  Kate doesn't allow them to be moved or put away. And, in the past, if I moved them I knew that a major tantrum was coming.  She explained it well last night when she said(yelled) "I DON'T LIKE CHANGE!"

So, after many threats over the past few weeks, I finally did it (with Matt's help and support).  We put away all of the toys and inventions and set-ups that are NEVER to be moved.  Phew.  And all the while we were thinking how we were going to handle the morning (or day) of tantrums and name-calling.  We were going to be happy and loving and support each other.  That was the plan.  So the living room is bare, except for the chairs and table.  NO TOYS.

One of the reasons I wanted to do this is that we are supposed to be doing lots of NEW activities.  New stimulates right brain, old and repetitive stimulates left brain.  It is hard, but getting easier, for me to get Kate to do new activities when her special interests are set up.  And sometimes she is calling me names when I ask her to change activities. Huh.  Imagine that!!  The nerve, haha. So, it was past time for me to change it up!!

So, this morning when she woke up she played in our room for a little while.  Eventually she said "Mommy, I decided that if you take the car wash down, that you have to put it back up."  Huh?  And when she walked out into the living room and saw that everything was gone, she just said how she didn't want it all moved and that it would be hard to put it back.  She TALKED about it and how she was feeling!  Double HUH???

The other part of the plan was to have a yummy breakfast to distract her.  Matt had it ready and she just went right to eating.  After breakfast, we moved easily into doing the exercises and now Matt and Kate are drawing with colored pencils and have been for the past 20 minutes. 

Sigh of relief.  She is in such a good mood right now and it is a nice change from the last few days.   Mom is coming for a visit and we are excited for that.  So I hope this mood continues so we will have an easy weekend.