Sunday, December 2, 2012

New Adventures: Dining Room Edition

We took another step in independence this week and opened up the dining room to our roaming toddlers.
I was starting to feel like the walls were closing in on me, and the kids needed extra room to move around now that we aren't leaving the house anymore. My friend, Beth, came by to help me for a few hours on Friday, and I asked what she thought about removing the gate that blocks off our dining room so that the kitchen is the only thing still off-limits on this floor. I was partly hoping she would tell me that I was crazy, but instead she thought it was a great idea! So we went about toddler-proofing what we could, and then removed the gate to see what would happen.

No Gate!

It was extremely well received!

The kids have been all over it, and we are still discovering more things that we need to toddler-proof...many that we didn't even know would be a problem!
So far we've discovered that:
  • The bottom brace for the table makes an awesome jungle gym
  • The backyard is fascinating
  • All of the labels on Mommy's well-organized bins are way cooler than any toys in the living room
  • The wire racks that hold all of the bins are way easier to climb then the bookshelves in the living room
  • Shouting across the kitchen to whoever is standing at the other gate (they can see each other) is fun
  • Getting stuck in the folding chairs that Mommy and Daddy use (their space saver highchairs are on all of our real kitchen chairs) is not so much fun
  • If they stand on the gate blocking the kitchen long enough, they can break it and send Mommy and Daddy scrambling to buy a new gate
  • A hand towel duct-taped to the table is a necessity. Apparently the table edge is a magnet for bumped heads.
It's a pretty exciting new adventure, as you can tell!

We've also discovered something else new: Since the kids now have access to the dining room, that also means they have access to the kitchen table where I decorate all of my cakes and cupcakes.
I'm not sure that I've mentioned this on the blog before, but I really enjoy baking! I often take requests and bake for other people along with making sure my family always has bagels, muffins, and bread. I find it relaxing, and it's one of the only hobbies that I've managed to hang on to since having the babies.

All that to say, my kids watch me bake constantly, so it's nothing new to them. But what they really like is watching me decorate cakes and cupcakes. Up until now, it's been so cute to see them hanging over the gate watching the icing swirl out of my decorator's bag.

Yep, didn't fully think through this portion of opening up the dining room to the hooligans.

On Friday, I was working on some cupcakes for a friend, and the kids were running around underfoot in their brand new space. When I finished decorating the cupcakes, I made sure that everything was pushed back from the edge so that no little hands could sample the goods. I went to carry my leftover icing into the kitchen, and Elijah got very upset. I eventually figured out that it was because he wanted some of the icing himself, and he was frustrated because he was now so close, yet still so far away from something he had wanted for a long time.

So being the awesome (and insane) mother that I am, I obliged:




Haha! You know, I'm not normally the type to pipe buttercream icing directly into my kids' mouths. That's just asking for four toddlers to run rampant on a sugar high. But, I'm trying to live in the moment and make some memories. And long-term, the memories are worth more than the inevitable bouncing off the walls.

A little video for your enjoyment!
It's so nice for them to have a little more space, and I think it will become even more appreciated as the winter wears on.

My only question is: Do you think they will expect an icing snack every time I need to decorate now? Yikes! :)

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15 comments:

  1. This is such a fun post!!!

    Mama

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  2. To answer your question - YES. I gave Isabelle a beater once, and now she whimpers every time I try to go straight to the sink with it. But it's fun. :)

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    Replies
    1. Awesome...Lol! Sounds like we may have started a tradition. :)

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  3. I love reading how well the kiddos are doing. Recently, I was looking at your 10 week (when pregnant) update and I can't believe how far they have come.

    Like Danielle and the answer to your question, the answer is Yes! :)

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    1. Haha! Oh well! It's worth the memories!

      And you are right, they have come so incredibly far!

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  4. Such darling pics! Totally worth the sugar high and the re-programming! ... and your memories will be a treasure for many years to come! Great job!

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    1. :) I think you are right! I'm willing to deal with the re-programming part! :)

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  5. Such darling pics! Totally worth the sugar high and the re-programming! ... and your memories will be a treasure for many years to come! Great job!

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  6. Such darling pics! Totally worth the sugar high and the re-programming! ... and your memories will be a treasure for many years to come! Great job!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Such darling pics! Totally worth the sugar high and the re-programming! ... and your memories will be a treasure for many years to come! Great job!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Haha so funny! Sometimes we inevitably create monsters with stuff like that but it's worth the fun in the moment :)

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  9. What fun! Glad you're taking those risks to enjoy some crazy moments. Thanks for sharing.

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    Replies
    1. We only get so many crazy moments...I guess I better embrace them! :)

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