jacket - h&m, dress - target, tights - gap, shoes - shoemint, sunnies - borrowed from papa bear

Driving into town the other day I couldn't help but notice just how brown everything was. The funny thing is that even that was a sight for sore eyes after weeks and weeks of snow, mostly because I know that it's always brownest before the green. And speaking of spring's imminent return I have officially given up on wearing winter coats, hats or scarves - DUNZO. I don't care how cold I get, I figure if we all just band together and show spring just how badly we need it here it will just happen - poof! Right??

And speaking of spring I am planning a BIG house cleaning sometime this week. Rugs need to be beaten outside (does anyone else do this or this totally a Russian thing??), cobwebs need to be eradicated, surfaces dusted and closets organized. I hate, hate clutter and having a little one afoot it feels like we are always collecting more and more stuff - I can barely keep up with getting rid of things before we get more stuff! I'm also a total neat freak so it's taking a lot of self control to just give up on picking up every little thing that Birdie drops on the floor. I've graduated to allowing the living room and her room to be littered with toys all day (this is a big step for me). Our bedroom? Nope. I'll still go and put all my bras back in the drawer every time (she likes to wear them like little boleros - the cups sitting on her shoulders, I really don't know how she comes up with this stuff!). But I feel like if the main stuff is clean - dust, dirt, etc., then I won't feel so bad about the stuff that she messes up. It's absolutely insane just how much havoc a tiny person can wreak on a house. I must say she absolutely loves "putting things back" whatever it may be so at least we have that. I can go over and tell her to put all my socks back in the drawer and she'll not only do it put close the drawer all by herself! 

Oh! Speaking of how helpful she is we are trying to be more and more open to having her help around the house. I've been reading a few Montessori books and I absolutely love what they say about autonomy and allowing children to feel helpful. I know that she just glows when she feels like she really did something and it's a priceless sight! She expressed an interest in emptying the dishwasher a few weeks ago so we've been giving her a go at it (obviously I remove all the knives and sharp objects before we let her start). She always starts with the silverware, handing me one spoon at a time and waiting for her reward - good girl, and we'll go through both baskets after which point she moves onto her plates. We let her hand us the tupperware, her plastic plates and some of the small pots and pans. It takes a horribly long time but it's so worth it. We clap when we're done and then she rolls the bottom shelf back in and I help her close the door. She's beaming - as if to say "mummy look at me!!" and I scoop her up and pepper her head with kisses. 

Having a little one is daily teaching me patience. Teaching me to stop and take my time and prioritize my time, the right way. It would be so much faster for me to put her toys away myself but it's so much more rewarding when we do it together, even if it does take half an hour. And every time I get frustrated with her meal times (she is quite literally the slowest eater on earth) I remind myself that one day she'll want "privacy" and to "eat in my room" and I'll miss the days when I would sit next to her as she takes one tiny bite every five minutes. I'll miss those chubby yogurt covered hands, the messes, the "eh, eh, eh," the baby giggles and the way she cackles when she's really full and happy. And it's these thoughts that help keep me focused on gratitude instead of frustration (most of the time).