Organizing

Lately, things with the little man outside my uterus have been trying.  He is having a burst of independence, which is, in theory, fabulous.  However, in this very busy week--getting Elsa down the mountain to Farm Camp (and packing her a lunch and making sure she has everything she might need for Farm Camp) and then getting her and a friend back up the mountain after camp, as well as various appointments with the OB, getting Jerry fixed, running the Fairy House Workshop (which was a success), needing to procure food to eat after being in Boulder for the weekend, needing to take care of the animals and wanting to spend some time in my garden-- it has tried my patience to the extreme.  He does not want help getting dressed or even choosing out clothes, and he refuses any clothes with buttons or non-stretchy material.  And, of course, his drawers are a total mess, filled with clothes he won't wear, in no particular order, and so it takes forever.  And the shrieks of rage and refusal of any help have not been greeted with a lot of Mama patience.  So, even though many chores were calling, we hauled all of his clothes out of his drawers, went through them, discussing which ones he wants to wear, putting some upstairs in case new little unnamed man might at some point want to wear them, and decided on a drawer for each category, and labeled them, with words an pictures. He was delighted, and very excited to pick out his pajamas for tonight. 

It's not a new idea, to structure things so that kids can do things themselves as much as possible.  It is very Montessori, and very sensical.  In the end, it should lend itself to a smoother running household.  It's just that initial push to get it done can seem so overwhelming and exhausting.  But, it is done, and I feel better.