Helping

Peanut is a helper.

Besides being in the monkey-see, monkey-do stage (which has led us to buy her a pint-sized broom, dustpan, and mop and simultaneously curbed our tendency to dump swept up ants out the window...), Peanut really likes doing things we ask of her. We are aaaalllll about taking advantage of this moment as my mother can (and will) attest to its impermanence. The challenge right now is not so much enlisting Peanut's help, as directing it; finding particular ways in which Peanut can be the helper that she is without having to pass her off to Papi while I gather all the hair I have recently pulled out of my own head. 

For what it's worth, here are some of my mental notes:

1. Toddlers (or at least Peanut) like to sweep.

• Toddlers do not actually see the dirt that needs to be swept unless it has been gathered up in a nice pile.
• When dirt is gathered up in a nice pile, it looks like there is a lot of it (and in all fairness there may be...).
• When you move a little broom back and forth through the nice pile, the dirt scatters everywhere.
• When the dirt scatters everywhere, there doesn't look like near so much of it anymore - SCORE!
• Toddler Lesson: Get rid of the big pile to be a helper.
• Mami Lesson: Make a little big pile at one end of the room and then make your big pile at the other. Sweep fast.

2. Toddlers (or at least Peanut) like to help in the kitchen.

• Toddlers have absolutely no concept of what is going on with the whole dish washing thing.
• Toddlers do reallllly like water.
• Given how much time is spent doing it, washing dishes must be the most important job in the house and therefore any toddler must be a part of the action. If this involves forcing one's body between Mami's legs and the sink and grunting/bawling...well, a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do.
• Most of the time (at least with Peanut) the dishes inside the sink are considered mine, while the dishes outside the sink are considered hers.
• After touching a given dish/cup/fork 4.5 times, it must go into the sink - even if Mami has already washed it...twice.
• And, just so we are all clear, holding a spatula is better than not holding a spatula.

3. Toddlers (or at least Peanut) like to put things away. Sort of.

• Okay, so we all know they like dumping things out more, but she does like to do some restoring.
• Asking Peanut to take shoes to a bedroom will buy you 43 seconds of sweeping in the living room unaided.
• Asking Peanut to take shoes to your bedroom is pointless. The will all wind up in her bedroom anyway.
• The first set of shoes generally makes it to the bedroom, and even into the closet.
• The second set of shoes may make it into the bedroom.
• The third set of shoes, if they even get noticed, and if they possibly make it back to the bedroom, will not likely be found for a day or two.
• Downside: Putting shoes away often means bringing shorts or a t-shirt back out. 
• Bright side: you figure the shoes made it to the room.

Have a Seat

Peanut loves to sit.

It is not that she stays sitting or still for very long, but she absolutely adores finding places to sit. Once, when we were at Abuelita's house, Peanut kept leaving the room we were in and going toward the stairs. I thought that she was interested in climbing as she can go up and down for hours, but when I followed her she would just go to the bottom stair, turn around, and sit. Looking in the den I realized that we were all sitting on chairs, but there was nothing Peanut-sized to sit on. One sturdy shoebox later, we were in business. Damn the stairs; I have a real seat now!

But shoeboxes aren't the end of it. Who hasn't looked at your dustpan and thought, "That looks perfect," and hunkered right down?

Or what about building blocks? They may look sharp and uncomfortable, but they do keep your tush off the floor! And if you take aaaallll the blocks out of their container...well, then you have yet another place to sit.

The little chairs at church are ideal and can keep Peanut's attention even when some of the service may not.

So as she grows older, make sure you know that if you invite the Nutter to come in and sit a spell, it is an invitation she will never refuse. Just put your dustpan away first.

I Dressed Myself

My friend Cyndi has had a long-time blog in which she writes about her kids, her views on education in Wake County, NC (and the world), her neighborhood, and more. Recently, however, she started up another blog called "I Dressed Myself" in which she showcases fashion fabulousness from her 4 year old daughter. 

While Peanut is not yet in Pippi's league, I felt this picture should be posted. It is a bit more in the "what did'nt I put on" category, but hey, someone has to win that award, right?

Peanut for Peace

You may remember her first film.

Or perhaps you were bigger fans of her dance video.

Now she puts it all together with the moves and the song.

Presenting, Peanut for Peace.

Peanut Program at Progresar

Our neighbors, the Smiths, are the greatest blessing we could possibly have here in Colombia. They have been family to us and helped us navigate this whole parenting thing in innumerable ways. They have taken us to appointments, brought us the occasional meal, invited us to holiday gatherings, and taken Peanut away from us for a few hours to make all of us better people - to name just a few. We could not be more grateful for all they do for us.

So, you can imagine that we were all ears when Fanny came to ask if we would do her a favor. "¡Con mucho gusto! ¿Cómo te podemos servir?" With pleasure! How can we be of service?

After having worked in a bank for many years, Fanny decided to follow her true passion and go into education. Rather than becoming a teacher, however, Fanny decided to open her own school. It is called "Progress", and is located in the town adjacent to Barranquilla, Soledad. The center has both a pre-school and a primary school and serves a vulnerable population of kids on a shoestring budget. We had been invited to visit a couple of times, and I even gave the reflection at last year's graduation service. The school is Fanny's passion, and she takes it very, very seriously.

"Could you do me a favor? It has to do with the school", she said.

"Oh, sure. What do you need? How can we help?"

"Well, I was just wondering...would you all allow me to use Peanut's name as the name of the program I want to start for the kids to help them develop their values and strengthen them as people?"

"Umm...yeah. Sure. Wow."

"Thank you."

That is what we could do for Fanny. She loves Peanut so much that she wants to make sure that she is remembered whether she is around this place or not. She wants to to have Peanut's name on a program for her kids so that Peanut will always know she was important to her. So no, thank you Fanny. Thank you.