Whatcha Bean up to - #2?

LOL  That title definitely makes you think twice.  I promise this is not a post about poo.  Somewhere in my blogging past, I have used the title "Whatcha Bean up to" and wanted to use it again today so this is #2 in that little series, I guess.  No poo!

After I wrote my last blog post, Was I too harsh?, I got a lot of really good tips and advice.  Thank you all for that.  Most had said I should give Bean a time of how long her toys would be taken away.  I was fully prepared to tell her a time when I picked her up from preschool the following day.  I didn't get to though because there was a second occurrence of taking things so the toys remained locked up.  Then she was out of school for the next two days staying with her Nano so of course there was no chance for redemption or recidivism.

Then came that Sunday.  Bean went along with her Daddy to the grocery store and on the way home, Daddy stopped at an auto parts store.  On the way out of the store, he noticed Bean had her hand in her pocket.  He asked her what she had and it was revealed that she had slipped a pack of gum from the auto parts store in her pocket.

This kid is a real five-finger discounter for sure!

Bean got another long talk that day and spent quite a bit of time in the corner - more than Super Nanny recommends for a four year-old.

Since then there have been no more instances of five-finger discounting from Bean - that I know of.

But she still has not had her toys returned.  And it seems to me that she doesn't even miss them.  She asked one time for her doll house but that's it.  Makes you rethink the amount of things our kids have and what they can do without and what they are able to use their imagination to play with.

To be fair, this past weekend I had signed on to join in a local consignment sale and while there, I did pick up a doll set for Bean because she had been good that whole week so she has had something to play with.

Also, I am working on a project right now that will (hopefully) give us someplace to display a behavior chart, along with some other things, for Bean to see her own progress.  It involves this:

Yep, that's a large oil pan.  I am hoping to finish this project up this week so I can share it all right here with you.

So the update is there was more bad behavior but for this past week only good behavior.  Thank goodness! And thank you all for your advice.

Growing right out of my arms

Life has been moving right along for us. We are all trying to get used to a new schedule. Bean has started a new school and that has caused me to start a new work schedule. It's going okay. I feel though that I'm rushing now more than ever.

I don't feel that I have time to do anything but that's life, right?

I am still working on my Etsy shop. I've tried to teach myself some new designs. As soon as I get those finished up and get some decent pictures, hopefully I'll stop being scared and just post everything. I look at what I make and think "I've seen so much better". I have always second guessed myself and this is no different.

This Sunday we were walking around a home improvement store, or I should say we were following Hubz around praying that he would finally get tired of looking at everything he can't afford to buy so we could go home. At one point, I picked Bean up and started carrying her around. I made a comment to her that she was getting so big. It won't be much longer before it'll be really hard for me to pick her up and carry her like I love to do.

I told her that she was growing right out of my arms.

I got really choked up at that thought.

But it's true. She is.

She is getting so big and so smart. She still whines like a little baby but hey, I guess I do too sometimes.

She's getting to be so independent. She already was but it's reached new levels.

I hate these levels. Don't get me wrong...I'm grateful that she can be independent. I know that there are kids out there that aren't healthy and will always be dependent upon their parents. Thank God she is healthy. I pray every night that she will always be healthy because that's half the battle in this life.

But still, it's happening too fast. She's growing right out of my arms.

But she'll never grow out of my heart.

Weren't you watching her?

This is what happens when Daddy is supposed to be watching Bean.

Can you see the part of her hair that is missing?

She did this quietly in her room while Hubz was on watch.  I have no idea where she found the scissors she used to do this.  But she found some and she cut her hair and Dora's, too.  Dora is about as happy about her new haircut as I am about Bean's.  Great job, Dad.

Meet the new additions.

Last week Bean and I stopped into a local teacher supply store looking for a nap mat blanket thingie for her new school.

Sidebar - I still can't believe the child that fights naps and bedtime at home can take a two hour nap in a room full of other anklebiters every day. How is this possible???

While at this store, something caught Bean's eye...something I tried to direct her AWAY from...to no avail.    She must have spent 10 minutes standing there completely entranced by these...things.

She wanted to bring them home with us right then. Mommy Logic finally kicked in and I came up with a couple of brilliant reasons why we couldn't do that.

But she was still talking about these...things...three days later. I had another brilliant idea, or so I thought, and we took her to a pet store so she could weigh all of her options. I was hoping to entice her towards something cuddlier or at least something with fur. No such luck.

So without further adieu, please meet the newest members of the Bean family...

Introducing Phineas and Ferb!

Phineas and Ferb are African Dwarf frogs.  I don't know much about what that means other than they are not supposed to outgrow this box aquarium.  They are NEVER supposed to come of this box aquarium!

Phineas is lighter than Ferb and more outgoing.  Or as outgoing as a frog can be.  I was holding onto the hope that when Hubz saw these...things...his Daddy Logic would kick in and come up with wonderful, mindbending reasons why these...things...couldn't come home with us.  Nope.  Now he spends as much time frog gazing as Bean does.

As long as they stay inside that box thing, I guess they can stay.