Time Out

I know it's hard to believe, but from time to time I find Big Butter doing something that, well, isn't quite exactly the best thing for him to do. So when he "chooses" to hurt someone or something, he also "chooses" to go into time-out! We (actually that's more like, I) have decided that the best place for this is his room. It's just so awful to be locked in this room full of trains, trucks, Lego*s, Tinker*Toys, dinosaurs, etc, etc, etc... Yes, so awful that he got so furious and this is what happened the other day after he hurt poor little Baby Butter...Of course I had just completely cleaned it up just the day before...I know, I know, he should be the one putting the trains on their tracks and parking the trucks in their garage, so...

The next day (because I was DONE by the time this happened!) we cleaned it up together. Wow! What an experience that was! Of course I could have done it by myself in about 28 minutes, but what's to be learned from that?! So the two of spent over 2 painful hours putting all of the clothes back in the drawers, putting the drawers back in the dresser, putting the toys back in their boxes, putting the boxes on the shelves (heck, putting the shelves back on the floor!), putting the books back in their baskets, putting the trains and tracks back on the table, etc... and then there was everything that was in the closet! This one had been used for storage and had been completely emptied out - his entire wardrobe from last year, all of my "I-just-had-(or will soon have)a-baby-so-I'm-fat" clothes, all of LuLu's preschool and kindergarten drawings, cards from her birth and shower (I know, i really should get rid of some of this stuff!!!), dress-up clothes, stuffed animals and blankets. I think that's it, oh wait- a bunch of purses that I never use, but think that someday one of them just might be perfect for...well, probably nothing!

I think we both learned a little something from this...Because he hasn't done it again, I am oh, so hoping that he's learned that it's just not worth it (especially since it didn't even seem to make Mom mad! And I most definitely learned that there was just WAY too much stuff in that room!

Now that the closet shelves are completely empty, they have become Big Butter and LuLu's new "club house." Yep, that's right...they climb on top of the work bench and somehow get themselves up to the closet shelves to do whatever it is kids do in their little secret hiding places! A little on the dangerous side, but it is pretty cute and they're happy and no one's been in time-out since!