Beans + Rice + Toddler = Sanity

As most moms do, I turn to Pinterest, when I feel like I need inspiration to entertain my son. It's amazing how you can have all these fun toys for them and yet, after 10-15 minutes they're asking for the TV to be turned on, or to go outside and play with bubbles, or they just hang off of you like some sort of strange growth until you play with them!

Like, seriously! I buy toys for my son that I am also interested in, so playing with them isn't a drag for me. (He also has just random toys he likes, that I'm not a huge fan of...) And yet I feel like he's bored more often than not. So today I did something that I'm sure many mama's out there will cringe at....

I brought out beans....

AND RICE.

Why? Why would I subject myself to the extra clean up and the chaos that definitely followed this decision to put down bowls, cups, a scoop, a measuring cup, and a funnel, along with several helpings of dried beans and rice? Here's the answer;

BECAUSE GROCERIES. GROCERIES AND LUNCH.

We are a morning errand family. We get up, get fed and dressed (plus all the other stuff like brush our teeth. I mean obviously.), and then we head out to run any and all errands by 9 or 10 o'clock. Because by 12:30, my son starts turning into the baby hulk, but in red. So this morning I needed to pick up some grocery items that were cold items and by the time we got home, my mini human was already trying to pick a fight. 

He does this thing lately where he yells, "HI YAH!" and tries to do this swinging arm punch.....

I'm not sure who showed him this move, or the "hi yah" bit, but when I do find out who did.... it won't be pretty. 

Back to the beans and rice....

You guys. It was a Godsend! Mr. A played for like over 30 minutes, just pouring, and scooping, and dumping. And then he decided to spice things up a bit and he grabbed my salt and pepper shakers to shake in some spices.

You see what I did there? Punny, no? Eh. At least I crack myself up.

Anyway, I got lunch made for him AND myself, took some photographic proof of the incident, and put away ALL the groceries (granted it was like only 3 bags, but still). It was fantastic to have him just quietly play and grow those motor skills we are all so concerned about. And then we added a tractor to the mix! You would have thought he was the luckiest kid ever! Between the mess he was able to make, and the fact that he got to plow the rice and beans up with a tractor?! Oh gosh!

So moral of the story; I would rather let him play with messy stuff that I can sweep up later (I need to sweep my floor anyways), than have him either sitting in front of the TV or clinging to my leg begging for any food in the form of either a chip or a cookie. 

Thanks for reading!