Whe-are-you?

I'd say I spend about 90% of my day trying to get stuff done and entertain Eloise simultaneously. Without tv this involves countless creativity and lots of effort, and I often wish for a Mary Poppins "And snap, the job's a game!" moment when I'm stuck. If only it was that easy.

I also attempt to do approximately 27 things at a time, only somewhat successfully. Trying to pack lots into a short amount of time makes sense at first but always leaves me somewhat frazzled and inevitably five minutes late for nearly everything. When I am running behind it is only natural that I forget or lose things. This doesn't sit well for Eloise who's patience runs thin when I promise her we're going to the park/store/a playdate/her activity and have her fully dressed in the foyer while I run around. To keep her happy and occupied I've started asking her to help me find things by saying, "Oh keys, where are you? Hmm ... do you think they're under here?" which buys me a few minutes while I complete one of the nine other things I need to do (or convince myself I need to do) before we leave the house.

Clearly this game has caught on and Eloise now uses "Where are you?" on her own terms with her toys. "Whe-are-you Baby Emma?" when her doll is buried beneath peeps and "Oh Mama, whe-are-you" when I attempt to pee alone. She makes a game of searching for favourite books and the dog, it's very cute. And useful when I need a moment to finish up a task.

I lost lost my car keys for all of last week and basically gave up looking for them after checking all of my usual hiding spots like my coat pockets and the depths of my purse (so sticky). The "Where are you?" game was no use, though Eloise did try to help, and I eventually found my keys in the bottom of a bag of newborn sleepers stashed under her bed. Not where I would typically keep keys, but I threw the bag under her bed in an effort to do a two-minute-clear-the-clutter-tidy and it almost makes sense that this is where they would end up. Almost.