{Real Mom Life} 10 Entertaining Activities for My 10 Month Old

For any of you mamas out there who have babies younger than 10 months old, I thought I'd share a bit of what I've found to be fool-proof ways of entertaining your Boddler {aka the human in the phase between Baby and Toddler, one that is usually crawling, pulling up, and putting everything in the mouth}. If you come to my home, these are activities you will find Maylin doing on an hourly basis. She rotates from one of these activities to the next, all faster than I can keep up with her saggy-diapered booty. I've never said the word "no" more often in my life, even when I was teaching.

Pulling Out/Off::

1. Pulling all the magnets OFF the fridge.
2. Pulling folded clothes out of drawers.
3. Pulling books off shelves.

Canine-Related::

1. Splashing in the dog's water bowl.
2. Throwing Cheerios on the floor for the dog to eat. {Yes, this is intentional. She loves watching him eat.}
3. Chewing on the dog's bones.

Pulling Up::

1. Pulling up on the lips of trashcans.
2. Pulling up on the diaper pail.

Playing::

1. Touching electrical outlets and playing with power cords.
2. Playing near the edge of the brick hearth while a fire rages temptingly in the grate.

I believe experts refer to Maylin's favorite activities as "exploring the environment." I call it driving a Mama mad.

There is a story to accompany each of these activities, each of which has been done many times, but I won't bore you with the details. Suffice it to say the endings of said stories are usually as follows:: Maylin ends up flat on her back underneath a trashcan covered in trash/food; Maylin ends up crying in frustration or in pain; Maylin ends up soaking wet with water all over the floor.

Greatest fears at this point are that {1}she'll  discover she can pull up on the toilet seat, and {2}that she'll discover the dog food is edible. Please, dear God, delay those developmental milestones just a liiiiitle longer. Thank you.

What are your Boddlers into right now? Any tips for a struggling mama who has said the word "no" a thousand times but still gets clueless looks and smiles? And why, oh why, won't she play with the many brightly-colored musical toys scattered around the house??