Simplicity Parenting

At first glance, our "cleaned out" playroom might look like a success.  My goal was to curb the screaming / fighting / yelling that is pretty much constant. Took all the Little Tikes plastic loud stuff to the yard,  removed the little toys that just get thrown, painted a little Benjamin Moore Stonington Gray (cut 50%), an Ikea rug to damper the noise, garage sale dollhouse, and leather trunk from the trash.. the TRASH! (THE TRASH!) to throw everything in at the end of the day.  Simple, basic, open.  I've been following  Alexis over at Fern & Feather (a college friend who has the best taste, the best outlook, and is a treat to follow in the blog world) as she's hosted a virtual book club on the book Simplicity Parenting by Kim John Payne.  Simplify the toys, the diets, the schedules, and the demands on our children.  Let them explore, create, think, stew, sleep and be bored. We actually came here, to this little town across the country, to do this.  What's not to like about this.  Of course it makes sense, and I think I'm seeing a gradual change in the mood, attention spans, temperament of my kids.   They are very happy, there are lots of new games, lots of new words... but lets not kid ourselves. Coco is about bash Hugh with her horse, and Hugh is pulling back his home-made arrow to shoot at Coco.  Brother and sister fighting no matter what the circumstance - that's pretty simple.