An update and a dilemma

This post is a kind of wink at Melissa from Vibrant Wanderings. Thanks Melissa for making me want to post a little update as a response to your Moments post.
What are we up to?

We seem to be entering a new era where both kids play lots together and both concentrate on similar practical activities. However, there are many other activities that are not prepared for the littlest, mainly language and sensorial things. Despite his capacity for concentration, he is often attracted to what the eldest is doing and leaves his aged-appropriate material to see and touch(!!!) what his sister is into.
I would love to hear from people with experience in coping with a toddler and a pre-schooler sharing the same space.
For the moment being, a high-chair which only Marina (my pre-schooler) can climb onto and a large table with her materials is the only way we have found to prevent the youngest from touching or knocking her materials.
Amadís is already 13'5 months and a good-natured boy. He is about to start walking any moment and is very into animal models, opening-closing, imbucare activities, stacking, and playing with his sister. He is using spoon and fork for his meals as of late, although he prefers to use the hand most of the time, or to be fed... oh lazy kid. He is a master of repetition and his sister is his dearest model. His vocabulary and expression in general widens a bit everyday. Most of his words are composed by the syllable "ta". He uses "ta" for "there you are" as well as for "give it to me"; "tata" for poop and pee, "teta" for boob.
Marina's main interest as of late is in Montessori activities, which fills me with joy.... At last! She wants to work with the pink tower and the cylinder blocks several times a day, and asks for other materials we don't have currently displayed. Today she brought the Movable alphabet to me and said she wanted to use it. And there she's been inventing words and "writing" them. She is also big into painting and drawing. She was given a set of bright solid tempera markers for her third birthday on the 22nd of December and midway through the Christmas break she had already used them up. I am amazed at the array of activities that keep her engaged.
 The fact that she finds so much to do though our home has brought up a family debate. We, the three of us, were going to Marina's school everyday during the first trimester. This was exhausting and although we were doing all right I felt I really needed a break. And there came the break and the time to ponder and reflect, and to let the feelings find their way. At the end of the break I didn't feel like going back to school and neither did Marina. I've really felt in my bones the joy of preparing a Montessori environment and organizing/looking for materials to match my children's current interests. I am thriving on it! And hence the dilemma: do we go back to school something like twice a week, or should we stick to our Montessori home-schooling?

Our pre-tot school in pictures

I have been so busy lately that I haven't blogged at all. Facts are I have had to read a lot for my book clubs this month and whenever I have a moment I do some research in order to prepare spaces for M. That's whay I have thought I may show you some of these spaces in pictures.

She has new skills everyday and I am so happy to see her growing cheerful and balanced. 

 

Before the cold season set in, we spent some time in the garden, experimenting with sand, flour, rocks...   

 I left a basket with wooden kitchen utensils in M's playing room for her to explore. She really played with them, taking them out and putting them back in the basket.

Here you can see M climbing to get inside one of the new bookcases we got from a charity shop while my husband was assembling them. These bookcases are intended to contain material for M on their lower shelves.

There she is making music, one of her favorite activities. For 
this purpose, we have set a wonderful tray with instruments in her nook in the living-room.

 

Another activity that we often enjoy is hands washing -and playing with water-...

 

And, this is the kitchen corner. There, M has a magnet bear on the bottom part of the refrigerator and she likes to take the magnets out and see how they stick back again. She is of course too young to change the several outfits this bear has, but I change them some mornings while we fix breakfast and I then tell M how is the weather that particular day and what clothes the bear might need. 

 

Every time the laundry basket used to be around M came to it and took the clothes one by one. That's why I gave her some of her own clothes to play with, and there she is trying to put on a coat!

 

 

For some weeks now we have had this basket full of blue items in the living-room corner. We have explored them several times together. I realize it might be time to change it now... What color shall we have next? Maybe red? Or may I set a Christmas basket now??

I hope you liked our activities!