I haven’t been able to work in my office with Alice for a month or two now. Alice loves keyboards so if I leave a keyboard with in reach of her, all sorts of non-desirable things happen to my computer. I can’t work on paper because Alice has acquired a strong love of paper and drawing / painting. If I try to do it myself, Alice will grab my writing implements and add her own special enhancements to my notes.
Alice likes to draw even when I don’t start it. I’ll frequently set her out on the kitchen table with a big piece of paper and either paint, pencils or markers. This can keep her entertained for quite a while if I’m lucky.
Of course, there are downsides. Alice finds most markers tasty and frequently ends up with interesting facial markings. The other day she managed to make some marks on her front (luckily she wasn’t wearing a shirt). Alice then tried to wipe them off with marker in hand. Then she tried to wipe off those new marks, marker still in hand. Sadly, my parenting instincts prevented me from gathering valuable psychological data by observing the process to the end.