Ben woke up and got out of bed. He sees a bag of little packages of M&Ms next to my bed. He gives me a bag and says, "Here you go, Chocolate for Mama" After I say, "Thank You" he grabs a bag of chocolate for himself and says, "Chocolate for baby?"
Of course. How could I say no?
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Chores
I just thought that I would come back and tell you it has been almost a month and the house is still pretty decent. The kids are really sticking with this chore chart thing! Now it's my turn to go throughout the house and throw away a bunch of junk. It's crazy how much you can accumulate!
New Camera!
We finally bought a new camera. A nice little cheap digital camera. It was WAY cheaper than our last camera we bought 5 years ago and WAY better. Funny how fast technology moves.
Now we need to get our computer fixed so I can upload pictures from the camera. I guess I could upload onto my dad's old computer. We'll see.
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Camera and computer
Our camera officially died. It was old and on the fritz, and the final straw came when Ben spilled water on the table and it got on the camera.
I am really grateful for memory cards because I have a lot of pictures on that camera!
I'm also slow on uploading all the pictures because our computer is on the fritz, we got some virus or something that keeps randomly shutting off our computer. So, sorry there haven't been any pictures lately. I'll get them up one of these days!
I am really grateful for memory cards because I have a lot of pictures on that camera!
I'm also slow on uploading all the pictures because our computer is on the fritz, we got some virus or something that keeps randomly shutting off our computer. So, sorry there haven't been any pictures lately. I'll get them up one of these days!
Chore charts and such
We used to have chores on popsicle sticks, the kids would each pick 6 chores and get them done.
My experience with chore charts is that they don't last. Every system I've ever done to help the kids with chores and behavior have always fizzled.
So I think the key for me is to keep it fresh and every couple months start a new system. The kids get excited and work harder than before. And then of course it fizzles, and then that's when I'll start something new.
So our new chore chart is simply a sticker chart. This time instead of having them pick chores every day, they are assigned 6 chores and those are their chores every day. I think this is helping them to get better at cleaning up those areas, and also it helps them try to keep "their" areas clean during the day so they won't have a huge mess to clean up tomorrow.
Each kid gets a sticker every day if they do all of their chores, and if they have good behavior. Luckily I have really awesome kids and behavior is not really an issue with the older ones. (Ben the 2-year-old however is a different story.) (And Katelyn is coming up on those pre-teen years so we are bracing ourselves).
Benjamin has 2 stickers to earn every day, both for behavior, one before nap and one after nap. If he gets at least one sticker a day his reward is getting to spend a couple of hours alone with Grandma and Grandpa Clift. This worked like a CHARM last week. He was mostly good all week with his eyes on the prize. He would wake up every day hoping it was Saturday. And then finally on Saturday we said, "Ben you get to go see gramma and grampa." He replied, "No, on Saturday"
Alex decided his reward would be either a $2 allowance or he could choose Mommy and Alex time. This was so precious to me, that he would work hard all week just to spend alone time with mom! So we went to lunch, and then we walked around Target. I found it interesting that even though he's a boy he really enjoys looking at boy clothes--something that I never really stop and look at because I figured he was a boy and didn't care. We spent an hour and a half walking around Target looking at everything. I let him lead the way. I really loved getting to know more about his growing personality.
Katelyn chose to either get a $2 allowance or a back rub. She lucked out because she got alone time with daddy, they played the Wii the whole time Alex and I were away. And then when I came home she got a relaxing massage with lotion. She was in heaven.
I think it's easy to forget that sometimes it's just those small little things, like alone time and back rubs, that kids really want. I like how they didn't choose the allowance or toys. Man, I have some great kids! :)
My experience with chore charts is that they don't last. Every system I've ever done to help the kids with chores and behavior have always fizzled.
So I think the key for me is to keep it fresh and every couple months start a new system. The kids get excited and work harder than before. And then of course it fizzles, and then that's when I'll start something new.
So our new chore chart is simply a sticker chart. This time instead of having them pick chores every day, they are assigned 6 chores and those are their chores every day. I think this is helping them to get better at cleaning up those areas, and also it helps them try to keep "their" areas clean during the day so they won't have a huge mess to clean up tomorrow.
Each kid gets a sticker every day if they do all of their chores, and if they have good behavior. Luckily I have really awesome kids and behavior is not really an issue with the older ones. (Ben the 2-year-old however is a different story.) (And Katelyn is coming up on those pre-teen years so we are bracing ourselves).
Benjamin has 2 stickers to earn every day, both for behavior, one before nap and one after nap. If he gets at least one sticker a day his reward is getting to spend a couple of hours alone with Grandma and Grandpa Clift. This worked like a CHARM last week. He was mostly good all week with his eyes on the prize. He would wake up every day hoping it was Saturday. And then finally on Saturday we said, "Ben you get to go see gramma and grampa." He replied, "No, on Saturday"
Alex decided his reward would be either a $2 allowance or he could choose Mommy and Alex time. This was so precious to me, that he would work hard all week just to spend alone time with mom! So we went to lunch, and then we walked around Target. I found it interesting that even though he's a boy he really enjoys looking at boy clothes--something that I never really stop and look at because I figured he was a boy and didn't care. We spent an hour and a half walking around Target looking at everything. I let him lead the way. I really loved getting to know more about his growing personality.
Katelyn chose to either get a $2 allowance or a back rub. She lucked out because she got alone time with daddy, they played the Wii the whole time Alex and I were away. And then when I came home she got a relaxing massage with lotion. She was in heaven.
I think it's easy to forget that sometimes it's just those small little things, like alone time and back rubs, that kids really want. I like how they didn't choose the allowance or toys. Man, I have some great kids! :)
Friday, January 15, 2010
Nut Tree Park
During Christmas break we went shopping and Ben was really good so we took him to ride the train. This is him waiting as patiently as he could for the train to come back. The other day he saw the Nut Tree sign onthe other side of the freeway while we were driving and he said "Choo Choo mama!"
When is the train going to go?
Katelyn and Ben on the spinny toy.
Life size chess game. Joel is teaching the big kids to play chess so they had a lot of fun practicing on this.Sunday, January 10, 2010
Christmas!
So these are all out of order because I always forget I have to go backwards in time when I'm uploading them, but I don't want to spend the time to go back and do it again. Sorry! :)
Joel's Grandpa playing the Wii. We were bowling. We brought our Wii Santa gave us last year over because Grandpa bought the kids some new games to play.
Ben's great Aunt Allison bought him a battery powered train that he just loved to play with and watch.
Grandpa bought Ben a new tricycle. He loves it so much. And Alex and Katelyn love it just as much. They ride it all around downstairs.
Great Grandpa Mills with Alex, Ben, and Katelyn.
Katelyn opening her special present, a Tinkerbell DS game she wanted.
This is Alex on Christmas morning with the skateboard he'd been asking for for months!
Ben playing with his kitchen that Grandma and Grandpa Clift bought him.
Coming down the stairs Christmas morning.
The kids on Christmas Eve.
Joel's Grandpa playing the Wii. We were bowling. We brought our Wii Santa gave us last year over because Grandpa bought the kids some new games to play.
Ben's great Aunt Allison bought him a battery powered train that he just loved to play with and watch.
Grandpa bought Ben a new tricycle. He loves it so much. And Alex and Katelyn love it just as much. They ride it all around downstairs.
Great Grandpa Mills with Alex, Ben, and Katelyn.
Katelyn opening her special present, a Tinkerbell DS game she wanted.
This is Alex on Christmas morning with the skateboard he'd been asking for for months!
Ben playing with his kitchen that Grandma and Grandpa Clift bought him.
Coming down the stairs Christmas morning.
The kids on Christmas Eve.
We had a wonderful Christmas season. We enjoyed having Joel home for a week and a half for a wonderfully relaxing vacation! More pictures to follow, but probabaly another day! :)
Making Christmas Cards.
Making Christmas Cards.
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