Activities 19 and 20

19) Church Nursery!

20) Making Music

He has one of those baby piano things that he loves to just BANG on and make noise. He even created his own sign for it. (He does the "music" sign normally and for this one he taps his forearm)

New Schedule? And a Kid Update.

I realized recently that Franklin needs a routine. Not necessarily an exact time kind of thing, but at least a rhythm for the day. I mean, we kind of do this already, but we could be better.

And it figures that the day I decide to start is the day when we sleep extra late, Franklin is extra whiny, and the weather is dreary!

In any case, I'm trying to abide by it somewhat...

8am-9am Wake up and Get Dressed (well, Mommy gets dressed anyway...)
9am-10am Cartoons and Breakfast
10am-11am Chores/Packing
11am-2pm Activities/Lunch/HOPEFULLY Kid Down for nap
2pm-4pm Possible Mommy Time (blog, projects, etc...)
4pm-4:30pm Ready for Daddy Home
4:30pm-5pm Daddy Unwind/Mommy Make Dinner
5pm-6pm Dinner
6pm-8pm Family Time
8pm-9pm Bedtime Routine (bath, brush teeth, quiet time)
9pm-9:30pm Franklin to Bed
9:30pm-? Mommy and Daddy Time (might be spent sleeping...)

Well, today we woke up at 9am so that started the list off "wrong" and Franklin is extra clingy today so Mommy isn't getting much done in her hour for chores (I did get dishes done and some clothes hung up) The weather is terrible so going outside isn't an option at the moment.

Now for a Kid Update!

He's talking!!!!!!!

I know, I'm shocked too. In the past week or so he's started saying:
-block
-box
-bottle (he said it this morning and it was REALLY clear)
and his speech is getting more clear. I'm picking up on some of the phrases he says.

So yeah, this kid might actually talk. Awesome, right?

AND, yesterday we tried church and Franklin did great in the nursery! One of Stefan's coworkers (that Franklin knows and loves) works the nursery sometimes. So, we decided to give it a try with her in there...and he did awesome. She said he just played with toys the whole time and barely paid her any attention (she even left at one point and he didn't notice) The service was good, too. We're planning on going back.

Are You Yelling?

I yell...frequently. I hate doing it, I really do. It's one of those things that I really really need to work on changing (Hmm, New Year's Resolution anyone?) I yell at my son. Seriously AT him. I know it's different than yelling and having him understand. It's mostly just yelling in his general direction. Does it stop the behavior? Nope. Does it make ME feel any better? Nope. What do I actually accomplish? I raise my blood pressure and make my son mad.

It's actually Biblical. Proverbs 15:1 (NCV) A gentle answer will calm a person's anger, but an unkind answer will cause more anger. 
I like the way the New Century Version puts it. It's very plain. The New King James version says A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.

So, when my son gets mad and yells back at me it shouldn't come as any surprise...God kind of told me what would happen if I yelled first.

Challenge: The next time your child does something frustrating take a second to pause, repeat the above verse, and FORCE YOURSELF to answer softly and gently. Teach your children to answer each other the same way. Do this for one week and see if you don't notice an improvement in how your children react to you and each other. (Moms of toddlers: You might have to look REALLY HARD for the difference...)

Activities 17 and 18

17) Pouring Activity

It originally started as water...

But that proved to be a bit too much of a messy challenge...

So we switched to ice and were much more successful.

18) Coloring on a Box

Franklin isn't one for coloring. He doesn't hold the paper with his other hand so it doesn't work out quite so well. Today I had the brilliant idea to have him color the boxes we're using to move.

It was MUCH easier for him and he had a blast!

I Confess!!!

I'm starting this feature for many reasons. There are a ton of "Mommy Blogs" out there. Reading these can offer tips and laughs but it can also create a sense of doubt in ourselves. See, I've come to learn that a lot of people put their best face forward when writing a blog. So, you see the good parts and nothing else. They don't tell you that they dealt with tantrums ALL DAY the day before or that it took them an hour to type the post you're reading because they had a toddler in their lap trying to "help" type. You don't read rambling posts about how they cried the other day because their children were being terrors. Yes, there are honest pages like that, but I think we need MORE! We need honesty. We need support. We need to read that a fellow mom felt immense despair and how she got out of it. We need to be the mom that felt that despair and be able to read comments from other moms saying, "I was JUST THERE!"

Enter "I Confess." Each week I'll do a blog (at least one, maybe more depending on the week!) where I confess something about my week. It can be something embarrassing or something more serious. I'll offer a link-up opportunity and a button to link back. If you feel like you want to participate you'll have several days to write up a blog and link up.

The only rules:
1) You have to be brutally honest. No sugar-coating. If you sat and cried for an hour then don't trim it down to 10 minutes.
2) Comment, comment, comment. Even if it's just a *hug* or something. We're baring souls here.
3) Be supportive. I know there are several sides to each story. If you don't support spanking and a mom confesses to spanking her child several times you aren't being supportive if you say, "That's abusive! How could you??"

What do you think? Interested?

Activities 15 and 16

;
Yesterday was my 4 year marriage anniversary...so I really tried to limit my posts.

15) Playing at the new house 

He was trying to put dirt on me

He was FILTHY when he was done. I know it's a picture of the future. I see a lot of sweeping in my future...

16) Walking on Cushions 
We did this before in Tot School (something I need to get back on top of...) Here's the vid in case you missed it:

 

Chore System Idea

I'm sure you've seen the colored index cards in the store when you're school shopping. Heck, I'm sure that a few of you have purchased them instead of the plain white ones. (Let me tell you, studying for a test is MUCH more interesting in technicolor) Have you ever thought to use them to get your kids to do chores?

I know, it's probably an odd thought. Let me tell you about a little system I've used for myself AND used to get teenage family members to help tidy when they stay over.

I use Index Cards. Now, for my system I use the plain ones. What I did was take the cards and write a chore on each one. I shuffle the cards up and place them face down. Then, I grab the first card and flip it over. Whichever chore pops up on top is the one I have to go do and I can't come back until it's finished. It's actually a really effective system when you can't figure out where to start or, as rarely happens here, when your house looks clean but you know better. When my brother-in-law and cousin were visiting several months back we used this as a way to get everyone to clean. We set a time limit (we wouldn't clean more than an hour) and brought out the cards. We only had to clean 30mins (there was 4 of us and a toddler) and the living room, kitchen, and guest bath all got cleaned. It was amazing!

Okay, on to my brainstorm I had while not sleeping at whatever ungodly hour it was this morning...

You'd need to buy a pack (or two, we'll get to that) of the colored index cards. You can get the bright colored ones or the pastel ones. I really don't care either way. (If you have boys that will complain about "girl colors" I do suggest the bright ones, though)

Next, make a list of each chore in the house. Be very specific. Yes, this will probably take a few days as you think of random things. Don't just put "clean the bathroom." Break things down into detailed chores like "scrub the toilet inside and out." Trust me, it will matter for this system. You'll get a chance to be vague in the next steps but you'll still need the specifics.

Now take your list and organize the chores into three categories: High Value, Moderate Value, Low Value. High Value should be things that take longer and/or are hardest to do. I would consider mowing the lawn (with a push mower...not a riding mower, cheater) a High Value chore. "Clean entire bathroom" is a High Value chore. (You'll want a few of these large task chores) Low Value chores take 5mins or less. So, if you don't have a lot of dust collecting surfaces, "Dust" would be a Low Value chore. "Gather laundry" is Low Value (because it shouldn't be on the floor anyway, right?) Everything else is a Moderate Value chore.

Okay, assign each a color and write them on the appropriate card. I'm picky so I'd do "red/orange" for High, "yellow" Moderate, and "green" would be Low. You can do whatever you want.

Ready? We're almost finished! Take the colors and decide on a point value. NOT a monetary value, we'll do that later. Figure out how many points each color is worth. High Value should have a High Number. It can be 1-2-3 for all I care. Got it? Moving on...

What do you do with these? You'll want each child to choose a special container for themselves. Each time they choose a card (and with THIS system they are allowed to sort through the cards until they find what they want to do) they complete the chore AND THE CHORE GETS CHECKED BY A PARENT. Then, they can put the card in their container to get the point. At the end of the day you go by and count the points and write it down in a place that you control (to quell cheating). If it's a chore that gets done daily (like dishes or laundry) put it back in the stack. Otherwise put the card into a different folder so it can't be chosen again (because you can only scrub a toilet so many times during a week!) At the end of each week tally up the points and give out payment. Well, what motivates most kids these days? If you said "satisfaction of a job well done" I'd keep it to myself because you'll get hatemail from several of my readers! (I think that's awesome, though!) If you said, "Money" keep reading. Figure out how much you want to pay them. If you used small numbers for points you can give them a dollar a point. It's totally up to your family.

Gather everyone for a family meeting. Explain how the point system works. (Leave out the payment part) Read off a few examples of the chores. Watch all the kids roll their eyes and start to fidget. Smile and say, "And then at the end of the week we'll give out an allowance." Now you have their attention! Explain how it works.

For this you could even keep a list of who has Top Points for a month and give them a special prize. Maybe a little extra money, cooking the dinner of their choice, or a family activity that they want to do. The possibilities are endless.

Toddler Update: 20 Months

That's right, he's a frog

A couple of weeks ago I posted a toddler update. I figured that I'd do another one since he's officially 20 months today. The previous stats will be in italics and the updates will be in bold.

Words he says:
- uh oh
- aww man!
- pe-ew (like something stinks)
- duh (dog)
- book
- booger
- mama
- dada
- good bye (when he thinks no one is listening)
- block (bah)
- milk (muh)
- HI!!!
- monkey (muh nuh)
- ball

He signs:
- more
- eat/want
- milk
- music
- bath
- shoes
- socks
- water
- go (like go out)
- love
- bed (bedtime) We're still working on this one...
- all done
- apple
- brush teeth
- bread

He can identify (when asked):
- yellow
- head
- ears
- belly
- penis (he kept pointing so we told him what it was called)
- fingers/hand
- toes
- nose (sometimes)
- booty (Daddy taught him this one)

- he can blow a kiss, give a real kiss, and a hug
- he also waves and says "bye bye" sometimes (it comes out "my my" which is adorable)
- I didn't realize it, but screwing lids on and off is apparently an advanced skill...he's been doing this for months now.
- He can stack 11 blocks high. He can probably stack more but he can't reach and the carpet won't allow for stacking. We'll try in the kitchen of the new house after we move.

He also understands "no" and can follow instructions like, "Give your bottle to Daddy" if he asks for milk and Daddy is in the kitchen.
The other day I told him "I'm going to open the stove and it's going to be hot. Can you stand back?" and he walked over to the safe spot I taught him (behind and out of the way) and stood and waited for my okay.

 

Activity 14

14) Playing on the slide

He has one of those climb and slide plastic things. He finally started using it! A few months ago he would climb to the top, sit down, say "wheee" and then climb back down. It was so funny. Now he has no problem launching himself down.

I didn't get any photos...we're back to trying to potty train so he was naked all day :)

Kitchen Cleaning Link Up!

Recently I did a post on Steps for a Clean Living Room. Today I'm doing the KITCHEN! Ready?

Ugh, right? You can tell it's been a few days...

Step One: Gather ALL Dishes and put them in/around the sink.

Step Two: Gather all trash and throw it away!

That puts us here:

Yeah, I know, very little difference! This next step will be a good one.

Step Three: Put Away Items!

Everything has a home (or at least, it SHOULD!) Let these items go home.

By now you should be breathing a bit easier.

Step Four: Do Those Dishes!

Step Five: Surfaces, Appliances, Floors

The photos of the empty sink didn't come out...like, the file corrupted in the camera. No idea about that one...you can sort of see it in the second photo, though.


Did you clean the kitchen today? Come LINK UP!