Puffs Snowman

So while I was cleaning up today, I got to thinking. I've been in a "let's just throw everything away" mode for a while... which is a good thing, a really good thing in my house. I've donated a lot of old clothes to the PRC, and even a few trips to Goodwill.
But these past couple of days I've been really thinking about what to do with the kids during the day. I want to set up a schedule so we have a reading time (and eventually go back to the Doman lessons for math and reading, and maybe even get some time to cook or clean or something! But anyway, I've been thinking about things we could do, craft-wise. I've been really inspired because all I do is pin things, when I should actually use the pins I do. So I thought I would actually try some out. Yesterday I was successful in the chicken and (somewhat successful in) the fudge. And I created something new all by myself! So I thought I'd try it with the kids.
I'm kicking myself for throwing away all the boxes we had lying around the house because I can think of a ton of things to do with them now. But Se le ve, can't go back; I can only go forward. I'll just have to remember to keep some of the more useful trash when I get on one of those moods.
But Anyway, I was picking up some trash today and while most of it definetly went to the trash, there was one item in particular that when I looked at it I got inspired.
It was the empty can of Gerber's baby puffs. At first, I'm always trying to look at things and think how I could use them as containers. But when I looked at this one I almost immediately thought how it looks kind of like a snowman! So that is exactly what I'm going to make out of it! I'm super excited. I'm going to have the kids pick out the color construction paper for the hat and have them help me glue on the buttons and face.
I'm super excited that I went to Hobby Lobby Saturday (when I was really starting to get the "let's be crafty, kids" bug), because I picked up some smaller pom poms (not to be confused with the award pom poms, googlie eyes, and pipe cleaners (among other things). So now we have a fun craft, and I'm ready for it and so excited to do it. I'm just waiting for both of them to be awake before attempting to do it.

** Sorry this was so choppy, I kept getting up to spend time with Erin. I only started it during the day instead of at night after bedtime because Paul was asleep and Erin wanted to watch a Dora. Well, that didn't last long, she had me getting up and participating along with it (I'm so glad she's started participating with it), then we had to go build a castle, play with play dough, and make some cookies. All things I'm glad I've done, but it made writing this a bit choppy.

***** ((LATER THAT DAY))*****

 

Here's what we did... all with stuff you can get at either your local hobby store or even everything-a-dollar store, except the puffs container.  They did a lot of the work themselves.  We used googlie eyes, glitter glue, and small pom poms.  It was a lot of fun.  I tried having us create the hat, too, but we got a little sidetracked and ended up just glitter gluing the construction paper. 
I figure if I find a few more, I'll do them on my own and we can see the adult-done version that's probably a bit more Pinterest-y, but less children fun friendly!

Good Hard Day

I am so proud of myself, and I just have to brag about it. Today is Sunday, a naturally hecktic day. It was hard for me to wake up this morning, even though the kids slept in. We got them ready for church, and even though Erin was giving me problems we still made it out the door with enough time to stop by McD and get some breakfast. But when we were heading out the door, Erin became Super Stubborn Erin, and would only go through the front door, even though we always go through the garage when we are leaving so I can set the alarm. It took some arguing and threatening her with taking away a pom pom, but she still didn't budge. I could tell a fit was about to persue, so I walked away. I went out through the garage and put the bags in the car. When I came back in I had calmed down just a bit, but she was still being stubborn. A fight I don't really need to fight, I decided, so that's how we went out. Point: Erin. But she was great dropping her off, she held my hand crossing the street and ran to her classroom. It was encouraging to see her in a good mood. After church was a different deal. She was ready to go home, and I knew she could use a nap, and she proved it to me before we got to the door. She wouldn't wait, then she wouldn't hold my hand, then she refused to go out the door and threw herself on the ground. I acted like I was walking away and walked out the door, but she was too stubborn and didn't care. So I came back for her and got her to stand up. But she still wouldn't take my hand. I would normally let that pass, but with first service just getting out and second service people coming in it was too dangerous so I kept grabbing her hand. She started to throw a fit. I didn't care, I grabbed her wrist, because she could get her hand away from me but not her wrist, and it actually kept her upright and she couldn't throw herself on the ground. Paul was slipping out of my other arm because he refuses to grip with his legs and all the bags were falling. She yelled and cried the whole way to the car. I could have died from embarrassment as I heard a boy loudly ask his mother why she was crying. But I just kept walking because if I didn't reach the car soon everything would fall out of my arms, including Paul, and I'd loose my grip on Erin. We made it to the car, and she easily got in... thank God. I thought surely she would go to sleep; she had said she was tired and just wanted to sleep, she was throwing a huge fit, she was yawning, and when she got in her carseat she shut her eyes tightly. "Yes!" I thought, because I knew Paul was going to go down for his nap. We drove around... and drove around... and drove around. She did not fall asleep, so I decided to go home. We put Paul to bed and he slept close to an hour. Erin and I went over the pom poms and I showed her the reward basket. We sat and counted out 25 pom poms so she knew how many she'd need to get something. Then we counted out how many she had in her container already: 13 (10 starter and 3 more... there was a lot of putting in and taking away this morning, so even though she would have had more she didn't). She was doing good though, she cleaned up when I asked her to, and saying please (when promted). Then Paul woke up crying... and he wouldn't stop crying. It was 30 minutes before I called on my mom to help out. But by the time she came I had already given Paul medicine and put him back down to sleep. Erin was watching TV and I was working on getting some food ready. I hadn't realized it til I came home from church that we were supposed to bring the food for tonights community group meeting. So I had started working on some stuff to make. I had deccided I wanted to make some salsa bread, a recipe I actually made up a few days eariler when Chris was talking about making something with the pulp of some of his juice drink leftovers. I had based it on the zuchinni bread one, but modified it quite a bit. It is truely a whole brand new recipe. I just needed to see how much flour and eggs to put in. I was so excited to create something new... and it turned out pretty good. It's missing something, but I just don't know what. I would normally have Chris try it and tell me what it's missing, but since he's on the juice fast I can't have him try it. I'll have to make it again later. Paul liked it, Erin wanted to try it, until I cut her a slice. Anyway, when mom finally came over I had her watch Erin while I ran to the grocery store. I had a brilliant idea for what I wanted to make. I had pined a recipe for chicken that was supposed to taste just like KFC original recipe, but baked instead of fried. I really wanted to try it, but was missing chicken and a couple of the spices. So I went to the store and picked them up (along with some butter and other items). When I came back I realized I had forgotten the milk, so I had to go back out (I had originally asked Chris to get it, but he wasn't coming home any time soon, so I decided I'd do it). When I came back I started making what I now call "Derby Chicken" (Kentucky = Kentucky Derby). It didn't taste just like KFC, but it was still really good. I made a lot of it and it was all gone within minutes. I also made fudge, but didn't realize that it was supposed to chill for an hour, and I made it last, so it wasn't ready... but I took it anyway. I chilled it in the freezer the entire time we were there, and it still wasn't ready. So now I have a pan full of fudge (or a soup like mixture that is meant to be fudge)... and a huge pile of dirty dishes I'm not looking forward to doing. But that's besides the point. My food went over well, and it made me feel like a Proverbs 31 woman. I cooked it all while still in my dress from Church, and an apron (which I'm glad I wore because it bares the bulk of the stains and powder thrown across the kitchen). Erin was relatively tameable, I think she's starting to understand the pom pom plan. When we got back home from group things went relatively well. It was time to put Paul down, Erin was quiet for Bible reading and relatively calm during Prayers. So she got pom poms for it when we left the room. Before she sat and watched her last Dora for the day, we counted the pom poms. She had 32. So she got to choose something from the reward basket. She automatically went for the doll, but then she wanted a sucker too. I told her she could have only one. She actually ended up choosing the sucker. But when she was done with it, she hadn't forgotten about the dolly. It was hard getting her to understand that she couldn't have it just yet. But it worked. It was a great day, in spite of my moody feelings.

Pom Pom Power

Today, for the first time in a long time, I've felt like blogging... but I had a semi-original brilliant idea in regards to the kids.
I was reading about positive reinforcement on one of my pinterest pins. They were talking about using a chart, similar to the potty achievement chart, for things like behavioral issues. Below is the part that inspired me from http://www.theeducatorsspinonit.blogspot.com/2012/06/raising-strong-willed-child-we-get-it.html
Create Goals Together and Chart It
Whenever we observe an undesired behavior arising we try to resolve it by encouraging her to come up with a Weekly Behavior Chart. We sit down together on the computer and create a chart. She helps us to write the rule and theme. Then we print it out and she decorates it and hangs it up. We’ve created it together and she feels that she’s had a voice, a part of the control that she’s seeking. All it takes is a week or two with the chart and we’ve seen a big improvement with that specific behavior issue. It’s worked for staying in her bed at night, combing her hair, watching TV, cleaning up toys, eating her food, controlling temper tantrums. Truthfully it’s worked over the years in my classrooms and it very easily works at home. Pick a goal and work with your child for a few weeks and you will see such a difference.
Well, I thought this was brilliant, because it works well with the potty training. But I also wanted a way to reinforce negative consequences (you know, when she's bad... something other than me yelling at her or spanking, especially if I'm in a bad mood and don't feel I can control my anger). So I wanted to be able to take away the stickers as well. Then it hit me, why not make a jar? Like what you see the weight watching people do with jelly beans or whatnot (for every pound they loose they take a marble or jelly bean or something from the "I want/need to loose this much" jar and put it in the "I've lost this much" jar so they can see how far they've gone). So I decided to do this with Erin. It's relatively inexpensive since most the items can be bought at the Dollar Tree (everything $1 store), even the rewards. But instead of using jelly beans (too tempting to waste the reward bean by eating it instead), I wanted to use pom poms.
I bought two clear plastic containers; one to hold all the pom poms, and one to hold the "I deserve a reward" pom poms. That container would stay clear, so she could see how many she has earned... but I decorated it sparingly with a smiley face. The other container that would hold the rest of the pom poms (we will call this: the first container) looked exactly like the other one except I covered it (from the inside) with black construction paper so as to not get confused and so she couldn't get discouraged by seeing how many pom poms she didn't have.

I figured every morning I would start the "I deserve a reward" container with 10 pom poms. Every time she did something good I would take one from the first container and put it in the reward container. These would be things like sharing, calming down when frustrated, turning off the tv, going to bed without a fuss/fight, eating something I've been begging her to try, cleaning up, picking up toys, being quiet during prayers, etc. All the things the other website had suggested and more (except the potty training stuff would remain seperate, because that's already a system).
The difference would be that I can take away the reward pom poms if she warrented it. If she throws a fit, hits, screams, whynes, watches too much tv, refuses to clean up, is too loud during prayers, etc, she will get a pom pom taken away from the reward canister and put back into the first container. A simple enough concept, and it's going to work perfectly!

As a reward I stocked up at the Dollar Tree. I got a couple of dolls, a few balls, coloring books, disney cups, nail polish, candy bars, suckers, puzzles, slinkie, etc. It was a lot of fun picking them. I even picked up an extra small laundry basket to put them all in.

 I'm going to make a fun sign to put on it that says "Rewards=" and then a number of pom poms. I was originally thinking if she got 25 pom poms a night she could get a reward. But I'm not sure. Even though they're a dollar, some of the rewards are just so cool. I've just got to get over that and remind myself they are a dollar, easily replaced and easy to get more. This is supposed to encourage her, and this is the way to do it.
I'm excited to see how this plays out tomorrow!

Paul walk

Paul has been walkin really well on his own since we went on vacation. He was walking before then, but very sporaticly and usually only when prompted. Now he walks most of the time. But he still crawls. His walk is so cute! I'll try to get it on video.

A pat on the back

Paul does the cutest thing now when he gives hugs! He pats me on the back. It's so sweet! He catches on to what I do so quickly. I hadn't even realize it was something I was doing with him till I felt him do it to me. It's just another way for him to say "I love you"!

Paul and prayers

Last night when we were praying Paul got up and walked! It was the most steps I've ever seen him take, it wasn't just two then sit like what he normally does when we are trying to get him to walk. And he did it without prompt from us. We were just sitting there praying and he decided daddy wasnt who he wanted holding him. He didn't do it just the once, it was like 3 times! It was pretty awesome. But he would only do it during prayers. Once we finished and tried to get him to do it again he wouldn't. But it was pretty awesome! I can't wait for him to do it some more.

Erin Swims on her own!!!

Chris took Erin swimming today and let her swim in his wake! He didn't have any physical contact with her once he let go. She just swam in his wake. It was pretty cool!

Paul Walks!!!

Paul took his first two official steps today! I was so proud of him! I just had to share this little bit of news, pretty soon he'll be walking more and more! I'm looking forward to this new development in life!

God love toddlers

God love toddlers. I just had to keep my calm after stepping in some of Erin's pooh after she had decided to take her diaper off instead of napping.
I must admit, something must be working because I didn't raise my voice and the anger is not with me after cleaning it up. I even nicely but firmly told her she had to go to time out for two minutes because she poopooed on the floor.

Enrolled

The kids are enrolled in Noah's Ark. Well, sort of. I turned in everything, so now we wait for the official word. We recieved confirmation for Erin's summer enrollment (She'll be there). But they are full, so Paul is on a waiting list. That's not a problem though. I wasn't sure if I wanted to enroll Paul in the summer one or not (I'm so not ready for these kids to grow up!!!), so I didn't turn in any paperwork for him for the summer. But when I asked if there was room, after talking to Chris and him suggesting I go ahead with it, Sarah informed me that they were all full for the summer. But she did put him on the waiting list. He's actually the first in line for his age group. SO it is whatever God's will is for that. So, Erin's in for summer, definetly, and we are waiting for the official word for the fall on both of them.