Get The Coversation Started

Everyday when I pick up my daughter and or son, I ask the same hum drum questions.  "How was your day?  What did you do?". Braxton's response is "Good".  Gracey's is: "we played and ate.".  I was looking on Pinterest and saw a post on  the blog How Does She? with just the solution. What made it even better was that it was a  "free printable" ! Thank you  How Does She?

 

 

This is a great way to find out how their day was and get detailed answers. 

 

I don't have a picture of mine but I used a plastic mayonnaise jar and painted the lid red. In fact, I think the lid could use a couple more coats.  I had the questions laminated at our local Smart Start so they would maybe last longer.

Oven Door...just in case you need a laugh

Not many things leave me speechless.  In fact, I talk ALOT.

 Let me just tell you how my Sunday evening went.  Sunday evenings go fast with trying to prepare for school the rest of the week.  I'm usually running round getting kids bathed, fed, read to and in bed.
 Ok, let's go back to the fed part.  We decided on something simple and light since we had eaten all afternoon at Nana's.  Grits, eggs and cinnamon toast.  Easy enough.  Broiler on, check.  Move top rack up, here's the problem.  I try to open door to do this simple task.  It won't open.  Okay, I lift up, push down.  Nope it still won't open.  I see a light, that is not on, but says door lock.  Okay, so I've never noticed this but it's a good feature to have I think.  I have tried everything but pulling stove out and unplugging.  I've held the buttons, turned it on and off and all.  I still cannot get the door to open.  I just don't understand it.

 By this time, I am laughing.  I'm also looking around expecting someone to holler "Smile, you're on candid camera!".  We baked brownies the day before with no problems. Needless to say, we didn't eat cinnamon toast.  I still don't get it.  I kept getting up and checking the oven door the rest of the evening just to see if it would open.  I know it's going to be some kind of something that is so simple it will make me feel extremely dumb. 

I sure hope this is not a sign of how this week will be. 

Corn Pickin'

The kids were so excited to help their Daddy and Pa Pa pick corn last week.  Dropped one off on the way by after school and then had to get lil man and take him back out there.  He wouldn't have Sissy pickin' and not him. 

It's hard to describe the feeling I get watching them.  Maybe it's silly to some but it just thrills my heart.  Farmers are special people.

Every corn and bean field we pass, the kids declare it's their Pa Pa's field.  I try to explain that it's not but they will get it when they are older.  I am just amazed that the 2 year old tells me what's planted in the fields.

The New Chore Chart

Gracey has had  a  Routine Chart hanging in her bathroom since she was little.  I had pictures of things laminated and taped to a poster.  We've updated it as time has gone by and added things for Braxton too.  But lately, they have neglected to do the things they are supposed do everyday like pick up the toys and  take their dirty clothes to the laundry room so I am trying a new chore chart.

I've saved mayo jars, jelly jars and spaghetti sauce jars thinking I would find something to use them for besides the DYI laundry powder and dishwasher powder.  Here it is:

It's nothing fancy but it seemed to excite them when I explained it last night.  I cut out bright colored circles from card stock and glued on the lids.

 

Then I found paper to put on the front and I just put their name on it.

 



 

 

As you can see, Braxton loves John Deer Green and Yellow or Construction theme Black and Yellow.  Gracey is all Pink...for today anyway.

 

For the tickets, I just cut strips of green and pink paper.  I didn't write anything on them and the kids were excited with just a ticket.

 

I had a school chart from the Dollar bins at Target and put just a few chores that they can do on it.

 

 

 

 

So they will get a ticket for each of the chores they complete.  We will tally up at the end of the week for a special prize, trip to the library or  maybe even a trip to the park.  I try not to use candy or food as a prize for these types of charts because I don't want food to be a "reward".

 

It's pretty plain and simple but last night they were really excited about it.  We shall see if it is that way today. 

 



 



TV Time

So this week my daughter had made some not so good choices and we took her TV time away.  Her TV time has always been limited anyway but if allowed I think she would watch all day. I read in Parent Magazine awhile back to give your child seven tickets at the beginning of the week.  Each ticket is good for one hour of TV time.  So they have to choose how to spend it for the entire week.  I changed it around some to work for us.  Most any show she  watches is 1/2 hour, so each one of her circles  are  good for 1/2 hour TV time.

I already had a piece of construction paper laminated at our local Smart Start.  I cut circles out and wrote on each one.  I also had (from Smart Start) some leftover Velcro so that's how they are attached to the construction paper. I put it on the wall under our House Rules.   The plan is Sunday night she gets the circles in an envelope to spend for the week.  I have explained to her that she has to choose all her TV time wisely as this includes any TV she may watch at her Me Maw's and Nana's house.  We shall see how this goes.  It seems like a good plan to me.  Does anyone else have other suggestions for TV time?

I should've accomplished a lot  today but don't think that I have.  I try to get the main cleaning done while both kids are in school but today has been one of those days that I started a lot of things but only completed a few.  We just had a yard sale last weekend and some of the left over boxes are back in my kitchen (in hopes for another yard sale in near future).  Ballet starts up tomorrow for my daughter and her shoes are out on the table and leotards are strewn on her bed for her to try on.  A little late if they do not fit but my thinking was not organized earlier in the week when we went to purchase new shoes.  I did get the kitchen floor steam mopped (yay!) and the dishwasher loaded.  Laundry is an everyday thing around this house so I don't even count it anymore.  One of the kids rooms did get a little attention...long enough to put the toys up and make the bed.  Oh and I made it to our local Smart Start for some "transportation pictures" for my son's room. So now that I think about it, maybe I did get more done than I thought.  Anyway, it is time to head to the pick up line and hear about my "redneck princess' " day.