Monday, November 30th, 2009

Well, I saw it coming last night. Taylor went to bed complaining of her stomach/side hurting. She had just finished playing a very active game of Wii Bowling prior to bedtime and she was perfectly fine, so I knew that this was her way of attempting to get out of school today. If I didn’t know her as well as I do, then one would think she was really sick…she’s a pretty good actress! One should give her an Academy Award…she is THAT good! However, she doesn’t fool me!! These challenging mornings usually come about once a week. I can’t afford for Taylor to stay home whenever she has a morning like this because 1- she will think that it is ok, and then it will be a repetitive behavior (every day). 2- Who is going to watch her? I work during the day, and only choose to take off from work when my children are truly sick or for other emergencies. AND 3- She is almost 17 years old, AND this also helps her to understand when we have a responsibility (i.e: work, school, children, etc…it is important that we follow through with what we are supposed to do).

So here is how I handle these mornings. I give Taylor 2 choices. (A non-preferred choice & a preferred choice). These are my exact words: “Taylor you have two choices, You can choose to finish getting ready, go to school, & then you can go with me shopping at Target after school (she loves to go shopping AND she loves Target, because of their $1.00 popcorn). OR you can choose to stay home from school, which means that I will have to call a sitter to come watch you while Jorden, Erin, & I get to go shopping…and who knows what else we will get to do.”  I don’t argue with her, I don’t waiver, I simply give her one preferred & one non-preferred choice. And allow her to choose. After doing this with her time and time again, she know that I mean business! Therefore, she knows that I follow through with what I say! I NEVER give her choices that I can’t follow through with. Consistency is truly the key.

You might be wondering what the outcome was. Well, I gave her the two choices, and she continued to argue with me. I simply ignored her. The bus pulled up, and I gave her two minutes. Once I realized that she wasn’t budging I said, “Well, I better tell your bus driver that you aren’t coming…Ah, Man! That’s gonna stink…because I really wanted you to go shopping with me after school, and now you won’t get to go!” I went outside to let the bus driver know the situation…and before you know it…Taylor comes stomping her way towards the bus! She looks at me and screams…and looks me in the eyes and yells, “MY SIDE REALLY HURTS” and makes her way onto the bus. I don’t say a word to her…I tell the bus driver to have a great day, and back into the house I go.

Now, of course I will talk with her after school about her behavior and discuss what she can do better next time, and reward her when she does what I ask her. However, she is learning the process of  what is appropriate and inappropriate. Tomorrow is a new morning and I plan on it being a great one!

After Tay got home from school, I talked to her about her morning. The video itself is a little long winded…not sure how I edit the video with my new flip camera…I’m still learning.

Until next time,

E

(IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO COMMENT, PLEASE CLICK ON THE PARTICULAR HEADER THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO COMMENT ON. COMMENTS WELCOMED AND ENCOURAGED)

Sunday, November 29th, 2009

Due to my children having challenges in the fine & gross motor areas they have always had difficulty playing video games. Until that is…the Wii came into our home! The day we got the Wii (last Christmas)…the girls experienced something that they had never experienced before. Winning at video games! Now they are both the bowling champions in the Little House! They kick my butt at it time and time again! AND I am proud that they do! So, for your entertainment purposes only…I introduce the Little’s playing the Wii on Sunday evening before bedtime. As you can see it is extremely chaotic. Just the way it always is. Enjoy!

Until next time,

E

(TO COMMENT PLEASE CLICK ON THE HEADING OF THE PARTICULAR POST/ENTRY THAT YOU WISH TO COMMENT ON…ALL COMMENTS WELCOMED & ENCOURAGED!)

Friday, November 26th, 2009

I love Thanksgiving. I love the turkey, the casseroles, the pies….you name it. Although, I have to say I love the leftovers 3 times more and then some! AND as much as I love the food…when all is said and done, when the kiddos are asleep…I fully enjoy sitting down in front of the T.V. with the newspaper, pulling out the advertisements for the next morning to discover all of the deals that I have the possibility of winning the following morning. I say “winning” because I realized that it is really a game to me. I often think “How early can I get there?” “How fast can I get in & out at each store”, “How much money can I save?”. I discovered that it is really not a game against others, but mostly a game I play with myself.

I had arranged a semi-game plan last night of what stores I was going to “hit up” this year. I knew before looking at the ads that the kids REALLY needed winter clothes (especially Jorden & Erin). They had suddenly had a major growth spurt, therefore I have been awaiting this day to get them some cool clothes for some killer prices. Not only that, this is always the time to score on some great Christmas gifts for them, so I am able to give them the Christmas that they deserve. I am not one to buy my kiddos gifts throughout the year. They get presents on their birthdays & Christmas. That’s it! They have to earn the rest. Once in awhile, I will surprise them with a small item just to let them know I am thinking of them…however, other than that…gifts are given on Christmas & Birthdays!

Well, my phone alarm went off at 2:30, then 2:35 AM. I jumped out of bed, put my hair in a pony tail, jumped in sweats, bundled up in a coat & scarf, and I was off. I managed to convince my friend to come with…and we were ready to hit the stores! Old Navy was the first destination…The doors open promptly at 3 AM, and I we arrived at 3:05. Needless, to say…I lost the line game at Old Navy. Within that 5 mins it had already wrapped its way in out of the aisles throughout the store. However, like always I found a loop hole. My friend and I found the items that we were looking for ($10 jeans, winter coats, long sleeve thermals, etc..) AND together we found a spot in the store that no one would think to look…(the maternity section). No one seemed to be shopping in this section, so we found a rack of clothes and hid our pile under, and moved on to the next destination. TARGET!! I arrived at Target at 4:18 am, and eagerly awaited in line with strangers all waiting to win whatever they were playing for. Again the line game was lost at Target as well. However, I scored  a few awesome deals on gifts for the kiddos and some family members. After, Target…(we were there for roughly 2 hours), we headed back to Old Navy hoping that the line has diminished and that are items were still in the place that we left them at. With the items still there, the line was as well. We stood in line for 30 minutes with it only moving 10 feet, therefore; we decided to hide our items back in the desired place and come back after a nap. So, that was the game plan and thats what we did. Therefore, I claim victory for being the most creative to overcome lines & chaos.

Anyway, it was a fun morning. I look forward to every year. I look forward to the bargains, the people I come in contact with, the competition I play with myself, and of course every woman loves to shop! It’s great and wouldn’t miss it!

Until next time,

E

(IF YOU  WOULD LIKE TO COMMENT PLEASE CLICK ON THE HEADER OF THE DESIRED POST. COMMENTS ARE WELCOMED AND ENCOURAGED!)

Hope you had a great Turkey Day!!!

Until next time,

E