As time flies!

I love that my family has a sense of humor. Sometimes.....I forget how. I am feeling a bit stretched in many directions; my last year of undergrad, parenting, wife, daughter, friends and the one I miss the most.....being fun. The Chaos in my life is very controlled and today the weather is cold outside, a few kids are playing life, one is watching TV, the daddy is off for the week and I am writing. I am thinking some good old fashion fun is in order!

Charades: we allow everyone to place a subject in a paper sack and then we play. It is funny and a great time killer.

Playdough:we do not have this out very often because they tend to spread it across our home. To day I am inclined to say...what the heck!

Lip sync contest: we put on Pandora and let the silliness ensue! Some of the songs they know and others they just like to make up the words.....sometimes that is better than the original.

It may be Fall Break but the learning still continues.

Newspaper Words: I will ask the kids to use the news paper and scissors to compile a paper full of either recognized letters (she is 3 1/2), finding sight words (5 yrs) and to finding words to make a silly story (they are 7 and 11).

If I become super tolerant...we will play Twister! Have a great day and add some Chaos to your life to remember how to be the fun one!

Charts: a way to get positive results...

I was telling a friend about our new charts. They said "Every parent needs to hear that. Post it on your blog" So, here we are.
"Eat your Fruit and Veggies"
The school sent home a chart to make eating fruit and veg a game. I threw it out with the thought that we eat enough. The next week I asked for another one! The concept is easy and you can make one for yourself.

Take a piece of standard copy paper.
Draw a 2" wide column on the left side; these are for the names.
Follow with 1 " columns for 8 spaces; this is for the days of the week to be labeled at the top.
Be sure to use a ruler and make lines across seperating each person.
If you have access to a lamenator then that is best...if not cover with clear contact paper. Write the names on the line after you laminate so the game can include visitors.
The object is to have each player mark a tally for each serving of fruit or/ and veg eaten each day. At the end of the week the players are tallied and the person with the most WINS! In our home they get bragging rights for a week. Some homes allows the person to choose the next treat or the next menu for either breakfast, lunch or dinner. It has been fun to see how excited the kids get and to know that the game makes us all more nutritious eaters.

"Sleeping the night Away...in your own bed!"
I have battled with the comfort of our children in our beds since they were born. I wanted to be the mom who had the baby who slept 8 hours through. I had all the training and still could not execute the plan. Here we are with a 3 year old and a 4 year old, who still creep every once in a while. I made a new plan! We always had calendars from the companies that I subscribe to their websites. Instead of throwing them out or recycling, I put then in our children's rooms. It helped them have a concept of time, numbers and days as well as months. And really who doesn't like the great pictures of food! Any way, I decided to make another game for our kids. If they could sleep in their bed for a week we would go out for ice cream. (I know this was before the other chart!) Each night they would get to put a sticker on for the previous night if they stayed in their beds. They did it and then we moved forward. We are a few months in and we are almost full for the month!! It is a great way of rewarding them for having self regulation and learning to comfort themselves.

I hope these hints help calm your Chaos!

Parenting...learning as I go.

A friend gave me a book some several months back (ok, it might have been a year). It is called "Raising your Spirited Child." I do believe that it is the book I have been looking for in the past four years. It talks about how to see and find, how your child gains energy, uses energy and giving them labels that aren't demeaning or deflating. I say this because I have one of those girls who never just cries, she wails. Unbelievably! Because of this book I am learning that she really needs to be around people, it is in her to feed off others energy. She is over the top melodramatic when her energy supply is low (which tells me she needs an outing and then some rest). My son on the other had, needs some personal space after being in school all day. When I ask him what he did in school, I generally get "nothing". If I am the one who puts him to bed and asks him again, I then get the whole story. He needs his space to regain his energy. If he doesn't get it then he becomes cranky. I am loving the insight of this book. By the way, I am only on chapter 6! I encourage everyone to pick up a copy if you can! It may help to calm the Chaos.

The second time around is definately sweeter!

I am having many successes this time around in school! It makes me wonder why it was so very hard the first time. I always preach that things come in their own time not when we want them. This is a perfect example. No matter how busy my life gets I am constantly striving for a personal best. The assignments mean more, the discussions arre more fulfilling, and most of the professors are not near as intimidating as they were 20 years ago. I am thankful for the courage to go back to school, the support of my loving husband and the wisdom to know that I am capable of A's if I put forth the effort. I would say that is the difference this time...I am willing to put forth the effort. Thank you age for a bit of wisdom!