Favorite Posts Of 2008

January - The Circle Of Life

February - We Make Bathtime Lots Of Fun

March - I Kid You Not - This Is My Life

April - Mmmmm, That'll Really Wake You Up In The Morning

May - To Gun Or Not To Gun

June - Gotta Love That Billy Mays

July - Crazy Weekend

August - How I Ended Up Crying At The County Fair

September - Woe Da Pay

October - Talk About A Dream

November - Pumpkin Love

December - Talk About A Successful Boot Camp

Thanks For The Memories

It's been a great 2008!

I'm really looking forward to a bunch of things in 2009 and I'll be posting a little about my resolutions tomorrow.

Thanks to the ten of you who read my blog and the five who comment.  Here's to another year of blogging goodness.

Cooking With Kids

My kids LOVE to cook!  They'll do anything from pouring ingredients in a bowl to spreading fillings into sandwiches to licking the spoon clean.  Last week Christopher and I made Belly Button cookies to take to the grandparents on Christmas morning and he did just about all of the work.  Here is the "recipe" complete with pictures

Ingredients:
Equal parts pretzel wheels, Hershey Kisses and peanut M&Ms

Directions:
-  Unwrap Kisses

 
-  Spread pretzles out onto a cookie sheet

 
-  Put one Kiss in the middle of each pretzle wheel

 
-  Put cookie sheet in a 200 degree oven for five minutes (which is a long time when you're four so you might get grumpy)

 
-  Remove cookie sheet from oven and press one peanut M&M into the center of each Kiss

 
-  Chill until chocolate is firm before removing from cookie sheet

 

 

Menu Monday - November and December Recipe Reviews

Over the last couple of months I've posted a bunch of new recipes.  We've tried a bunch of them and I've been surprised by which ones were hits and which ones were flops.  Here are the reviews.

Nov. 3
Cheddar Cheese Grits - Much to my surprise, no one really liked these.  We each had a piece and I think Matthew finished his but the leftovers went in the trash.
Cheddar Chicken Spaghetti - LOVED it!  I used penne instead of spaghetti because it's easier for the kids to eat.  We all ate seconds and the leftovers disappeared quickly from the fridge.  This one is already in the recipe rotation.

Nov. 9
Creamy Potato Soup with Roasted Garlic - I tweaked this one based on available ingredients and it ended up tasting more like a baked potato soup.  Everyone liked it a lot and I was super surprised that the kids ate as much as they did, as they tend to not like soup.  I'll be serving a potato soup again but I don't know if it'll be this one.

Nov. 16
Maizena - The kids didn't like this as much as I thought they would.  They each ate a serving for breakfast but declined seconds and didn't want any the next day.  Don't think I'll make it again.
Cheeseburger casserole - Super tasty, easy to prepare and a hit with the grownups.  Hannah liked it and Christopher liked the potato parts.  Definitely making this one again.
Creamy penne pasta - I did end up putting chicken in this and we all liked it.  I may make it again but it wasn't unique enough to add into the rotation as a regular dish.

Nov. 24
Crock Pot Mashed Potatoes
 - We brought these to Thanksgiving dinner at my mom's and they were a huge hit!  I thought the 8oz of cream cheese and 1 cup of sour cream would make the dairy flavor too strong but it was just right.  Next time I'll use fresh garlic and serve crumbled bacon and cheddar cheese on the side.

Dec. 1
Chicken Sandwich Ring -  I made this on a crazy night and forgot to put the cheese on the inside (so I put it on top) and completely forgot to add the peppers.  Still, everyone liked it a lot.  I'm going to try it again with all the right ingredients.

Dec 8.
This was the week I posted a bunch of party favorites.  Five great recipes I highly recommend.

Dec. 15
Potato Latkes - The latkes were tasty but next time I'll use a different recipe.  The amount of oil in the pan really made a difference.  The first batch had much more oil and the latkes came out golden and crunchy.  I didn't use as much oil in the second batch and they weren't as good.  They seemed a little dense for my liking so next time I'm going to try to mold them together without pressing them down so much.  Also, this recipe calls for a lot of egg which probably added to the denseness issue.  We LOVE latkes, Hannah ate three that night, so I'll definitely be making them again.

Dec 22
Cream Cheese Bread - This turned out much different than I was expecting.  I thought it would be more like a cream cheese pastry, instead the cream cheese filling sort of soaked into the bread making it bread-like on the outside and almost custard-like on the inside.  Everyone said they liked it on Christmas morning and I think they were telling the truth (since they polished it off).  I might make it again but will probably try something different first.
Egg Nog Pancakes - When I went to make these I realized that I didn't haev any eggs.  Since Christopher was standing there all eager to help I busted out the pancake mix and just used egg-nog instead of the water it called for.  I ended up having to add extra liquid because egg nog is so thick, but once we got the consistancy down the pancakes turned out great!  I also added an extra heaping teaspoon of baking powder thinking that it couldnt' hurt.  The pancakes came out super fluffy and I'll be adding extra baking powder to all my pancake recipes in the future.

The Almost-Perfect Christmas Card Picture

It would have been the completely-perfect Christmas card picture if I'd taken it THREE WEEKS AGO!!
  

Sensa Saturday - Week 10 Review

I was right, no Sensa for me at all this week.

It's so hard for me to stick to anything during the holidays.  Fortunately it's just my style to be hard core about my New Year's Resolutions, so let's just look forward to January when I get serious about my diet, exercise and, of course, SENSA! 

If you'd like to try Sensa you can get 15% off plus free shipping if you click here and use the promotional code ROCKETXL. 

Read all about my Sensa experiment here.
Starting off
Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Week 4
Week 5
(Thanksgiving Break)
Week 7
Week 8
Week 9

Friday Fun Links

An interesting article about leaving your kids with the grandparents.

(babble)
 

An easy way to make pancakes with kids.

(Daily Candy)

A beautiful post about the importance of the little things.
(ZenMoments)
 
The difference between men and women - in one picture.
(Life Explained)

We're having cupcakes for dinner next week.
(Fine Furious Life)

Yet another great article about why it's important to praise effort, not intelligence.
(Scientific American)

Merry Christmas!

Reading The Entire Bible This Year

I've been a Christian for nearly 30 years and I've never read the entire Bible.

There.  My secret is out.

But wait, there's more!!

This year I'm going to change that.  I'm going to read the Bible all the way through and I'm going to do it chronologically, which is something that's always interested me.  I'm so excited to do this (and a little worried I'll fail again) that I've created a blog to track my progress (big surprise).

When I started telling people about my plan they wanted to join me so the blog has turned into an online community of sorts. Who knew so many people wanted to read through the entire Bible?  The thing everyone is most excited about is having a daily reading in their RSS feed reader.  Click here to read all about it and sign up for the challenge!  The first reading will go up on January 1, 2009.

Menu Monday

I'm unbelievably excited for Christmas this year.  There's something about having little children around that makes the holidays so much more magical.  Here's what I'll be cooking this week...

Crock Pot Roast - didn't get around to making it last week.
Potato Latkes - to go with the roast, in honor of Hanukkah starting today
Cream Cheese Bread - for Christmas
Egg Nog Pancakes - for the day after Christmas
Pot Roast Sandwiches - served on this bread 

For more Menu Monday posts check out I'm An Organizing Junkie.

Was That Absolutely Necessary?

It's late.  9:50.  Well, late for kids.  Hannah has been asleep since 7:30 and Christopher has been talking to himself on and off for a while.

Then, out of nowhere, he yells, "MOM! MOOOOOMMMM!! MOMMOMMOMMOM!"

And Hannah starts crying.

I go in to make sure he's ok and scold him for yelling and waking his sister.

And why was he yelling?  "Mom," he says to me, "it's WAY past my bedtime."

Thankyouverymuch.

Sensa Saturday - Week 9 Review

Doing well around here.  I'm down another pound but I'm not sure we can credit the Sensa this time.  It's really hard for me to eat when I'm cleaning up after a kid with the stomach flu.

I think next week may be another week off for me... it's SO hard to remember my own name during the holidays, let alone sprinkling Sensa.  Well see though, if I can lose weight over Christmas we'll call this a true miracle solution!

If you'd like to try Sensa you can get 15% off plus free shipping if you click here and use the promotional code ROCKETXL. 

Read all about my Sensa experiment here.
Starting off
Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Week 4
Week 5
(Thanksgiving Break)
Week 7
Week 8

Friday Fun Links

These are HILARIOUS but also make me want to cry a little.
(comedy.com)

This is probably a limited time link - Full length movie for free!
Jonah: A Veggie Tales Movie
(hulu.com)

How to fold a T-Shirt in two seconds - with video!
I've always wanted to know how to do this!
(wickihow)

Find out the location of any biblical event on a current map.

(BibleMap)
 
Like Urban Legends, but in the kitchen.
(Kitchen Myths)

It's only paper!  This is amazing.
(artyulia.com)

Fun memory book ornament.
(The Toby Show)

Puke And Snow

I'm home again today with a sick Hannah.  This time it's a stomach bug - she's on outfit #5 and I'm on outfit #3 so far today.  I feel so bad for her, poor kid (although I do wish her aim was better).  She's been sitting on my lap watching TOTLOL videos all morning.  Fortunately Christopher is at his grandparents today or I'd probably be losing my mind.

In lieu of an actual post, please enjoy some pictures of our recent snow flurry.

 

 

Crayon Hack

Christopher does NOT like to color.  He's never enjoyed it.  Just before his second birthday a mom I know was overheard saying, in a shocked whisper, "Did you know that Amy doesn't color with Christopher?!!"
  
At two years old Christopher was still eating crayons.  By three he had learned how to crack them in half and now that he's four he's perfected the fine art of peeling off all of the paper before he cracks them in half and eats them.
 
At this point he is capable of coloring, but most of his masterpieces are be more likely to prompt a call home from the school psychologist than the art teacher.
  
Of this lovely picture he said, "I'm finished." 
 
"You did a great job of coloring Big Bird's nose and thermos!"  That's me, always looking on the bright side.
 
"They're on fire."
  
Right.

He loves maze books and connect-the-dots.  Pretty much anything he can do with a regular pencil.
 
Hannah on the other hand LOVES her colors.  She colors all day long.  She can actually sit still, at the table, and color in her Hello Kitty book all afternoon.
 
The main problem, of course, is protecting Hannah's crayons from her loving big brother - who would like nothing less than to crack and eat each and every one.  The second problem is that she's two, so she has a hard time keeping the crayons on the table, within arms reach of her coloring book.  Crayons falling on the floor is nothing short of a tragedy in her world.
 

The first thing I did to solve our problem was to buy triangle shaped cryaons.  Turns out they're just as easy to peel, crack and eat as regular crayons.  Interestingly enough, twistable crayons have ended up being the way to go for Hannah.  She loves them, doesn't twist them up herself and I've been able to teach Christopher (for the most part) to leave them alone.
  

Still, we have the roll-on-the-floor problem.  Yesterday I used up the last of the eggs.  Turned over the egg carton.  Cut an X on the bottom of each egg holder and put one crayon in each hole.  PERFECT!!  She loves it.  I made one for Christopher and he enjoyed taking the crayons in and out and organizing them by color.
  

Oh, and Christopher just pointed out that he can store the crayons inside the egg carton.  Way to go Christopher for an additional hack!

See this link on Parent Hacks!

A Beautiful Day

I borrowed my dad's digital SLR.  Seriously, a better camera takes better pictures.  Corinne and I took the kids to the park to enjoy the unseasonably warm afternoon and I took these beauties.
  

 

       

   

 

    

   

 

   

   

   

Menu Monday

I finally got my crock pot back from my mom's.  I left it there on Thanksgiving and have wanted to use it a couple of times since.  Then we all got The Plague and didn't get out much for a couple of weeks.  We're finally feeling better around here so I'm back in the kitchen. (Where I LOVE, not where I BELONG.  Big difference.) Ok, without further ado... this week I'll be making... (click on the titles for recipes)

BBQ Chicken
BBQ Chicken Pizza (I'll do this one a couple of days later with the leftover chicken)
Cheddar Chicken Spaghetti
Crock Pot Roast (but only if potroast is on sale this week, otherwise I'll make burgers to serve wtih the Latkes)
Potato Latkes

For more Menu Monday plans check out orgjunkie.com.

What are YOU cooking this week?

Seriously, what are you cooking?  I need some new recipes.

Robot Man

While I finished putting lights on the tree Christopher played with the boxes.  Boxes are ALWAYS more fun than whatever came in them.  A little while later my friend Alec and I interviewed him in front of the house.
 

Sensa Saturday - Week 8 Review

I stepped on the scale this morning and was pleasantly surprised to see that I've lost 10 pounds since the start of this Sensa experiment.  10 pounds in two months isn't amazing-unbelievable but it's nice and since I haven't been working out or dieting, it's really nice.
  

I'm getting ready to start my month 3 package.  In honor of the occasion I am going to post a little more about Sensa than in my usual weekly review.

_____________________________________________________

  

What is Sensa?

Sensa is unlike any other weight-loss program. It is a 6-month system of Tastants that are sprinkled on your food to help you feel full faster, stay satisfied longer and lose weight. 

  

It is not a diet. You can continue to eat all your favorite foods and still lose weight. There are no prepackaged meals, stimulants, drugs or diuretics.

 

It uses your senses of smell and taste to control appetite. Although many people think the feeling of hunger or fullness comes from your stomach – it is actually governed by the satiety center in your brain.  When Sensa Tastants are sprinkled on food, it triggers this satiety center, so you feel satisfied with less food.

 

It is scientifically proven. Sensa’s patent-pending technology was proven to be effective in one of the largest clinical studies ever conducted on a non-prescription weight-loss product.

_____________________________________________________

For more information you can read the official Sensa press release and the official Sensa research release.

If you'd like to try Sensa you can get 15% off plus free shipping if you click here and use the promotional code ROCKETXL.

Read all about my Sensa experiment here.
Starting off
Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Week 4
Week 5
(Thanksgiving Break)
Week 7

Friday Fun Links

I remember passing notes in school this way.
(TheShirt)
    
Don't want to buy a new toy?  Try renting one.

(rentAtoy)
 

Celebrities before and after Photoshop.  Subtle but still pretty amazing.

(Fun Fever)

 

Hehe.  One for the kids.

(lejo.nu)
 
Unknown Facts. I didn't know a lot of these!
(Do You Really Know?)

Good Morning Miss Amy

My friend AmyB is in Baghdad and a little homesick right now.  As I can not stop my kids from growing, at least not using the methods she recommends, we made this video.  (If you're reading this on an RSS feed reader click on to my  blog for the video, it's short - 27 seconds)
 
I love you Amy!  We all miss you a LOT.  I have so much respect for what you're doing.  This will probably make you cry but I know you'll love it.  Have a GREAT day!
 

My Time Out Chair

Situation: One of my kids gets sent to time out. When the timer dings we we have the post-trouble chat. Ideally it's an eye-to-eye conversation.

Problem: My knees are wrecked. It is extremely difficult for me to get down to kid-level as often as my kids get in trouble.

Solution: My Time Out Chair. In our kitchen is a stool from Ikea that I recently started to sit on to talk to my kids. The seat is about 12" off the ground, the perfect height for when I need look a kid in the eye and ask, "Why did you have to sit in time out?" All without my knees screaming in pain.

Bonus: The stool is also the right height for the kids to use when they want to help in the kitchen.

For more Works For Me Wednesday tips visit Rocks In My Dryer.

A Successful Boot Camp!

Last week I began a serious undertaking.  Behavior Boot Camp,  no not for MY behavior (but thanks for pointing out that it needed some work) it was for my kid.  I had finally reached the point with Christopher's behavior that I could not take it any longer.  Something had to be done and I was the one to do it.

I made THE PLAN.

I blogged daily (day 1, day 2, day 3, day 4&5).

I got really sick and never posted my Lessons learned.

What I Learned Running Behavior Boot Camp.
1.  I do NOT have a bad kid.
2. Better behavior is possible if I (as the parent) am willing to change some things, work hard, sacrifice and be consistent in disciplining my kid.
3. It's really hard to discipline a four year old when the two year old has pneumonia.
4. When I hear myself saying, "If you do that one more time..." I've already lost the battle.
5. Extreme measures were necessary to begin this journey but not necessary for continued behavior improvement.
6. I had unrealistic expectations of the behavior of a four year old boy.  Once he was being respectful of me and his father it was easier to see which behaviors were fixable and which were just a part of him being four.

What Worked
-  Giving a direction (instruction/order/command) one time.  If Christopher didn't obey he went directly to Time Out for four minutes (because he's four years old).  If he gave me a hard time (screaming, crying, shouting NO, throwing something...) he got one minute added.  I added minutes until I got to 10 minutes and then he went to his room.  He only had to go to his room twice all week long.  He hates sitting in the hall while we all interact and have fun.  Removing him from the fun was worse than a spanking (which I did not have to give AT ALL).

- Spending quality time doing something WITH Christopher.  He's a social kid.  While he may like playing his video game or watching TV it does nothing for his sensitive side.  He really likes playing a game or reading a book or coloring or some other activity WITH MOM.  We played with Moon Sand, made a paper chain, colored, read, sang, danced, cooked and snuggled.  That face time made a huge difference when it came time for him to listen to me.

  

- Talking to him like he's a little boy.  I slowed down my delivery, took significant pauses in between sentences, waited for confirmation that he heard and understood before moving on.  I had been getting so frustrated with him for ignoring me but I found that when I changed how I spoke to him he changed how he responded to me.

For example, "Christopher."  PAUSE for him to stop and acknowledge me.  Sometimes this included putting a hand on his arm to get his attention away from a toy and on to my face.  "Please put your shoes on."  PAUSE and wait for him to acknowledge that I gave him a direction.  I actually stared him down (often with my hand still on his arm) until he said some form of "Yes Mom."  Then the tricky part.  I had to finish getting Hannah and I ready while also keeping an eye on him to make sure he did what I asked.  I had to immediately correct any behavior outside of putting on his shoes.

- Locking his bedroom door.  He was upset about it the first time.  Then he got over it and stayed in his room.  We wake him up before we go to bed and take him to the bathroom and then he stays in his room, quiet, until 7AM when he calls for us to come and get him.  Matthew and I slept. Finally... well, except for when we were dealing with the two year old with pneumonia.

- Daily Bible Time with the kids.  It had become a sporadic thing instead of a daily routine.  They love it and generally ask for it more than once a day.

- Getting in a good workout - FOR HIM!  Any day he got in a lot of exercise, his behavior was SO much better.  I took him to school early and let him chase basketballs around the gym, we went to a birthday party at a moon bounce place, he went on some long walks.  It was great and I want to keep it up as much as possible.

  

- Waking up early and getting ready before the kids got up.  While it wasn't possible (what with all the sickness around here) it was really nice on the days it did.  Reading my Bible and praying for my kids BEFORE they are driving me nuts was also a nice bonus.

What didn't work (not much, it was a pretty good plan if I do say so myself)

- Unplugging.  It worked to accomplish my purpose - focusing all of my time and attention on Christopher's behavior.  It isn't really necessary for continued good behavior on his part.  We don't have THAT much plugged in time that it's detrimental.

- Making a schedule.  Our days are each so different.  I mostly stuck to the schedule we already had but added in activities during the time when he would normally be able to watch TV.

I've written all of this down for selfish reasons.  So I can come back and read it again and again.  I tend to forget my "lessons learned" unless I write them down.  I've also written this here for YOU.  For any parent in a similar situation.  For any parent who sees a similar situation looming on the horizon.  PLEASE ask me questions, I'd love to talk to you - preferably so you don't get to the place where you NEED Boot Camp.

Menu Monday

It's party season!!  There is nothing I like more than party food.  My friend Erin and I had dinner the other night.  We decided to skip the whole main course thing so we could eat a meal of appetizers.  It was amazing.

Here is some of my favorite party food and all my recipes this week link to step-by-step instructions.

Party Meatballs (Mrs. Klingler's recipe)
Buffalo Chicken Dip
White Bean Dip
Crab Melts
Cappuccino Pie

As for my menu this week... not sure what I'll be cooking.  We have a lot of chicken and I never made the stuffed green peppers from last week so if the peppers are still good I'll probably make that one.

For more Menu Monday recipes and plans visit I'm an Organizing Junkie.

I Blame The Germs

Hannah is better.

Matthew is better.

Christopher was never sick.

I'm a mess.  Seriously, a mess.  I stayed in bed all day yesterday.  All. Day. Long.  I don't think I've ever done that.

I'm sorry if I haven't commented on your blog in the last week or so.  I blame the germs.  Blame them with me and then you'll remember that I love you and we're still friends and I'm not ignoring you.  Just blame the germs.

Sensa Saturday - Week 7 Review

Welcome back to my Sensa Review!  After a grand week of eating anything I want I'm back on the wagon.

In an attempt to remember to sprinkle the Sensa Tastants on everything I eat I drew an "S" on my hand with a black sharpie.  It has been surprisingly effective.  Because I'm right handed I drew it on my left hand, but also because I'm right handed I tend to pick up things with my left hand, leaving my right hand free to do whatever.  Everytime I make a plate of food I pick it up in my left hand, look down to make sure I'm not going to spill anything, see the "S" and go get the Sensa.  Score!

I did a great job with remembering for four days.  Then the S wore off and for the last three days I've been back to having memory lapses again.  Trying again next week!

Read all about my Sensa journey here.
Starting off
Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Week 4
Week 5

If you'd like to try this Sensa thing out you can get 15% off plus free shipping if you click here and use the promotional code ROCKETXL.

Behavior Boot Camp - Day 4 & 5 Review

Things have been going really well around here.  Yesterday was a pretty unplugged day (computerwise) hence the double-day review tonight.

Low Points (let's start here so I can end on something positive)
- When I say, "If you touch one more thing we're leaving and you will NOT get any ice cream," I should prepare myself for the worst.  It really sucks to have to leave because they both touched something at the same time and I don't get my ice cream either.

- An entire week of a sick two-year-old leads to the most unbeliveable tempertantrums and over-the-top whining I've ever heard.  It's going to take a while to break her of this.

- Being sick (yes, I'm sick AGAIN) makes everything more difficult.
  

 
High Points (WOO HOO!!)
- Christopher had a FANTASTIC day today!

- The two of us sat at the kitchen table and played with Moon Sand and talked for an entire hour and I didn't get bored.

- Both kids colored and played nicely with stickers while I made dinner tonight.  No whining, yelling, "Mommy, hold you!" or hitting at all.

- After dinner we made paper chains for another hour.  Total time spent playing nicely (and quietly) at the table: 2:45!

Today was the last day of Behavior Boot Camp.  I'm going to go to bed and try and recover from this AWFUL head/chest cold and in a day or two I'll post a "What I Learned In Behavior Boot Camp" post.

The Back Story And The Plan
Day 1 Review
Day 2 Review
Day 3 Review

Friday Fun Links

I read about this easy Christmas tradition last year and am excited to try it out!
(Blissfully Domestic)
 
An easy eggnog-for-one recipe.  Yum.
(instructables)
 
How amazing are these cookies?
(Better Bit Of Butter)
  
This kind of freaks me out... but is also really cool.
(Vat19)

How to cook food in a hotel room -  11 meals using a coffee pot and an iron.
(wikihow.com)

Sign up for Einstein Bros emails and get a free sandwich!
(einsteinbros.com)

A form letter to send as a reply when you get an email forward.
(Stuff Christians Like)

Kids Say The Darndest Things #34: If I Decide It's Cute And Not Sass I Don't Have To Discipline

We went to Krispy Kreme get a treat for Christopher's birthday.  I like to call this photo "Don't Even THINK about touching my donut."
 

  
I've been collecting some random "Things My Kids Say" from the last couple of weeks.

Christopher's started saying, "My mistake," when he does something wrong on purpose.  For example, we're in the car and I ask him to hand me the book he just used to hit his sister.  Instead of handing it to me he drops it on the floor and says, "My mistake."

Hannah has a new "friend" His name is Shwah Shwee Shwoo. He's a firefly.  We were out with friends and I tried to get her to talk about him.  I said, "Tell them about Shwee Shwah Shwoo."  To which she replies, "His name is shWAH. shWEE. shwoo."  (In that tone that implies I'm dumb.)

Christopher called me into his room at 5:30AM upset over a bad dream.  "There was a dragon in it."  He said.  "Was it a friendly dragon?" I asked.  "It was going to sneeze." Was his only answer.

Hannah has been making up words to songs.  The other day in the car she was singing (to the tune of Are You Sleeping?) "You can kiss me, you can kiss me, a-amen, a-amen."

The kids have the most random discussions.  It's like they're trying to outdo each other with their bizarre replies.  I don't know what cracks me up more, their use of overheard grown-up phrases or their deadpan delivery.  They had this conversation in the car on a very cloudy day.
C: Look at that, we can't see the sun.
H: Oh no.
C: We're going to need to cut the sky.
H: We'd better get a stool.
C: The thing is, it's really far away.  We're going to need a ladder.
H: You can put it on that tunnel (she calls overpasses tunnels)
C: That would get us closer.

Behavior Boot Camp - Day 3 Review

Christopher had a great day at school today!  His teacher said he had no "mean to friends" issues and just a couple of listening problems... but he's a four year old boy so I figure that's par for the course.

Hannah is feeling much better and is not nearly as cranky as she's been for the last couple of days.  Praise God for antibiotics!

I really feel like Behavior Boot Camp is working.  I haven't been letting Christopher get away with ignoring me and every time he misbehaves he gets disciplined.  Before school today I told him that he could play his video game if he got a good report from Ms. Gail so maybe that's why he had such a good day.

I know we have two more days of Boot Camp left but I'm not sure how much life is going to change when this is over.  Probably a little more TV and a little less scheduling but I really like the way things have been going. 

If you're wondering what this Behavior Boot Camp is all about check out:
The Back Story And The Plan
Day 1 Review
Day 2 Review

Works For Me Wednesday - Thank You Card Alternatives

I've been thinking about alternative thank you cards this week.  The short video thank you I made after Christopher's birthday last week was a huge hit so I came up with a couple more ideas.  The wonderful part about picture thank you cards is that you can easily email them out to family and friends.  If you have relatives that would prefer something in the mail (or don't do that new fangled computer thing) you can print the picture out at home (or at your local big box store) and send it out just like a regular thank you card.  And best of all, it's a lot more personal than an e-card (been there, done that, like this better).

(I'm sure these aren't original ideas - there is nothing new under the sun - but they are new to me.)

My friend Hillary gave Christopher this great down vest.  One way to say thank you is to write it on a chalk board, white board, aquadoodle or craft paper, have your child wear or hold up the gift and then snap a picture.
 

 
Here's a different version.  This is also a great way to say thank you for art supplies, you can use the supplies to make the thank you.
  

  
Our friend Stephanie gave Christopher a huge basket of trains.  I took some pictures and made this thank you card from one of the shots.
  

 
The important part of saying thank you is showing that you're thankful. I would much rather have a picture of a child enjoying the gift I gave than a generic thank you note written by a frazzeled friend with no time for such things.  If the thank you video is any indication, most people I know feel the same way.

How do you feel about thank you cards?  What about alternatives like these?

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For more Works For Me Wednesday ideas visit Rocks In My Dryer.
To read how others been Blissfully Domestic click here.

Behavior Boot Camp - Day 2 Review

Today wasn't so much a Boot Camp day as it was a War Zone day.

Hannah is really sick.  Pneumonia takes a lot out of a two year old.  Mostly she just cried all day long, which made for a long day for me and Christopher.

I was up all night with Hannah and overslept, the kids watched TV on and off during the day and I checked my email while they sat on my lap and watched Laurie Berkner on YouTube.  You do what you have to when you're stuck in the house with sick kids.

I did keep to The Plan as far as disciplining Christopher.  I didn't let him get away with being a brat just because his sister was.  His behavior was a lot better than usual though (maybe because yesterday was such a success?!) so we didn't have many clashes.

I'm setting my alarm for tomorrow morning and we'll try again.

Tradition - PIE NIGHT!!

The holidays around here start a day early with the celebration of Pie Night. (Scroll down for pictures.)

Pie Night didn't so much begin as evolved as I grew up.  My mom would always be the one to bring pie to Thanksgiving.  She thought it was sad to take home one little slice of pie with your leftovers and she'd bake a bunch of extra pies so each family could take home an entire pie.  We started baking the pies the night before Thanksgiving and, as we got older, began to invite our friends. My mom has never been one to let someone leave empty handed so our friends would all go home with pies.

Now Pie Night is a party my parents throw where the party favor is a pie.  My mom buys all the supplies, you show up and slice apples or peel sweet potatoes or whip up some cream cheese.  Most people bring some munchies so we end up with a whole party spread of food to accompany our hard work.

I didn't get a lot of pictures this year because I was busy, mostly eating but also doing a little pie-making.  I left the kids home with a babysitter this year (bonus, when I got home I found the kids had done TWO thanksgiving crafts, how great is THAT babysitter) so I actually had a lot of fun!

We started off with apple pie (above)

Then moved on to pumpkin...

...then sweet potato pie.
  

Ella loves to help cook.
(My kids love to make a mess, which is why I left them home.)

My mom stands at the counter and makes pie crust... for hours.

This is a picture of the most fun part of Cream Cheese Pie
"The Juice Of One Lemon."
  

I'm not sure what the final total was but we usually make between 40 and 45 pies on Pie Night.  My mom says she likes Pie Night better than Christmas.

Behavior Boot Camp - Day 1 Review

Not such a a bad day today.  I was going to give a blow-by-blow recap of Boot Camp but it wasn't THAT interesting of a day.  I think we did pretty well; here are the highlights. 

* Christopher sat in time out for 10 minutes during breakfast for pouring his milk onto Hannah's yogurt.  It would have only been four minutes but he kept talking back to me and refused to go to time out.  I stayed calm and it was an effective use of discipline (if his behavior for the rest of the morning is any indication).

* Since I was up and dressed before the kids woke up we got out the door much earlier than usual.  Christopher went for a little walk/run up to the stop sign and back.  Then I let him chase basketballs around the gym at the Y for half an hour before Christopher's class. 

* Ms. Gail (Christopher's preschool teacher) gave him a GREAT report after school today.

* Lots of fun was had by all playing with arts and crafts on the kitchen table.

* Hannah cried all day long.  Seriously. All. Day. Long.  By 3:00 I'd had enough so I called the doctor (she's been sick).  Long story short- she has pneumonia.  She was a champ for the exam, chest x-rays, peeing in a cup and all the rest of the doctors office bleh.

* I let them watch half an hour of TV after dinner since Hannah was feeling so crummy.

All-in-all, a good day.  We'll keep at it and pray for the best results.

Behavior Boot Camp - The Back Story And ThePlan

Matthew and I had a long talk last night about the state of affairs here in our house.  Our talk came at the end of an insane day with Christopher.  His actual behavior, written down and dissected, was actually not that bad; it was his attitude that sucked.  Ignoring us has become the norm.  Antagonizing his sister, lying to us, doing the exact opposite of what we asked him to do, throwing tantrums... the list goes on and on.

This. Is. It.

We will no longer live with this behavior.

We realize that continuing to parent in the same way will continue to yield the same results.

A change is necessary.

This week we will begin The Change.  There are a LOT of things that need to change and not all of them are Christopher's fault.  Character is not something a four-year-old should be expected to develop all on his own.  It is our job as parents to lead him, teach him, instruct him and mold him into someone we can be proud to call our son.  I'm calling it Behavior Boot Camp because, like the military, I think we need an intense up-front push in the right direction.  Some of my measures will be extreme but only in the beginning.  No one goes to Boot Camp forever.

I Commit To Pray A Lot

• I am committing to pray for my children every single morning.  I will pray for this plan, asking God to give me wisdom and insight into my children and their behavior.  I will be asking God to make me humble, that I don't arrogantly assume that I know what to do but that I would actively seek his direction and guidance through this entire process.  I will be asking God to show me where I need to change as a person to best parent my children.
  

We Get A Schedule

• I will be mapping out our days for the next week, scheduling our time in half-hour blocks from breakfast through bedtime.
  

Adding In Elements

• Included in our schedule will be Bible time, art (we have an entire closet of art supplies that rarely get used), doing-something-nice-for-someone-else, chores, rest time (quiet time or naps), reading books, getting outside to work off all that energy, helping with dinner, and whatever else I can think of. (Ideas?)
  

What I Will Give Up

• Computer Time While The Kids Are Awake
• Why - The more frustrated I get with Christopher the more I withdraw from him.  Spending time on the computer is the easiest way because I can be in the same room, sort of supervise but not have to deal with his attitude.  If I want him to positively engage I need to do the same.
• An Hour (or so) At Night
• Why - I'll be going to bed by 10:30 every night so I can get up at 6AM.  I want to be showered, have had my quiet time and be ready for my day before the kids get up.

 What Christopher Will Give Up

• Electronic Media - Television, TAG, V-Motion
  
• Why - I see screen time for him as a way to detach from reality.  Completely at odds to what we're trying to do here.  These things will be added in as special privileges and rewards after our Boot Camp week.
  
• The Freedom Of An Unlocked Bedroom Door
• Why - Complete abuse of said freedom.  Matthew and I haven't slept through the night in weeks because Christopher comes in our room several times a night.  Sometimes it's to chat, other times to crawl in bed with us, a couple of times a week it's to have a temper tantrum (for no reason), yesterday it was to put our cell phones on our faces and open all the blinds in our bedroom.  For whatever reason, it is out of control.  We are putting him to bed and locking his door.  He has a monitor, he can call for us if he needs something.  We'll take him to the potty before we go to bed and let him out at 7AM.

Overall Goals

• Patience - in Christopher and myself
• Selflessness - A child that, at least some of the time, thinks of others.  
• Kindness - A child that does not do mean things just to see what will happen but instead does kind things because he wants to be kind (or just to see what will happen).
  
• Engaged - A child that acknowledges when a adult speaks to him and responds politely and respectfully.

I realize that these are lofty goals. I have a big God and I'm counting on Him for this.

Menu Monday

It's a comfort food kind of week around here.  (Read on to see why I'll be needing comfort food.)

Chicken Sandwich Ring
Crock Pot Chicken Stew
Rotel Chicken
Stuffed Green Pepper Casserole

For more Menu Monday recipes check out I'm an Organizing Junkie.

This week I'll be doing a series called "Behavior Boot Camp" detailing the next five days of an exciting discipline adventure.  We'll be unplugging, taking away freedoms, scheduling our time and building character; all in an effort to straighten out one completely uncooporative four-year old.  Check back in this afternoon for details on The Plan and tonight for a recap of Day 1.