Let me start of by saying that my kids were not supposed to be doing this.
This morning while getting ready to leave for school, Sean and Noel went out the back door like they were told to. Eric, on the other hand, went into his room to get something. When Eric and I got outside, the back gate was open and my children were on the sidewalk behind my house (a scary thing considering that street is extremely busy that time of the morning). I ran out the gate yelling at them to see a woman with her car stopped disciplining Sean and Noel. Then she told me what she was doing and chewed me out telling me that it was not safe. (No kidding!)
I hate when people treat me like I am clueless just because my children are doing something wrong. It is not like I told them, "Go wait for me on the sidewalk." The rule is that they are supposed to wait for me at the gate. We are supposed to go out together.
I sometimes wonder if these kind of people had children. If they did, I am positive that their children didn't always follow every rule especially at 5 and 3.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Sunday, October 26, 2008
A Quiet Conversation
On our way home from church today, Eric and Sean were talking quietly in the back of the van. (One of my favorite things to do is listen to their conversations.) I have no idea what they were playing but their conversation went something like this.Sean: "Eric tomorrow is a special day!"
Eric: "I know!"
Sean (very matter-of-factly): "It is Thomas's birthday."
Eric: "Cool!"
Sean: "He is getting to be such a big engine!"
Eric (in his I'm-smarter-than-you tone): "Sean trains don't get bigger."
John and I just looked at each other and laughed.
Friday, October 24, 2008
Halloween Party
Eric said to me out of the blue, "Mom on Halloween, we can not bring our lunch to school," in a cross voice.
I said, "I know. You need to bring $2 so that you can get pizza and soda."
Eric started crying. I asked him what was wrong. He told me he already gave her is dollar out of his wallet (it has been in there for more than a year). I asked him why and he said that all of the other kids gave the teacher their money, and he thought that I forgot to send it with him. I showed him the letter from the teacher and told him that I thought that I needed to send the money with him on Halloween. Then, I promised to give him two more dollars (one for him and one for his teacher) on Monday. That made him feel better.
Gosh, I wish I could feel better that quickly when I am upset. Kids are amazing!
I said, "I know. You need to bring $2 so that you can get pizza and soda."
Eric started crying. I asked him what was wrong. He told me he already gave her is dollar out of his wallet (it has been in there for more than a year). I asked him why and he said that all of the other kids gave the teacher their money, and he thought that I forgot to send it with him. I showed him the letter from the teacher and told him that I thought that I needed to send the money with him on Halloween. Then, I promised to give him two more dollars (one for him and one for his teacher) on Monday. That made him feel better.
Gosh, I wish I could feel better that quickly when I am upset. Kids are amazing!
Thursday, October 23, 2008
A Messy House
What does a messy house mean to me?
It means a few things. One, I have not had the motivation to get it clean. Two, I have been enjoying my children. Three, we have too much stuff.
I think my main problem is number one. I don't have the motivation. I look at my messy house that I just cleaned a day or two ago and think, "It is just going to look like this again in an hour. What is the point?" I know. I like the feeling when I see that I have done a good job cleaning whatever room I have been working on. I really like the occasional compliment I get from my husband after showing off my days work. I just wish there was a faster better way of cleaning than the usual in and out of the room putting things away and then vacuuming.
Unfortunately, number two is rarely the answer in my house. It is not that I don't enjoy my children. I just don't think I spend enough time really watching, listening and playing when it comes to my kids. (That is my confession for the day.)
Answer number three is part of the problem. I have a problem when it comes to my stuff. I get emotionally attached. The only way that I can explain that is that "stuff" has never left me, won't die, has never broken my heart, and can hold memories that no one else has. I am not the only person in my family with this problem. We all have a hard time getting rid of stuff. That means there are 5 people that refuse to get rid of stuff in my house. The bad part of that is that our house is cluttered. Don't get me wrong. We do throw stuff away when necessary, but we all hold onto papers that aren't needed, toys that aren't played with, computer stuff that will probably never be used again, and the list goes on.
I tried FlyLady about six month ago. I thought that the system was great and a real motivation. Then I got to a point that I was having to get rid of stuff on a regular basis. That slowed me down a bit. Then I got to a day that I was to add cleaning the toilet in the main bathroom daily. I quit. I didn't want to have to clean my kids bathroom myself everyday. I have boys. GROSS!
So until I find something that really works for me (where I don't have to get rid of a lot of stuff quickly, and I don't have to clean my boys' pee everyday), my house will be messy. My kids will continue to be in charge of cleaning their rooms. My boys will be the ones cleaning their pee off of the floor and back of the toilet.
It means a few things. One, I have not had the motivation to get it clean. Two, I have been enjoying my children. Three, we have too much stuff.
I think my main problem is number one. I don't have the motivation. I look at my messy house that I just cleaned a day or two ago and think, "It is just going to look like this again in an hour. What is the point?" I know. I like the feeling when I see that I have done a good job cleaning whatever room I have been working on. I really like the occasional compliment I get from my husband after showing off my days work. I just wish there was a faster better way of cleaning than the usual in and out of the room putting things away and then vacuuming.
Unfortunately, number two is rarely the answer in my house. It is not that I don't enjoy my children. I just don't think I spend enough time really watching, listening and playing when it comes to my kids. (That is my confession for the day.)
Answer number three is part of the problem. I have a problem when it comes to my stuff. I get emotionally attached. The only way that I can explain that is that "stuff" has never left me, won't die, has never broken my heart, and can hold memories that no one else has. I am not the only person in my family with this problem. We all have a hard time getting rid of stuff. That means there are 5 people that refuse to get rid of stuff in my house. The bad part of that is that our house is cluttered. Don't get me wrong. We do throw stuff away when necessary, but we all hold onto papers that aren't needed, toys that aren't played with, computer stuff that will probably never be used again, and the list goes on.
I tried FlyLady about six month ago. I thought that the system was great and a real motivation. Then I got to a point that I was having to get rid of stuff on a regular basis. That slowed me down a bit. Then I got to a day that I was to add cleaning the toilet in the main bathroom daily. I quit. I didn't want to have to clean my kids bathroom myself everyday. I have boys. GROSS!
So until I find something that really works for me (where I don't have to get rid of a lot of stuff quickly, and I don't have to clean my boys' pee everyday), my house will be messy. My kids will continue to be in charge of cleaning their rooms. My boys will be the ones cleaning their pee off of the floor and back of the toilet.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Catch-up Club
"Dear Parents and Guardians,
Your child has one or more missing assignments this week. It is strongly recommended that children with missing assignments remain after school for Catch-up Club. This will give them an opportunity to catch up and receive any assistance necessary to allow them to be successful in their classroom work in the future...."
This is followed by a basic permission slip form for the child to stay after school the next day for an extra 40 minutes.
Today was the second time Eric has come home from school with this note pinned to his back. As a parent, this is a frustrating note to receive. For my child, this does not mean that he doesn't understand the work. It just means that he occupied his mind with things that he felt were more interesting during the hour and a half of centers (a time when the children are given a packet of worksheets and expected to do them independently).
It appears that for most children the centers are good practice, and it is reasonable to have them finish the work by themselves. For my child however, this does not work. He is not an independent worker. He is smart enough to do the work. However, being his father's child, he does not want to. That is when he just decides that he will do things like spend a lot of time in the bathroom and pretend his pencil is a rocket (knowing full well that he is the only one paying attention to what he is doing).
His teacher says that she is going to try another method to motivate him. I have told him that if he can go a week with out having to go to Catch-up Club, I will make him cookies. I wish that there was a way to motivate this child and get him to understand.
Your child has one or more missing assignments this week. It is strongly recommended that children with missing assignments remain after school for Catch-up Club. This will give them an opportunity to catch up and receive any assistance necessary to allow them to be successful in their classroom work in the future...."
This is followed by a basic permission slip form for the child to stay after school the next day for an extra 40 minutes.
Today was the second time Eric has come home from school with this note pinned to his back. As a parent, this is a frustrating note to receive. For my child, this does not mean that he doesn't understand the work. It just means that he occupied his mind with things that he felt were more interesting during the hour and a half of centers (a time when the children are given a packet of worksheets and expected to do them independently).
It appears that for most children the centers are good practice, and it is reasonable to have them finish the work by themselves. For my child however, this does not work. He is not an independent worker. He is smart enough to do the work. However, being his father's child, he does not want to. That is when he just decides that he will do things like spend a lot of time in the bathroom and pretend his pencil is a rocket (knowing full well that he is the only one paying attention to what he is doing).
His teacher says that she is going to try another method to motivate him. I have told him that if he can go a week with out having to go to Catch-up Club, I will make him cookies. I wish that there was a way to motivate this child and get him to understand.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Best Princess Movie Ever
I just watched Enchanted with my kids. I know. (I am the last girl to see it.) It was definately the BEST princess movie that I have ever seen!
I thought that it started out kind of slow, but when it picked up, it really picked up! It was funny, suspensful, and had a great twist! Even my boys liked it!
I thought that it started out kind of slow, but when it picked up, it really picked up! It was funny, suspensful, and had a great twist! Even my boys liked it!
Magical?
OK magical may be a stretch, but it makes the title sound interesting. I love my family. My kids drive me crazy sometimes, but I am told that is normal. I enjoy listening to their "serious" conversations. They are so cute. I find it funny how Eric, in his wise 6 year old way, knows everything because he is in first grade. He has a way of saying things that, if I didn't know any better, I would believe him, too. I also find it funny that Sean will believe ANYTHING that Eric says, no matter how made up it sounds. I find these things magical.