I've been perusing other people's blogs and it made me realize how long it had been since I'd updated my own. I mostly want to record some memories I haven't written down and want to remember.
This summer, we had some cousins over. As the kids were playing outside, Liam came up to me and showed me a two dollar bill.
Liam: "Look what I got mom!"
Me: Where did you get that?
L: From James. (a neighbor boy down the street.)
M: Why did he give it to you?
L: 'Cause I asked him for money.
M: What?
L: Yeah, we've been going around to people's houses asking them if they have anything they don't need anymore so we can sell it and get money. We told them we're raising money for a good cause.
M: What cause are you raising money for?
L: Me.
M: What?
L: I just want some money. I don't have very much.
Oh man. We had a talk about how we don't go around soliciting our neighbors for money, about charities and good causes, and about honesty. He really thought he was doing a cool thing, so it took some convincing. He had taken his cousins around to four or five of our neighbors and knocked on their doors asking for money. SIGH. I made him take the money back to the neighbor boy. He took his cousins with him and chickened out and left the money on the step. I made him go back again and ring the doorbell and give it to the boy himself and tell him sorry. It reminded me of the time he was about four and threw a rock at this big window we had in our front room while we were renting. He broke the window and Cameron went with him to our landlord and made Liam tell the landlord what happened and apologize. The landlord was the grumpiest, meanest guy ever and Liam was so afraid, but he did it and never threw a rock at a window again. I don't like that there isn't a handbook telling you how to handle things like that.
We implemented a chore system with the kids this summer. It has been so nice to have help from the children. Liam and Erin take turns loading and unloading the dishwasher. They both do a nice job, although every time it is Erin's turn, we have a bit of a fight. Hopefully, that will pass, although after four months, it hasn't, so we'll see. Liam, Erin and Owen have all taken over folding and putting away their own clothes. They each have a basket of their own, I sort the clothes into the baskets, and the kids do the rest. Surprisingly, (to me) Owen is my best folder. He folds very neatly and is always the first one done. I write this down so I can look back and know that there were fights about this. It took time to implement, but it is paying off. I used to tell the children "okay guys, we need to pick up the living room." and there were groans all around. Owen would say "I'm too tired" or "my leg hurts" or "I feeling sick mom". We couldn't get that boy to do a thing. Erin would whine about it and Liam would do just the bare minimum. Since we've been working on this though, I can say "okay guys, let's pick up the living room." and most of the time they will all say Okay Mom. and do it. Even Owen, who was my excuse maker. Not all of the time, mind you, but eight out of ten times they'll be really good about doing it.
Owen's new word he says ALL the time is chubby chub. He'll ask Reagan "Hey Reagee, you want to play chubby chub?" or we'll ask how his day was at preschool and he'll say "It was chubby chub." He uses it for everything.
Reagan loves to talk on the phone. She talks to dad or grandma or whomever and jabbers away. She talks with the phone up to her ear when there is no one on the other end. When she does this, she always says "So!" and then starts talking. Every sentence starts with the word So.
She also hates her socks and shoes on. She really hates her socks and I think it's because they have that line at the bottom of her toes. That makes me just a bit weary because Liam and Erin were the same way and it took for-ev-er to get out of that stage. She loves her clothes and will let you know if she doesn't like her outfit. She'll change it or bring you something else to change her into. She hates footy pajamas, and hates being covered up at night, so she wakes up at night and is cold, but doesn't want to be covered up. We're working on a solution to that.
Erin is my responsible girl right now. She's really good to watch out for Reagan while they are playing outside or anything like that. She has one loose tooth right now and does NOT want it pulled. We tried to pull it while we were watching conference and she was adamant that it stay in her mouth. It has been loose for months now, but she refuses to let us near it. She is liking school and is starting to like reading a little bit. It's funny to see how different the kids learn. Liam took to reading really quickly and has loved it ever since. Erin hates it, but is starting (very, very slowly) to learn to like it. She would rather have others read something for her, than do it herself. That, too is starting to change.
We started Liam playing the piano, and I think I'll start with Erin too. She really wants to do it, so we'll give Liam a little bit of a head start and in a few more months, we'll start her too. It's hard for me as the mom to figure out what's important. Music? Sports? Art? I guess we go by the child. Again...where is that handbook?
No comments:
Post a Comment