Accountable Kids

For Christmas we gave Elliot the Accountable Kids program. I have had little luck in finding discipline that works for her. In general, she is very well-behaved, but when she has her moments, she HAS her moments! My neighbor has been using this system and couldn't say enough about how effective it has been with her kids. I had to give it a try! It is said to be a "positive parenting program" and in general, I find positive things to be much more effective with Elliot! I guess most of us operate better if we are treated with kindness and feel important.

The idea behind it is that kids have to earn privileges. Nothing is just given. There are morning chores, day chores, and evening chores. After completing each set of chores, she can earn a ticket. These tickets are used when she wants to do something (t.v. shows, sand box play, play dough, special art projects, etc.) Starting out her chores are very basic. The morning includes: breakfast, vitamins, get dressed, pack snack for school, brush teeth, hair. I could not believe the 1st day when we implemented this and I didn't have to say "GET DRESSED" 25 times. She ran over, flipped her card, and was on to the next chore! It was fantastic (and still is a month later).

Her afternoon chores involve lunch and quiet time. Nothing difficult, but we never had success with quiet time before. Being in the first trimester of pregnancy, I was desperate for some rest! Once again, the 1st day this was successful. She went in her room and stayed for over an hour! No complaining, no coming out, nothing. She is still doing great with this and I am loving it! She does art work, reads books, plays quiet games, etc. I had no idea quiet time could be so easy (and NOT involve the T.V.)

Evening chores are much like morning, but we have added pick up toys and saying her scripture. She gets a new scripture each week at Upward Cheerleading. She would have fought me on saying/repeating something with me before, but since she has to do it for her ticket, it's not an issue. Can I tell you how much it warmed my heart to hear her recite the following to her coach perfectly, "What does the Lord want from us but to do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with God. Micah 6:8" That's pretty good for a just-turned 5 year old :-)

If she earns all her tickets in one day (completing all 3 sets of chores), she gets to put a star on her "DATE" card! 10 stars equals a special date with Mommy or Daddy. It can be something simple like getting to stay up late and play a game, watch movie, or going out to eat or to do something. She loves getting to put a star on her card!!!

She does have the opportunity to earn "Bonus Bucks." These are traded in for money at the end of the week. Right now, checking the mail is one thing she can earn a "buck" for everyday. We've also included practicing piano as money worthy since we can't ever seem to remember to do it! ;-)

This system is also used for our disciple. If she is misbehaving she loses a ticket. That simple. But remember, losing a ticket is equivalent to losing a privilege. She has been down to zero tickets once or twice, and that means NO special privileges. I have been surprised at how well saying "I'm going to take a ticket" works. If I had previously said "you are going to have a time out" she would just start acting insane, fighting me, would be terrible in time out, etc.

One more thing: kids can also earn "Best Behavior" cards. I have had issues for a while now getting Elliot to talk to adults when they speak to her. The way she acts is more than just acting shy, it's slightly rude. I told her that she could earn a special card if I could see her speaking to adults when they spoke with her. I let it go for a few weeks, but she finally decided to do it! My mom was telling me all about her speaking to an adult at church last week, answering their questions and being sweet! It was so exciting to let her get her 1st Best Behavior card. (I'm pretty sure she was excited too!)

I have to give this program a 4.5/5 stars. It really has changed our lives in just a few weeks and has been much more effective than chore charts, time outs, spankings, etc. I guess the only negative I can really think of is not with the system itself, but that the cards are not very durable. I had to borrow a neighbors handy dandy laminating machine and laminate all of them (then get some crazy circle cutter to cut the holes out of all of them). Took a bit of time, but worth it to preserve the cards.

I know it sounds complicated, but it's really simple once you start using it. It also comes with an easy to read book and DVD to help you get started. If you are looking for something for your kiddo's or just want some more info, I'd encourage you to check out the ACCOUNTABLE KIDS WEBSITE HERE. I can't tell you how thankful I am that someone decided to tell me about the program. I can't wait to see how it continues to help our family.

P.S. If you are a fellow blogger, you can get 50% back on your order if you post a blog review! That's a great deal :-)

The Grand Finale

....it's underway! We are going to have a 4th kid in this family! The picture at left was taken a few weeks ago (10 weeks, 4 days). I'm currently over 12 weeks. It seems perfectly healthy so far.

I love that Elliot has said "WHAT are we going to do with 4 kids?" and "Don't you think 3 kids is enough?" haha. At least she's honest about how she's feeling.

I'm due around August 6th. I've had multiple ultrasounds and there is ONLY ONE this time!! Praise God! :-) I'll try to keep updating my blog and keeping you all posted (I know I've been bad lately!)

Upward Cheerleading

Elliot recently started cheerleading. Of course, on our way to the first practice she informs me "I don't want to do cheerleading, I want to take dance, remember?" The first few practices were okay, but once she got her POM PONS it was all good!!! The 1st game also helped her get excited about it. They cheer for little basketball games. She even has a memory verse to learn each week. This week she recited the following absolutely perfectly: "What does the Lord wants from us, to do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with God. Micah 6:8" I must say, I was so proud hearing her say this!

Here is a little video of the half-time cheer. (I think she wasn't quite ready when they started. haha)

Germany

Elliot and I had wonderful time in Germany. It was so nice to have some one-on-one time with my girl. She was such a great traveler. It was also wonderful to spend some time with wonderful friends. Here's a quick run down of our itinerary:

Thursday 1pm- leave Orlando
Friday 10am-arrive in Frankfurt, go to John and Jen's (and their 3 kiddo's) in Wiesbaden

(I thought Elliot would sleep on the plane, but she only rested for TWO hours! That's all the sleep we got the entire night and she did great the whole day)

Saturday-travel by car to Stuttgart for Oktoberfest (tried to get there early, but it just didn't happen. Needless to say, things were quite rowdy by the time we arrived and we didn't stay long)

Saturday-Tuesday Elliot and I stayed in Stuttgart with our friends Jeremy and Julia and their 2 kids. We visited Triberg in the Black Forest, hiked to Germany's tallest waterfall, visited a beautiful castle, ate at some neat places, and enjoyed our friends!

Tuesday- El and I ventured to the train station to go back to Wiesbaden. I waited to have an attendant book my ticket because I had been told they speak good English. Well, the lady I got spoke NONE. Printed ticket in German, so I had no idea what it said. We figured it out though. I only thought some guy was going to blow us up once in the Mainz train station...but other than that it was uneventful.

Wednesday-Monday we finished our trip up in Wiesbaden. Got to see some more friends. Go to Heidelberg, Rudesheim, and even found the Schloss Vollrads winery to pick up a case of my moms most favorite Riesling ever! It was sooooo much fun!

Now, I know you probably don't care about all that, and pictures would make everything better and more interesting. BUT, my computer has serious issues and I had to upload everything on Wes'. HOWEVER, if you click THIS link you can see some (Okay, a bunch :-) As a suggestion: you may want to just click on the 1st picture once at the site rather than view slideshow. If you do slideshow, you can't see any of the captions.

Most importantly, if any of our FRIENDS whom we visited are reading this, thank you so very much for all of your hospitality. We had such an amazing time and are so thankful that we can call you friends. Miss you already!

Piano Lessons

Elliot's fabulous little preschool has a lady that comes to the school and offers the children piano lessons (for a fee, of course...but very reasonable). Anyways, she gets them from class and does a one-on-one 15 minute lesson.

Last week was El's first week. I was so impressed with the books and work she came home with. They did a LOT in 15 minutes!! She actually enjoyed practicing during the week (and then putting the keyboard on some crazy auto tune for an hour afterwards!) We worked on learning high and low notes, glisserado's, going up & down the piano, curved fingers, and steady beats. It was fun to do it with her. I also learned quickly that I can't tell her what to do for her lesson. She's way to independent for that and it wasn't working. If I say "Do you want to play a high note or a low note?" she will choose and do it. Simply rephrasing saved a lot of arguing!

I was at the church for MOPS this morning and was able to sneak a peak of her learning. She was very intent. I snapped a pic from far away with my cell.

*Note: I just realized I always type "El" when referring to her in blog land. However, in real life I NEVER call her that. She is always Elliot. Weird?

Levi's 1st Phrase

My precious little Levi can say his first phrase. Okay, it's only 2 words but yesterday he started saying "put that" sometimes he says "back" at the end (technically making it a 3 word phrase) :-)

I first heard it when I walked out of their bedroom to see he had dumped the whole basket of nicely folded laundry onto the floor. He was pointing at the clothes, then the basket while looking at me and saying "Put that!" over and over. It was slightly demanding, but cute.

As I've started thinking about it, I find it to be an odd 1st phrase. How/Why is that what he decided to talk about? Is it because he is always into something and I'm always saying "put that back?" I'm really not sure. That would kinda make me feel bad-like I'm not letting him explore as much as I should. I feel like I'm more likely telling him to "give that back" since he is always stealing everything Ezra tries to play with. I'm sure he always hears his fair share of "put that back" from his sister too.

Is he bossy? Does he just like to tell everyone what to do already? Nah, I think he's a pretty care free kinda kid. As long as he can get into something and Mommy doesn't go too far for too long-he's good.

The boys have recently started trying to help clean things up. It's very cute, and they can be very helpful if they are in the mood. I can see this as a time where I would say "Let's clean up, put that back." In fact, I would most likely say "Put that back" multiple times while cleaning. Yes, this sounds like a logical place for him to have learned the saying. I think I will claim it: this explanation helps neither of us sound too demanding.

Regardless, he's adorable saying it and you want to "put back" whatever he is talking about. Tonight he was throwing a little ball with my brother over the kitchen counter. They knocked over a bottle and he immediately started saying "Put that!, Put that!" It was way too cute. We wanted him to knock something else down just so we could hear it!

Maybe I can get a video of him saying it sometime. I need to capture Ezra making his bunny face on video too! HILARIOUS!!!

Thoughts on Multiples and T.V. Shows

I decided to watch "Quints By Surprise" on TLC the other night. I guess I have some random thoughts to write about regarding this show

A. I like that their older daughters name is Eliot. Spelled incorrectly :-) but I still adore the name

B. Seriously, how "Surprising" can it be to have 5 babies at one time when you do fertility treatments? When you have at least 5 eggs and inject some very healthy/"clean" sperm, what do you expect to happen? Really?!

C. I wonder how they deal with having QUINTUPLETS and a 5 year old? That is the part of having twins that I find the MOST difficult: managing having 2 young children that are sometimes demanding on my time and still finding time to spend special time with my 4 year old. I won't lie, it's hard. Some days I feel like a failure at it. I want her to know that I love her more than anything, that she is just as important to me as her brothers, and I'm always trying to find ways to balance my time. The fact that El is so independent may make it more difficult, simply because I know she is fine with playing in her room and making crazy art projects. I hope I can always find ways to do things with her that are unique to things that I do with the boys.

D. The mom of the quints, Casey Jones, was talking about how people always ask her "How do you do it?" I could immediately relate to that! I am asked that all the time (and I ONLY have 3 kids!) Her response was exactly how I feel, "You just do it." It's sooo true. When this is your life (for me: 3 fairly young kids, multiples, a hubby gone half the year, etc) you just adapt. I think God knows what He's doing...He's smart like that. He gives us what we can handle (or learn to handle). Granted, some days are hard. It's a lot of work. But, no one ever said life was going to be easy, did they? I'm probably guilty of thinking the same thing about other women, "How do THEY do it?" But, I think I too need to get rewired. We're all different and all capable of amazing things!


NOW...onto "Kate Plus 8"..

A. I am sad that their marriage didn't work out. Sad for her, sad for Jon, sad for the kids. Just stinks all around.

B. Sad the way the spotlight has clearly changed her. I honestly don't think I can watch it anymore. It seems too fake. What mom walks around NYC in shorts, a top that her fake boobs hang out the sides of, and HIGH heels? (see PIC) Can't you just wear some flops and a tank? I know, that's my style I'm trying to put on her, but the heels are just way too much. You KNOW that is NOT comfy. I can barely walk from the parking lot into church when I try to wear heels half that high.

C. I'm probably judging her and that's no good. I just wish that the media didn't get to them. That they kept their cozy life, with no cameras, ugly hair-do's, 9-5 job, smaller house, flabby tummy skin, going to church, good relationships, etc. Bet if they did they'd be WAY more content with less than they now have with "more".

18 months

I can not believe my boys are 18 months old today. They are really starting to learn so much! They are starting to follow directions, which is super nice. They are both talking some (not that much...but some). Levi has become quite aggressive lately. He likes to try to drag Ezra around by the collar of his shirt. This doesn't go over too well with Ez. The other day I heard Ezra screaming, I run in to check on him and he is in prone position with Levi standing on his back. It was so sad! Along with the biting, we've added hair pulling to our skills. Recently Levi grabbed out a ridiculous amount of Ezra's hair. I was shocked, while Elliot's response was simply, "well, Ezra doesn't need a hair cut now." Really?? Poor Ezzy always gettin' picked on.

After some crazy non-sense tonight, the sweetest thing ever happened. I was trying to suction out all of Levi's snot, and of course he was not happy. He was screaming and crying. Ezra came over and started patting his belly real gently. OH, melts my heart to think about it. Precious! I guess Ezra doesn't hold a grudge! :-)

The boys also have a great love for their Papa. (We like to think this means they are missing their Daddy?) Last night they were in their bedroom and I was nursing Levi before bed. Elliot opened up the playroom gate and the metal clanked a little. Levi immediately unlatched and yelled "PAPA" and waved. Ezra then started chanting "Papa, papa! and RAN out of the bedroom to look for him. It was adorable.

I didn't get any pic's of them on their 18 month milestone, except one. Here is them with their Papa having tickle time. I wish you could hear all the giggles!
Elliot and I made some pizza tonight. The boys did not like it! HAHA

My Girl's Room

Finally got Elliot's room put together. It only took 15 months, but it's done. Actually, I can thank my parents for most of it since they are getting rid of the "Princess" room when they move. I've been snagging things when I can.

Here you can see the wall color. (cell phone pic's so not perfect!). Elliot chose green, but now that everyone says they like it she is claiming she wanted blue. Go figure!

Grabbed the night stand from the parents casa. Found the snazzy pink "bin" (and 2 others like it) for $0.99 @ Goodwill. Fits perfectly under the night stand and the others fit in her closet organization.
Also took these curtains from my parents. Got rid of her old valance. Elliot decided to tie them back with pom pon's (which have since been replaced with a proper pull back thing, like in the 3rd pic).
The final touch for the room came with getting this dresser. We replaced her old spray painted thrift store one! :-) Now, every time Ezra goes in her room he opens and closes the drawers non-stop (the old one's didn't move so smoothly!) haha.

My brother and sis-n-law just bought a house that came with this mirror. It was nasty and brown, but with a little spray paint, it's my masterpiece. Hung another set of curtains around it and I think it looks quite cute. I know it's nothing extravagant, but I'm just excited it finally looks like a place where a little girl would like to call her own. (Although, I think her favorite place is still her closet where all of her ART is set up!).

Painting

I decided to paint Elliot's bedroom. It looks great, but what should normally be a 2 hour project took 12 HOURS with 3 kids to care for. Ridiculous. On top of that Elliot was "helping" me. As soon as I moved the paint onto the carpet (to move the drop cloth across the room) Elliot stepped in it, and proceeded to hang her soaking foot over the carpet! So, this is what I was left with:
After just sitting and staring at it (while listening to all 3 kids screaming) I decided to get to work. Got out my all powerful Nature's Sunshine Veggie wash and started scrubbing and soaking up. I was shocked to see it actually working. As I'm soaking everything up here is a darling conversation El and I had:

El: Mom, you're using too many paper towels
Me: Whatever, it's gotta get clean!
El: Well, you're not saving a tree.

I wanted to crack up. I'd actually like to blame this one on her school friend who says, "1,2,3...save a tree" when they get their paper towels. Regardless, this is coming from the girl who thinks it's great to cut up paper all the time or just draw a line and throw the sheet away. I must say, after she made her comments about my paper towel use (which I never use!) she said, Where does paper come from? When I informed her it was from trees, she seemed intrigued. Maybe she'll quit being wasteful with her art.

Any whoooo.....after about 1.5 hrs. the floor cleaning was a success:
(the picture actually looks like there is a green tint, but in real life..you don't see that!) YEA for a clean floor. All this to say: if you are going to put wood floors in your entire house except the kids rooms....just go ahead and do their rooms too! It's SOO MUCH EASIER to clean! :)