Croutons, my hero!

I was having a really challenging morning today(see earlier post)when I remembered a trick someone tried with her children. For good behavior her children got a marble in a jar and with bad a marble came out. Simple enough right? How many times have I tried charts and tricks, stickers and treats trying to come up with a reward or a system to help with behavior around here.

Today I was about to snap when I remembered the marbles in the jar. I didn't have marbles so quickly looked through my pantry for what I could use. I found an empty canning jar and some lentils... too small, egg noodles...maybe. Then I saw the croutons! Without explanation I thanked Anna for eating her lunch and threw one crouton in the jar. No mention of a reward later or anything. After lunch she got upset again so I just walked into the kitchen and without a word removed the crouton from her jar. You would have thought I cut off her right arm with how upset she was. I was thrilled, it was already working! She took a nap that I made her take and so she got a crouton. When I asked her to get her shoes on she did it without any fuss and asked for a crouton in the jar. We made cupcakes and took some to her friends(her idea) so she earned another crouton. If she begins to fuss even a little I just mention the crouton and she shapes up. Wow, if only I knew it could be this simple. Who knows if it will work tomorrow, but it's working at the moment so who cares right? Who knew the power of a crouton!

Pass the cheetos please!

You may not want to read this cause it's gonna get ugly... I hate to complain about my kids cause I love them and they are mine and healthy and strong, but... today just may do me in. Nothing catastrophic but annoying just the same. Especially when I am trying soooo hard to be calm, and nice, and patient, which is something I am not very good at, the patient part at least, I am generally calm and nice, well maybe not calm, but nice. Anyway...This morning started out as it usually does with me asking Anna to go get dressed and her saying, "I don't know what to wear". I find this annoying because then I always say long pants and long sleeves. Aren't I nice to not control every choice she makes and pick out her cutest outfits? No, instead I choose to give up control(which is hard for me) and let her make a choice that may not make me thrilled and even embarrassed at times with things she chooses. This is how the morning continued...
Me: Anna here are some clothes you can wear, please get dressed while I get Kate dressed.
Me: Anna are you dressed?
Anna: I don't have anything to wear!
Me: Yes you do I laid it out for you on your dresser
Anna: whining and screaming of some sort
Me: I will do Kate's hair while you get dressed. We have to go in 20 minutes.
Anna: More crying and screaming
Me 5 minutes later: We are going to have to leave and you will have to wear whatever you have on, is that going to be your underwear(since that is as far as she had gotten).
Anna: crying and screaming
Me: please get dressed
Me: Hurry so we can do your hair. How do you want your hair done?
Anna: I don't care if my hair is done.
Me: Ok, let's just not do it then
Anna: Screaming more, "I want my hair done!"
Me: Ok, stop crying and ask me nicely to do it.
-Finally she does
Me: How do you want it?
Anna: a braid
-so I do one braid like she usually likes.
anna: NOt one braid I want two braids right here! (screaming and crying)
Me: You said a braid and that's what I did and all we have time for.
Anna: more screaming
-As we are getting on coats to leave she says, "Mom, you got me in trouble!" (I love how all this is my fault)
We have a little talk about the fact that she is choosing to act this way etc.
-We go to her parent teacher conference and thankfully other than her being bossy at school(surprise, surprise) she gets a good report.
So I am still trying to be calm and think let's do something fun together. So I asked Anna if she wanted to make something with me. She said yes.
Me: Do you want to make cinnamon rolls?
Anna: No, I want to make cookies
Me: Ok like snickerdoodles?
Anna: No, like cupcakes, pink cupcakes.
Me: Ok let's stop on the way home and pick some things up.
-while we were there I decided that we were going to buy cheetos. I have been wanting cheetos for months now and haven't given in but today I was all about the cheetos.
We get home and I ask "Anna do you want some cheetos?"
Anna: No.
10 minutes later-anna comes to me and says "I want cheetos!" so I told her to go get a bowl and get some, but she says she wants me to do it. I told her i offered and she said no so she would have to do it. So she pouts for 5 minutes and finally decides to get some cheetos.

How many more hours til bedtime? We still have to make the cupcakes and by then she'll probably want brownies!

Our kiddos

I've felt lazy lately when it comes to blogging and catch up with the holidays. Especially because it takes so long to upload the pictures. I've had complaints that I do to much rambling and not enough "picturing" so I thought I would post some random cute pics of the kids through the holidays. Our kids look quite different from each other so we are excited to see who our little Jane will end up looking like!

Bribery, a Mom's best friend

It's no secret that as I child I cried...a lot. I recall my own mother using bribery on a few occasions to try to decrease my many outbursts. I still remember some barrettes she stuck to the fridge for me to admire longingly. They were rather popular in the eighties with the ribbon braided through clip, then hanging long with feathers and a few beads. They were awesome and I wanted them bad. After a week with less crying they were finally mine. When I was 5 I really wanted my ears pierced and my Mom said I had to go an entire week without any crying and I would get them pierced. Funny thing is that's how our Anna ended up getting her ears pierced when she was five. She had to go two weeks without having any tantrums. Whatever works right?

This week I was helping Ethan practice his spelling words. He always seems to miss about 2 words, and being the competitive Mom that I am I get frustrated that he can't just get them all right. As we were going through the words he kept missing the word "does" I don't know why and we tried over and over many different ways to remember it and he just couldn't get it. Finally out of desperation I bribed him by telling him that if he just got "does" right on his spelling test that week I would buy him a candy bar. As soon as I said it I felt kind of bad but it was already out there. Well sure enough he could spell "does" with ease.

He came home Friday pleased as punch because he had spelled "does" correctly. And like normal he missed two other words. I think next time I will have to bribe him with a candy bar only if he gets 100 percent.

Big baby

Yesterday I went to my monthly baby checkup. All seemed fine until he took my measurements to see how she was growing. He didn't say anything to me but I asked how big she was measuring. He said "oh, 30 or 31 weeks." I was like "what?" He asked me what I should be measuring and I am only 25 and half weeks. He said "oh" Then he walked out the door and handed me that lovely orange bottle of glucose drink. He said that the measurement could be 1 of 3 things. It could be a fluke, she's a really big baby (which honestly could be the case with my history) or I now have gestational diabetes. I wasn't too excited about any of these things. I guess in some ways I'm hoping it's a fluke but how does a Dr. misjudge by that much. I've heard of babies measuring a week or 2 off but 5 or six weeks? Wow.

He said it probably wouldn't be a bad idea to start eating as if I were diabetic. I don't know why he isn't testing me right away but he said we'll just do it at my next appointment. I guess the good news then is he's not overly concerned. I'm not overly concerned either but am wondering how big she could end up being. Ethan was 9lb 5 oz and I didn't have diabetes. I guess the good news is with no more treats for me and low carbs I shouldn't be gaining much more weight which is a huge plus and I will already be in "diet" mode for when she makes her debut. I was teasing with a friend yesterday and said maybe we should change the name from Jane which to me sounds dainty and feminine to something like Gertrude which sounds a tad more line-backeresque, you think?

"Stinkin'" funny

We've had the stomach bug at our house recently. The kids and I all had it and we kept waiting to see when Randall's turn would come. Yesterday was the day and his intestines were giving him fits. You can imagine things were not smelling super fresh. Kate walked in to our room where Randall was lying down in his misery when she said, "Daddy you are stinky, you need your diaper changed, I go tell Mommy." Some time later Kate returned to check on him and the air must have been more pleasant because she said, "Daddy, you get your diaper changed?" and he replied, "I don't wear diapers." So Kate said, "Did you change your pants?" Can't get much past her! We're glad that we are now all well and things are a bit more "fresh" around here.

kids these days

Yesterday Ethan wasn't very happy about his return to school. At breakfast he prayed that he would be in "the mood" to go to school. Well he went without a fight, but about 3pm and I got a call from the school telling me he had just thrown up all over his classroom. Awesome. The funny thing is his teacher told me they had just barely finished discussing the word ill. I guess he was listening because when I got him in the car I asked what happened and he said "well, I was feeling ill and then all of the sudden I just threw up."

Everyone but Ethan and Rand have had stomache flu over the weekend so we figured his turn would come and it did. He was sick until about 10 last night but now seems to be fine. Ethan woke up this morning saying he felt fine and asking to play the Wii. Sitting at lunch just now I know he must be better because he just finished off an entire can of tuna, straight from the can. He drank the "juice" and even licked it! I think now I just may throw up!

Embrace

I have been reading recently of people who choose a "word for the year", their hope or aspiration for 2010. I've been giving that a lot of thought. If I had to choose my theme or word for the year 2010 what would it be? The past week or so my mind has wandered from word to word. Initially I chose the word "accept" as in accepting things as they come, however they come etc. I often find myself struggling with things that I either can't control, or with things that are not really that important. I decided that my chosen word needed to be taken a step further. My word for this year is "Embrace". I feel like while embrace and accept are fairly similar, I find that embrace is a more active and positive aspect on the whole not just accepting what is, but embracing it.

That word Embrace has been on my mind a lot today. We received some horribly, sad heartbreaking news this morning regarding some friends of ours and their family. This family has endured so much and yet continues in faith to embrace what comes. My heart has been heavy with hurt today for them and their loss. Their trials have caused me to ask questions like how? Why? Why them? What more can be asked of them to endure? Would I be able to endure if it was asked of me? This family has been an extremely strong example of FAITH and STRENGTH and embracing what is and having the courage to move forward. I don't know whether they have asked similar questions in public or in private. I do know that because of their example's of faith and strength, I commit this year to do whatever it takes to increase my faith, and to know that whatever comes my way, good or bad, I can embrace it.