Perry Points

This is what we call PERRY POINTS... alternately titled, BRIBERY DISGUISED AS A CHORE CHART.

How do they earn them?:
By doing (each of) the following:
-making bed
-taking vitamins/medicine
-getting dressed
-brushing teeth
-practicing piano
-cleaning out the car (this must be done each time we come home from somewhere & includes them getting everything in the car that is theirs -- from toys to trash)
-NOT fighting
-putting away shoes (when getting home)
-cleaning up 'mess' (clearing spot from meals, picking up toys when done w/ activity)
and DOUBLE points for -memorizing/reciting new bible verse

But here's the trick (for long lasting habit forming) --- these must be done WITHOUT my reminders.  This way they're really forcing themselves to make it a real part of their day.

We sit down before bedtime & tally 'points'.  This is our time to reflect on the day's events & evaluate if we tried our hardest.

Attributes can be changed & analyzed at anytime.  The point is to manage behavior & once it's managed, it's time to zero in on something else that needs to be manipulated.  For us, the above habits/behaviors were needing to be worked on.

We used to do separate charts, but since our prizes (field trips) are done TOGETHER, that didn't make sense.  Plus, this kinda encourages camaraderie (rather than competition, which ends up=fights).

What do they earn?  FIELD TRIPS; which are a HUGE part of our family life anyway... so why not reward them with something that won't be too big of a spend for us.
When we started this Perry Points thing, the kids brainstormed a list of places they want to go, things they want to do. 
Our list includes:
ice skating
water park
zoo
bounce-u
city garden--->Gus pretzels
magic house
science center
drive in
elephant rock --->johnson shut ins
roller skating
bowling
roller skating
mini golf
etc.

I used to pretend that they were choosing an activity from a hat.. I'd pretend to cut all the above activities into strips & let him or her "randomly" 'pick one' from that hat... when all reality, I was actually picking the one thing that would work for us (obviously am not going to pick elephant rock when daddy's not available) & write it on every strip.  You say sneaky, I say smart. ;)




When we first started doing this, I made cute little charts on the computer... but since we starting putting their charts together, I just grab a big piece of cardboard, or something that needs to be recycled.  I also used to do stickers, now just a fancy letter (or something they can't mimic).

Good luck!

It's Like I Birthed a Child

For reals. I've been up late the last few nights. Have gotten mad. Have gotten glad. Have gotten rad. (okay, maybe not rad, but it rhymed & I didn't want to use sad)

Because I created a little website. Readers, meet my new site. My new site, meet readers.

It will be a combination of the easy/cheesy things I do to save a dime. Good deals I see. Great finds I share from a garage sale or flea market. Hand-me-downs I'm excited to show. Crazy stuff I make or create. Free samples. Awesome coupons. And fun things to do with your family, that won't break the bank.

Go check it out....I hope you like.

Nothin' Says Lovin' Like Something From the ... Freezer?

Snow Ice Cream II

PREP TIME 20 Min
READY IN 20 Min

SERVINGS & SCALING Original recipe yield: 8 servings

INGREDIENTS
1 gallon snow
1 cup white sugar (ugh, I know)
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 cups milk (or milk alternative)

DIRECTIONS
When it starts to snow, place a large, clean bowl outside to collect the flakes. When full, stir in sugar and vanilla to taste, then stir in just enough milk for the desired consistency. Serve at once.

Temper-Temper

My boy is all of 2. He behaves badly...just like any good two-year old.

I ran across some tips from Dr. Harvey Karp...by the way, I [heart] Dr. Karp.

Here's what he has to say about preventing meltdowns & fostering good behavior:

AVOID PROBLEM INTERACTIONS
Don't let your tod get over-hungry, overtired, over-bored, or overstimulated
(you just described holiday dinners Dr Karp)

FEED THE METER
Like putting coins into a parking meter, arrange your time to play w/ your kids in lots of little spurts thru the day. Lessening the chance he'll feel the need to explode. Play for ten, cook for ten, play for ten, launder for ten, play for ten ....
(Dr Karp never worked from home)

GOSSIP ABOUT YOUR KID
Stat: "What we overhear is five times more potent than what we are told directly." Whisper loudly in front of your kiddo, like to your hubby, like, "Gabe was SUCH a good listener today, he picked up all his toys the first time I asked."
Dr Karp says this works well with negative stuff too.
(Note to Self: Ask Dr Karp what to do if there's nothing good to report, for days - {just kidding}).

BE A BOOB
Act dorky (comes easily to-um-some-er-moms) to make your kid feel smarter. Let your tot keep a puzzle piece from you or -- let him wrestle you to the floor. Pretend to not know an obvious answer. Pick your battles, to lose lots of them & then win those BIG ones (like GET INTO YOUR CAR SEAT). Laughter, all is well in the world of toddlerdom.

PRAISE
Every time your tod does something cool or nice, draw a little check on his hand (which he might think is cool), and count the checks before bathtime. Catch him being good & reward for a supereffective way to prevent problem behavior.
(Dr Karp, what to do if said toddler is obsessive compulsive & can't handle such disorder as having marks on his hand).

I added sarcasm - but the truth is, these are great tips & come to me at a real timely part of mothering a 2-year old.