Sitting up instead of spitting up!

Presley is learning to sit up and I just couldn't take it and ran inside to get fairy wings and pearls, I'm becoming that mom (don't worry no pageants in her future) but I do love dressing her up :) 

the way she was sitting you can't see the other wing but how precious is she? : )

so.in.love.

chore pack: part 2

I love Michelle Duggar for so many reasons! I love love love watching the show 19 Kids and Counting. : ) (there, my secret is out). Anyways.. my chore cards came from pinterest.Then I had to make my own by taking pictures of random chores around the home, laminated them and stuck them into the boys packs.


My point of sharing this is that I wanted to share how well this system is working for us! Each weekday morning after breakfast the boys are to complete at least 2-3 chores depending on what I give them, the usual are "make bed" and "get dressed" "water plants" (cohen) and caleb gets "unload dishwasher" and "clean up toys" "feed duke"  Then on Thursdays or Fridays the boys get more chores because that is my clean house day, their chores include cleaning bathrooms, vaccumming, sweeping, windexing. Yes, I have to go back behind them BUT this is teaching them the value of being servant in the home. AND it helps me clean in peace if they are doing something productive or fighting over lysol :) They wear their chore packs around their neck with pictures of the chores they are to complete. (Caleb already did his by this point of taking pictures).

"no! my turn to windex!"

The system to let them wear the badges around their necks with their chore cards in them is really working and the boys are excited to complete a chore and then see which chore is next. I got that idea from the Duggars as well :)

Zach and I just recently decided that we start paying the boys for their chores to show the value of their hard work, however if they don't complete it fully, or grumble while doing it, no money, but still complete the chore.  We struggled on what to pay them, especially Cohen, poor Caleb wouldn't know the difference between a penny and a nickel. We decided they would get .25 each chore they complete with the exception of make bed, get dressed, clean up toys, feed duke, water plants, but only pay for the big chores. Sounds like we are cheap sakes I'm sure you are thinking, or you want to call Child Labor Services on us but we felt that was fair because on a Thursday or Friday they can make a dollar and then choose to put it in his bank to save for something or go spend it at the Dollar Tree (today they chose a 1.00 chocolate milk at Kroger). They are also required twice a month to donate their earnings to the orphan in Uganda that their class is supporting. We don't want them thinking they do chores to get big rewards but instead do chores because that is required of them, but hey, you get a small prize for doing it to the fullest and with joy : )

2011, 2010

One year ago... 

Two years ago this time...

Wow, something just dawned on me. My children always look DIRTY! If I had time I would take a picture of them RIGHT NOW and post it b/c they are both really muddy from playing in the mud, but they are naked so I'll spare you that picture. Boys... 

I hope P won't be so dirty all the time but I am sure she will be living in the woods with 2 older brothers! 

give me patience and grace.

A typical morning after our "schooling" is over.

 

 

It's not the circumstances.

he shops?

Cohen does some of his school work on the computer ... usually. The other day I went away from monitoring/helping him to go change P's diaper. I came back to this... 

Cohen somehow got to the Rokenbok website (some high dollar fancy legos basically) and shopped. He had 379.00 worth of stuff in his "cart" about to checkout. Good thing I came back in time... and my CC info isn't saved. Weird part, I have never once been to this site on my computer. Computer genesis I guess.

Sundays in our house

Every other day of the week our bed looks like this...

But on Sundays... it looks like this! All the kids pile in the bed with Daddy! They spend most of their time here until time to get ready for Church and eat breakfast.

I just love that they do this!