Earning Keep

We introduced Leah to the magical world of chore charts this past week, which we refer to as "Daily Responsibilities". Right now the concept is pretty simple. Take a ticket for each task completed, save them up, and shop at the family store on Saturday. It all started to make sense on Saturday when she saw a beautiful new Sleeping Beauty doll that she could "buy".

She didn't' have enough tickets for it, though, and instead purchased back her toys that Mr. Butler had taken away in a pre-nap cleaning frenzy and a date with Mom to get her nails painted. I was planning on taking her to a place not too far from here that will paint little girls nails for $3, but she thought it meant that I would paint her nails in her room- something we do about twice a month anyway- but she was so excited that we did that instead.
I haven't decided yet how I feel about rewards for chores versus just doing things because you need to help out around the house, but so far, this system has worked pretty well. It's been great saying, "Check your chart and see which tickets you can get today!" instead of nagging her to death about putting napkins on the table or brushing her teeth.

Plus, the items in the family store can be as big or little- expensive or free- as I choose. And it gives Leah a way to earn toys instead of just asking for something and having it handed over. So far I've been pleased with all the potential lessons that have come from this idea- counting, basic math, saving, earning, working toward a goal, delayed gratification- and some chores are getting done, too!

First Snow?

It snowed this weekend. We were so excited to get out and build a snowman, but it turns out Indiana snow is... different. It looked like we were caught in the middle of a giant snow globe- lots of whirling and swirling, but not a whole lot of landing. Plus the snow was very powdery, so our snowman looked more like a snow pyramid. But that didn't stop us from having fun! Leah loves eating snow, so she was content hanging out by the side of the house. And Adam was a real trooper for about 15 minutes, until a gust of wind froze his drool to his chin and we headed inside!

Happiness Is...

Volunteers for unloading the dishwasher
Snuggling with Mama
Dancing with Daddy
A carefully arranged tea party
And 3-year-olds that proclaim, "I'm tired! Let's go take a nap" and then promptly tuck themselves into bed.

One-Upper

Leah has started retelling stories I tell her, only she is the main character instead of me, and her stories are always just a little more exciting. For example-

She asked me today if I've ever fallen on the ice while walking home. I told her no, but relayed a time that I was in college and was walking home from class in very slippery shoes and almost fell. Her response was,

"When I a little girl, I was in preschool and I was walking home from class one day and I was wearing slippery shoes and I almost fell and then I did fall!" Amazing!

Or my favorite (of the day)-

She had pulled out her piggy bank and was scattering coins all over her room. Adam choking hazard! I told her about the time my sister Allison (as a baby) ate a penny off the ground and had to go to the hospital to have it removed. I tried to make it pretty dramatic ("and she had to get shots!") so she would get the point when I asked her if she knew any babies that might eat a penny off the ground because they didn't know any better. ("Adam!") Her response-

"When I was a baby I found a penny on the ground and I didn't know any better and I ate the whole piggy bank!"

Incredible!

Night Cap

How does he manage to wake up at exactly 10:31 every night? Regardless of what time he's gone to bed, Adam is always up and ready to nurse at the same time every night... the same time I'm ready for bed!

*And yes, that is Adam. I realize with the purse and sleep sack he looks somewhat like a girl... He's just a very pretty little boy!

Who's The Boss?

Dinnertime conversation

Jason: I was talking with Torbert today...

Leah: Who's Torbert?

Jason: My boss at work.

Leah: Just like Mommy is the boss in the house!

Smart girl.And just as a side note, Leah definitely isn't a toddler anymore. She is a sassy little preschooler, minus the preschool. Not that we haven't been looking into it, because this is the year that she'll start preschool! But she has really grown up in the last month or so. She says things like, "You don't say mean things to me" and "You need to say I'm sorry because I'm crying" She has her own agenda and opinions and tries my patience several times every hour, more so than ever before.

Sometimes the look on her face screams, "What you are doing right now is going to mess me up for years to come" when all I'm trying to do is help her understand the importance of wearing weather-appropriate clothes or "wipe and THEN flush!" Plus, for all the love she has for her baby brother, all day I hear "Adam's touching me! Adam's taking my toys!" She is growing up, which I'm so grateful for, but Lord, please help my mothering skills to catch up with her.

Check Out The Teeth!

And look at that sad little drool-induced rash. It doesn't seem to bother Adam, but it bothers me! Any advice on how to get rid of it?