Get Your Tickets Here!
Tickets are so great for young children…
We started a new chore system for our almost 10 year old(called Accountable Kids… I’ll share more about it later – love it and it deserves its own post!)… and it is ticket based. Basically, our son can earn tickets for doing morning chores, afternoon chores, good behavior, etc… and the tickets can be exchanged for privileges (mostly screen time). We started the system with just our oldest… and it has worked so well that now my younger two (ages 6 and 4) are always asking if they can earn tickets. What is funny about it… they don’t even know what the tickets are for!
I love it when children are still in the stage where a ticket is enough of a prize! 
So, I was thrilled to find these tickets that Gingham Cherry is giving away – so cute!
Just think about the possibilities…
tickets for potty training
tickets to buy stuff from the ’store’
tickets for obeying
tickets for kindness
tickets for chores
tickets for game pieces
tickets for learning to count/math
… so many possibilities!
You can even let your kids set up all their stuffed animals in the living room for a zoo exhibit… and sell tickets to the zoo
What would you use these tickets for?
Does Your Kid Kitchen Have Menus?
This is the coolest idea… can’t wait to do this with my kids next week!
My younger 2 spend a lot of time preparing all sorts of concoctions in their little kitchen… it is pretty funny the different ‘teas’ they serve… or appetizers (which IRL would not be all that appetizing!)… their creativity is amazing — and this idea over at Money Saving Mom takes it a new level!
Money Saving Mom posted the cutest idea to make little menus for your kids kitchen — the kind THEY make Isn’t this a great exercise for them? They get to pick out foods they want to eat and include on their menu, layout the design, and set the prices. You could laminate the project for them too so they stand up over time.
Enjoy Your Children
As a mom of three, I completely understand that sometimes families have one of ‘THOSE’ days… if you are a parent, you know what I mean.
You know… the kind of day where all you want to do is get out of the house. You get all the kids in the car – secure in their carseats… shut the door and SAVOR the silence as you take the LONG way around the car to the driver seat. [Please tell me I am not the only mom who does this!]…
Somedays – it is just difficult to enjoy your children. I mean – of course, we LOVE our kids…
but, the mess that seems to follow them wherever they go…
the loud musical instruments that echo through the house as they play…
the lunch you took time to prepare – spilled all over the table and/or floor…
the 5th accident with your potty-training toddler…
Need I go on? 
I think my point is made…
But, the other day, I was sitting with a blogging friend who is just getting into building a blog about all the amazing things she has learned from her autistic son. As we were chatting, I realized that it is so easy to parents (of all types of children) to get caught in the every day RUT of taking care of one thing after another… and that sometimes, we just need to sit still and enjoy our children.
News is covering these amazing MOMprenuers….
I actually enjoyed watching the news last night. There is so much garbage covered on the news… but, last night I was excited to hear the segment on local momprenuers! Although I’m convinced there are more than just the two they covered (I personally know of 5-10 in my area and I know there are more!), it was fun to see what these successful moms are doing to being in some extra money. And, I might add, they are quite successful at it too
One of the moms started the company that makes those Buggie Wipes. Very cool little invention… and a fun company!
The other mom that they covered was the creator of the website Hot Coupon World. I hadn’t heard of this site before – and it is HOPPIN’!! WOW! Talk about loads of couponing resources – I spent about 20 minutes on it last night and didn’t even make a dent in all the resources available there. Go check it out – membership is FREE!! Here is the link: http://www.hotcouponworld.com/
Things got you down?
This has been the most difficult winter for me since we have moved to the Pacific NW. I’m SO ready for spring and summer… to wear shorts… to need my sunglasses again… to ride bikes and go on hikes… to get some fresh air and not have to bundle up to be outside… doesn’t that sound nice?
Well… I’ve decided to bring spring in a little early…
Not only are we spring cleaning (and I mean… spring DUMPING – can’t believe how much stuff we have to get rid of)… but, I’m determined to get over these winter time blues and plow through to those sunshine months.
Here is my plan…
- I’m getting up earlier… I am SO not a morning person – but, when I am up early, I really enjoy the morning hours. I’d love to get up when my hubby leaves at 6:30 – but, I’m going to be more realistic and shoot for 7:30 (my kids sleep until 8:30 or so… I know – I’m lucky… but, it hasn’t always been this way).
- I’m eating better… I have a group of friends that is doing a simple ‘Biggest Loser’ type of thing and it is very motivating! I’ve got loads of baby weight to lose (can I call it that – since my baby just turned 4?!?)… but, lost 2 pounds last week – just enough to keep me going!
No Kids Allowed At Starbucks???
I’m sitting here at Starbucks… with my laptop… and my latte… trying to get some work done. It’s nice and quiet… I’m the only one here and I have a nice table in the corner. Today, I came to get away a bit and focus on a book I’m writing. With three young ones at home – well, let’s just say the focus wasn’t there I actually come every week… one time I came and an entire girls soccer team showed up. The parents all gathered in the corner… talking and laughing… while their crazy (read: out of control) 10 year old girls were throwing and kicking a little soccer ball INSIDE Starbucks. I tried my hardest to ignore it and focus (that is why I was there after all…) – And, being a mom of three, I think I did pretty good tuning out the chaos.
UNTIL…
The ball came straight towards me and my laptop. Yep. The ball bounced off the table I was sitting at – just inches away from my computer (it would have broken my laptop had it hit it). The parents?… laughing and enjoying their time to catch up with each other. The employees? Oblivious to the chaos in their shop… Me? I probably should have said something… but, I just left. So much for getting any work done.
“Do you have a senior discount?” Huh?!? Excuse me… I’m 37!
We went out to dinner last night… it was one of those salad places where you go down the line and build your own salads. I reached the register first and had my 5 year old and 3 year old standing next to me. My husband had my oldest (8) with him and they were still getting the last few things on their salad.
I told the cashier that we had 2 adults and rattled off the kids ages… then she asked me…
“Do you have a senior discount?”
WHAT?!?!?
Hello – I’m 37 – do I really look like I’m even CLOSE to 60? I don’t think so…
It’s kind of a silly joke between my hubby and I – usually people think we are younger than we are… but, although hubby is a year older than me, they always think he is youngest… like 10 years younger! When we were in Puerto Vallarta a few years back – the people there all thought we were in our early twenties (okay, we were in our twenties – but, I think I was 26 and my hubby 27). They were positive my hubby was 22! And it happens everywhere…
But, I couldn’t believe this lady asked if I wanted the senior discount. When we got to the booth I was going off a bit to my hubby – “the nerve… blah, blah, blah…”… and of course, he knew just what to say…
Looking for lazy mornings?? I can’t wait!
I am SO NOT a morning person… and I can’t wait until summer when we don’t all have to be out the door before 8am!!
I’m planning on implementing a new summer schedule for the kids – it’s going to look something like this:
Dressed, breakfast and teeth brushed before 9:30am. If they are ready before then (and I know they will be because they are early risers), than they can play until 9:30.
At 9:30 we do morning chores… I’ll have a chore chart in place for each of them. There are some great resources if you google chore charts for kids that list out age appropriate chores. Check out this one… www.ChoreCharts.com
We’ll do chores until 11am… and then it will be play time until noon – then we’ll have lunch. We might pack a picnic and take it to the park or something.
After lunch, I really want to enforce a quiet time. I use to do this when I just had my oldest two – and now that we have three kids… the noise level has gone WAY up – so, we need a quiet time. (Okay, I’ll be honest – I will be the one NEEDING the quiet to keep my sanity
After about an hour of quiet time… the kids can play for a few hours or so… and then will have some late afternoon chores that will likely be focused around getting dinner ready.
Training our kids for Valentines Day
Yesterday as we were walking out of a store, I noticed a man walking in his son. As they got to the door, they stopped and the dad pointed out a sign to the son. He said, “What do you think about that – do you think that would be a good Valentines gift for mom?”… The boy didn’t seem to have an opinion one way or another… but, as I walked past I looked to see what they were looking at. It was a sign of personalized items – like mugs with pictures, plates, mouse pads, etc… and I thought – How cool! This dad was training his son to think ahead for Valentines Day by getting him involved in getting a gift for his mom. Way to go dad!!
