Don't call Pete!...

I have the good fortune of being able to work outside the home at a place that I have worked at for YEARS! 20 years to be exact! I started working as a dispatcher at a VERY young age and because of these children I kept working part time after their birth! I knew that I would need a break from this chaotic life I lead. It also brings home the bacon if you know what I mean. Life is good. In working there I have met quite a few people, fellow dispatchers, firefighters & most importantly policemen. These connections have come in handy with the tribe! I never thought about how the tribe would react to running into one of my friends from work until that day at Costco. I think that is when I first realized how depending on the persons uniform they can get quite upset. Apparently they do not like Police uniforms. LOL! Avery is the worst, she freaks! She is the one that has stranger anxiety. She will flip out if you come too close & she is unsure of you! She has done this a few times to her Uncle & it was quite the sight. She wailed & held on tight till she was safe in my arms. CRAZY but true! Well on this particular day we were at Costco, one of our favorite places, when we ran into my friend Pete. Pete is a sheriffs deputy & he happened to be there on a premise check so he came over to say hi. She took one look at him & she freaked! I tried to explain that he was Mommy's friend but she just cried while keeping her distance. He continued to say his "hello's" and off he went. As soon as he left Avery was fine! We ventured out into the store because it is SO tempting. We made a few purchases & decided it was time to leave. The tribe was in one of those moods and was not listening. There I was trying to get them all into the "burb, strapped in & the groceries put away so the person waiting for our spot would not get ticked that I took too long when Pete showed up! I must have looked frazzled because the next thing I knew there was Pete telling them to get in their seats! I never saw them move so quickly! They were scared & did exactly what he said! I was SO happy! Not that I want them to be afraid of policemen but I know have a new tactic to get them to behave, Pete! From that day forward all I have had to say is that I am going to call Pete & they say, Sorry Mommy...

Don't call Pete!...

re thinking the "time out" chair...

I have been trying "new" ideas lately. OK they are not new exactly new ideas, just new to me. (= People always ask me how I get our children to "behave" and I really do not know how to answer them. I tend to give this answer much thought! What do I do that makes people want my opinion on handling childrens behavior?! The one thing I catch myself telling people is that I expect a LOT from these children of ours. I really have had HIGH expectations of them ever since they have been little. I think that since it has always been them & me during the day I tend to talk to them as I would talk to other adults. My hubby constantly tells me "They are just kids..." but I do not think they should get away with certain behaviors just because they are kids. Is this the right thing to do? I do not know. I tend to think it works for me. Now I am not saying they are angels because they are not! I am just VERY consistant & like I said expect a LOT from them! I say what I mean & mean what I say! In the end they do listen for the most part. I mean they are two and a half so being WILD is to be expected! LOL! Over the past few months I started reading a few parenting books to see if I could improve my parenting style. I mean you can never be too old to learn a few new tricks! LOL! Well one thing I learned in particular was the use of the "time out" chair. We invested in one of these! I found a VERY cute hand carved one at our local HomeGoods store. {LOVE that place!} I thought when all else fails we will use the "time out" chair. Everyone seems to use this method with their kids but does it really work? In one book, God forbid me I cannot remember the name, they say that "Time Out" should not be a form of punishment, it should be a place to reflect. Hmm... Don't penalize them give them their space to "re group". SO here I am having the tribe go to the "Time Out" chair & think about why they behaved the way they did. This is a VERY hard practice to do when you are programmed a different way! Each time they act out I tell them to go to their chair which I placed in the hallway away from everyone. It gives them some quiet time to think about what made them do something "ugly". I should say that the others tend to gather around the "bad one" in moral support to give them company! Very cute to watch! It took awhile to get them to actually learn the concept of leaving the child that was being "ugly" there ALONE. SO far so good. Now they actually tell each other when they should go take a seat! ha! I realize this is just the beginning but I'm really starting to enjoy this...

re-thinking the "time out" chair...

things will get better...

This past week has been a rough one. The leader of our tribe got sick which affected our ENTIRE routine. It's amazing how much you count on someone/something until you don't have them. The biggest change in our schedule was being OUT of the house ALL day & not getting any naps. The tribe needs their sleep! The things we will do just so Daddy could get his rest AND so we did not catch his cooties! He is NOT a happy camper when he is sick! I guess none of us would be in good spirits if we didn't feel good. Daddy in a weak moment, I blame it on the drugs they had him on, said "Go to My Gym". If he was in his "right mind" I really believe he would NOT have told me this. LOL! This is a luxury we can barely afford but is SO needed! I did not look a gift horse in the mouth so I agreed with him. Luckily I had been corresponding with the owner of our local My Gym & was able to finagle getting the tribe into a class that day.FYI the first class you attend is FREE! They will also assist you with your kids if you don't have "helper's" to attend with you. As a parent of multiples this is HUGE! So we rushed through breakfast & hurried off to our very FIRST My Gym experience. I was sort of worried since it was going to be just them & me. They have never been in a "classroom" situation before & I did not know how they would deal with that structure. We arrived about ten minutes early. For anyone that has multiples knows that this is a MAJOR accomplishment! We are never early for anything! We did our meet & greet with a few of the other kiddos there. It just so happens that Dustyn's fifth grade science teacher brings her daughter there. What a small world! We ended up having quite a big class which made me even more worried. More kids meant more time for them to learn how to wait their turn. This is something we have been trying to work on forever! They are NOT good at this! And I am not good at dealing with four kids that don't listen. I SO did not want to be the parent of that kid that did what she wanted & did not listen. In the beginning they were allowed to play on all of the cool kid "gym" equipment. Brendan LOVED the ball pit! In fact they all did! {I promise to post some pictures when I get them} Then there was the balance beam. Avery wanted to get across it to get back into the ball pit. (= Once Camryn spotted the trampoline she was smitten. She just walked in front of every kid there & hopped up on it. This was where things got hard for me. She did not get the concept of taking turns. This is when having just me there to wrangle them takes it's toll. I wanted to cry but I held it in. If I could have managed it I would have grabbed them & headed out the door. I think a few of my mommy friends knew this because they reassured me that it would get better. That their kids were just like this in the beginning. I had to keep reminding myself that they need this. Getting out amongst other kids & having this structure is SO important for them. Heck I need this! After all was said & done we signed them up! We will attend a class a week & any "free play" we can manage. I was psyched! We said "Bye" to Miss Kristin & off we went. Not far mind you because my tribe became animals! If I was upset at their behavior inside My Gym I was really upset at their behavior outside! They ran in all directions & refused to hold hands as we left. I was getting SO upset. This nice woman must have seen how upset I was because she came out from a restaurant & offered to help me walk them to our car. I wanted to die! There I was yelling for Camryn to come with us & hold her brothers hand & she basically flat out refused. She acted like she could not even hear me. I walked the three of them to our vehicle as this woman, God love her, held on to Camryn's hand. I rushed them into the 'burb & started it up. Then I hustled over to Camryn to get her into the 'burb too. I was SO mad. Mad at them for not listening & mad at myself for letting them get the better of me. After everyone was buckled in & sat there for what seemed like 5 minutes telling myself that I can do this, that...


things will get better...

cranky...

Lately I have had ONE cranky little girl on my hands. It is funny how this "title" has been shared by each one of my girls. The 1st to achieve this was Camryn, then Lindsey, now Miss Avery currently holds it. It seems like she whines ALL the time! My mom thinks she does not feel well. I just think she is just taking her turn at being "spoiled". She has already figured out being a bit of a snot will get her some attention. I am not used to this coming from her. She ALWAY'S seems to want her Daddy so it is a somewhat unwanted treat for me. When I walk out of her sight she crys for me & wants to be held ALL the time. My mom & I went out the other night & Michael said she cried for about an hour. Oh, my sweet little girl, what happened to her? I want my confident & stubborn Avery back!! I just cannot handle...

cranky...

the Elf on a Shelf...

I heard about this NEAT book recently while we were attending MOPS at our church.Apparently I do not get out much because it is all over the book stores! A mom, just like most of us, Carol Aeborsold, created this idea years ago for her own family & once her daughter, Chanda Bell, grew up they had it published. This is THEE best gift to give small children for Christmas. Basically it is a book about an elf that is "magical" & reports back daily to Santa on how good your kids are being. It comes in this box that includes a book and the elf. It explains everything in the book. There is even a certificate where you list when you received him & his or her name. Then each year when you start getting all your Christmas decorations out he returns too! Our children as young as they are already named our elf "Ollie". Cute huh!? Hopefully as they get older they will love it as much as I already do! I have been told by MANY of my other mommy friends that it really gets them to behave!All they have to do is remind their child that the elf is watching & they will behave. Since the elf comes back each day, with a little help of course, hint, hint, the kids wake up searching for him. Most of all they CANNOT touch him or he will lose his magic. Isn't this a neat idea!? And if they do misbehave just remind them "Mr Elf" is watching! Too bad they do not have this for us year round! This mom that created "Elf on a Shelf" gets BIG kudo's from me! So get out there & buy your...

the Elf on a Shelf...