Insight From the Backseat

This morning we were all in the car and this is what we heard from the backseat:

"Hey Dad? When we were in the boat with Kirsten at Phyllis and Loye's cabin, I saw a puddle the shape of a gun and I thought God was telling me that He needs another hunter...It was weird."

Dad asks, "Did you think He was telling you to be a hunter?"

"I don't know."

Kendall said, "Or it could have just been a puddle shaped like a gun."

Hmmm....Makes you think.

Ahh...

Today when I picked Evan up at school I asked him if he had a good day. He answered yes and said, “My days get better and better!”

We went and found Eli. Evan walked up to him and opened his arms for a hug. Eli hugged his brother and said, “I missed you today. I saw you at gym!”

Ahh….The moments that warm this mommy’s heart…

Eli's Song

Eli is learning Ojibway in school. He had the choice of French or Ojibway. We left it up to him and this is what he chose. Here he is singing numbers 1-10:



A little explanation from Eli: "It's harder with my eyes shut because usually someone does the motions and without doing the motions, it's harder for me to remember it. That's why I did it with my eyes shut."

First Bike Ride

Aggravation

"Aggravation" the hot new game in this house. You know, the game with the marbles. And I don't like it. I actually do feel aggravated when we play it.

The boys want to keep playing the game to its finish, but their attention spans do not match their enthusiasm. So they end up rolling around on the floor between turns. Then they're still rolling when I aggravatedly tell them to take their turn. Then I tell them that if they keep rolling around not paying attention to the game, I will put it away. They sit up for another round or two, then they forget and are back to rolling around on the floor.

Then I think, "What's my big deal? Why am I so aggravated? So what if it takes 3 1/2 hours to play one little game?" So I don't actually put the game away and just sit there really feeling the aggravation.

But tonight I put the game away, out of their sight. They still remembered it when I asked them if they wanted to play a game before bed. But I gave them a flat-out NO.

We need to have a garage sale. A secret garage sale when the boys are at school.

Advice Needed

Help. My boys cut a large hole in the side of a borrowed pack 'n play. A hole big enough to crawl through. I have had time to cool down now, but I was so frustrated. (To put it mildly.) So, unless I can find a good used one (the borrowed one was well-used), we will need to be shelling out a lot of money to replace it.

I need a creative idea. Obviously, Eli and Evan won't be able to come up with $65+ to buy a new one. I want them to see the seriousness of what they did and to face the consequences. But I am lacking creativity. I love hearing other people's ideas.

A Experiment With Whining

I have been driven nearly to the brink of insanity. It's the whining. High-pitched, the-world's-gonna-fall-apart whining. Sometimes accompanied by desperate jumping up and down.

Evan understands the difference between normal talking and whining. When he scream/whines, "Mommy! Help me!", I tell him, "Say, 'Mom, could you please help me with this?'" And he will repeat that back to me in a nice, calm voice. Complicating everything is the fact that he sometimes just plain talks in a high voice. So when I am on edge from the whining, it's hard for me to distinguish normal talking from whining.

Anyway, I have felt at a loss for how to work with this issue. It triggers a highly emotional response in me, making it hard to respond rationally. And whining back at a kid isn't an effective way to deal with whining. Trust me, I've tried it- though not on purpose.

So the other night I sat down with the good ol' internet to gather some ideas. After reading different articles and message boards, I came up with plan. I printed out 4 pictures like this:


On 3 of the pictures, I drew a line through the whining Calvin. (That is 'No Whining' for my little non-reader.) One I left as it was. I posted the 3 'No Whining' signs in the bathroom, the kitchen, and the living room. The one without a line through it, I posted in the boys' bedroom. Now I was ready for the next day.

The next morning I explained to Evan that the signs meant that these rooms were 'No Whining Zones.' He would not be allowed to whine in these rooms. If he started whining, I would remind him of the sign. He could then either change his tone or go to his room, the designated 'Whining Zone.' If he kept whining and refused to go to the 'Whining Zone,' I would carry him there. He was allowed to whine all he wanted in his room. He seemed to like the idea.

Now, I'm not saying that everything went so well after that. For example, that evening he was taking forever to fold his laundry. Finally I told him that Eli and I would start eating supper soon and he would not be allowed to sit down at the table until his laundry was put away. He slowly folded his laundry and put it away, all while crying loudly for a good 10 minutes. Did that count as whining? Probably. Did I send him to the 'Whining Zone?'. Oops.

But, here's what happened later: He started whining about something and I pointed to the 'No Whining' sign. No joke- He abruptly stopped mid-whine and asked me his question in a very pleasant tone! I could not believe it! It was hilarious.

So, the experiment is off to a good start. We'll see where it goes from here.