Vegmom Moments

CHOMP CHOMP CIRCLE GAME

So apparently my Senile old dog thought the Paper Circle Game we made last night was a delicacy.  I just caught her devouring every last piece.  What is her deal with eating paper?  And licking carpet for that matter?  She loves to just sit there and lick the carpet!  What is she possibly tasting that makes this enjoyable?

Silly Dog!

DROP THE CIRCLE GAME

While making the "job bucket" I had a bunch of left over punched circles and wasn't sure what to do with them, so we made a game...

This project took less then 5 minutes... Kids can help cut, punch or decorate.

• Take 10 Circles (punched or cut out of paper about 2 inch diameter each)
• Tape them end to end like an Accordion
• If you do it right, they will fold up and spring open
• Use the sheet that you cut the circles from and draw a bullseye in the middle. 
• Draw several shapes around the paper and assign different points to each shape.  (squares 5 points, triangles 2 points, etc.)  We made our bullseye be 20 points.
• Stand back and drop or throw the accordion circle, and it will fling on to the paper.
• The whole family can play and add points.  The first to 100 wins...
• For the little guys, just let them practice their coordination, it may take a while to make points.  So don't make a winner or loser, just let them play
• For older kids, it can be quite challenging as the accordion springs in all directions but the one you want it to go

Veg also decorated the Accordion thing, we called it a book, and he colored a story on every circle (page) of the book.  Then he read me his story.

This 5 minute project has lasted us about 45 minutes of entertainment so far and I don't think were done.

Have Fun!

THE JOB BUCKET

Our Helping Hands Job Bucket is something new effective tomorrow! 

We are now at a point that Veg is asking for more responsibility at school, so this also means he can handle more at home. 

He already does the normal cleaning up after himself (most of the time) sweeps and mops up his messes, or putting dishes in the sink or putting toys away, etc.

He's also still going above and beyond to get tickets.  Like "Hey Mom, can I help you clean the garage"  we tend to work good as a team.

But now its time for RESPONSIBILITY all his, without any rewards, just the "want to do it" and "accomplishment" of finishing the task will be reward enough.  Has to be things he can do by himself and won't need any help from adults so he doesn't get frustrated and feels they are all his.  I was actually having some trouble coming up with more then 5 things, but Veg said he wanted 100 things in his bucket.  So I put a plea out to the Mom's board and they helped me with a few more.

We won't get any where near 100, but so far we have this many:

• Pick up the dog fur buddies from the carpet
• Wipe down the bathroom counter
• Feed Dogs
• Sweep Floor
• Empty all the small trash cans
• Put Silverware away
• Sort and bag Recycles
• Dust
• Clean low windows and glass table of finger prints and dog nose prints

We came up with the bucket because I told him in the car on the way home that I thought he was ready for more jobs.  He got really excited, so I ran with it.  I said "would you like a couple jobs that you have to do every day no matter what?  or would you like a Job bucket that you can pick a different job each day?"

Of course he wanted the Bucket! 

So I punched out 10 circles that will go in the bucket and each day he can pick a job that he will have to complete that day at home.  We also decorated the bucket (an old Rice container)

"A Responsibility"  He will still get tickets for going above and beyond.  Which allows him to have dollars to spend at the stores.  And will still be doing his regular clean up.  But these will be "Jobs" that he is responsible for in addition to the other.

At dinner tonight we all sat and discussed what would go in the bucket and he was pretty excited about taking on his new responsibilities.  Over time we will add more to the bucket as he gets taller and can accomplish more.  And some of the smaller stuff will come out of the bucket and become daily tasks like everything else.

I just wish I was excited as he was about having cleaning to do!!

OLD MAILBOX

My friend loves oldie looking stuff, and this is the real deal.  I had to get a picture of it before leaving the hotel.  You can't tell but there is a shaft that goes all the way up the wall for mail to get dropped down in to the box. 

HONEYCOMB CEILING

Almost makes you want to look for bees and dripping honey, doesn't it?

The Magnolia Hotel had some pretty nice decor!

DALLAS FAJITAS

VEG STYLE!!!  YUMMM!!!  THANKS IRON CACTUS !!!

SIMPLISTICALLY HIGH MAINTENANCE

I've developed my self a new term....

I'm not High Maintenance in that I don't have to have the finest clothes, I only get my hair really cut when there is enough to donate to Locks of Love and I only where makeup if my skin is too horrible to show.  You won't find me getting a pedicure because I don't want people touching my feet, and you won't see me at a massage parlor because I don't really like strangers touching me.  I'll wear the same shoes till they have holes in them and can't stand paying more then $10 for just about anything.

My house has simple things, I only wear simple things, I only eat simple things....  I don't like fancy pillows (I'm allergic to them).... I like everything Unsweetened, nothing Spicy... I don't need bells and whistles on a car, but I want a safe reliable car.  OK, you get the idea... I'm pretty basic.  Pretty Simple!!!

But then why is everything I want so darn complicated.... You have no idea how many times I end up with sweet tea instead of unsweet.... feather pillows instead of plain boring pillows....Spicy foods instead of plain, or Meat instead of non-meat.... I have discovered that being simple can be even more complicated then being high maintenance.  At least high maintenance is accepted and more the Norm these days.  Just being simple has become the new difficult....

So I'm now calling myself Simplistically High Maintenance!!  And heck, if nothing more, it makes for funny travel stories.... What would an adventure be without some kind of humor attached.

TRAVEL HUNT AGAIN

The Travel Treasure Hunt continues!  If your not familiar with this, I basically hide things around the house and when I call Veg from my business trips, I give him clues to find his "treasures"... I highly recommend this for anyone who has to be away from their children.  Not only does it make it easier on them but also makes things lots easier for us.  They are less stressed, less upset, happy to talk to you and look forward to your calls.  All those things make this VegMom a happy camper!!

They don't have to be things you buy, they can be trivia or just treasures already in the house that they have forgotten about.. But in this case, I did buy a few small things..  A kids board game, a Music CD, and two little art projects that can be done in the car.

When I called Veg on the first night he said "wait a minute, I have to get my hat and pirate patch"  He came back to the phone so excited, it made me excited... The rest of the calls went just as well...and it seems him and his Dad had an OK time without me... Sure I'll get the whole story after I get home...

In the future, I will hide more things then the amount of days I'm gone so that he can have something before school and after school.  Wish I would have done that this time...But otherwise, it was good.

FOOD STORY FOR TODAY

Morning started out with Starbucks (after a quick run on the treadmill)... The Starbucks would be a requirement since it is attached to the hotel!  Can't pass that up! 

I threw a banana and trail mix in my bag which was a good thing because when we got to the meeting, all the food was gone.   (and we weren't even late by the way, thinking people were just hungry)  and yes, we walked this time!  *smile*

As the meeting is going on, I chomped on my munchies and then it was lunch time.... Walk in to the food room to find 100% barbecue food!  What is the deal with Meetings and barbecue...  Sooo, I quickly walk back to my seat and finish my munchies...

Meeting ended early and I was a tad hungry... So I ended up going all by myself to the Mexi place next to the hotel...  With the good Veggie Fajitas... And let me just say... YUUUUUMMMMM!!!!!  The bartender decided to come talk to me and tells me all about how he is vegetarian too, but he eats fish!  I guess it goes back to that question from my last business travel adventure "Are you a "real" vegetarian?"  Needless to say he was not.. But he claimed to be, and also thought it was a good idea to tell me about his beliefs etc.  And then he actually told a cute story about how he threw a peach outside one day because he was angry and frustrated at the world.  3 years later he has a peach tree in his yard, and says the fruit is delicious! 

Hmm, they say that everything is a learning experience, maybe I was supposed to hear this story so I could turn bad days in to peaches?  Wow, wouldn't that be nice??

OK, so back to the food situation:  My lunch was great... and then several hours later, I met my traveling companions in the lobby for our walk to Dinner.  Lets just say, we wandered and meandered... Although the two I'm traveling with are GREAT people, they are incapable of making a decision.  One wanted fish and the other wanted steak.  One of them was worried about me and at this point I just wanted a Cold Iced Tea... Not hungry from my big lunch, I would have settled for just a tea!  But one guy was happy with any place that had food and couldn't decide which.  The other wouldn't settle for anything that was a "chain" restaurant...and we actually sat in one of those chains then got up to leave....  So he calls, and he maps, and he web browses, and we walk and we walk, its HOT, its Humid, and I wasn't complaining (too badly)... I wasn't taking the lead... I wanted them to choose what they were feeling like, I wanted them to make a decision.....alas... I could no longer take it.... "GET IN THAT DOOR AND SIT DOWN!!!  THEY HAVE FISH, THEY HAVE SEAFOOD, THEY ARE NOT A CHAIN AND THEY HAVE ICE TEA" 

While the two people I was with have seen me get bent out of shape about work, I'm not sure they have seen me in a "needing a cold ice tea" frame of mind!!!  So they quickly walked right in and had a seat, no more questions asked.  Look up on the walls and there are dead animals... Lots of dead animals.  Furniture, light fixtures, pictures, and stuffed, all over the place....  The menu consisted of  four categories...Fish, Fowl, Cow and Game...  You know, I was right at home... ha ha!

I ATE A HOUSE SALAD,  But by golly, I got my Iced Tea!!!  Their food was good and conversation was good.  The walk back was nice and breezy, and we didn't get lost!  WooHoo!!

HOTEL GOOD & BAD

GOOD - They have really soft toilet paper, I can't stand when you go to hotels and they have that scratch paper stuff.

BAD - My eyes are beet red and swollen this morning from the nice little feathers left floating in my bed from those pillows.  *sigh*

GOOD - I'm in a room all alone so I can sleep

BAD - No one could sleep in this place because of all the noise going on outside...Downtown Dallas workers do not sleep.  Waking to the sound of jack hammers, street cleaners, garbage dump guys, construction and sirens....has not made for a restful night.

GOOD - The hotel is historical and really pretty, people are friendly, they let us check in really early.. and no bell men tried to take my bags :-)

BAD - The hotel is historical, so the elevators have signs in them that say something like this "We are old Elevators, sometimes we go really fast and sometimes we go really slow, sometimes we creak and make noise, because we were made in the early 1900's"  hmm?  makes me want to take the stairs.

GOOD - There is a Starbucks attached to the Hotel

BAD - There is no bad about a Starbucks being attached!

Hmm... On with my day as the Vegmom in Dallas continues!

COMMUNICATION PROBLEMS

If you have been following my travels this year, you will know that I can't have DOWN products because I'm allergic (not to mention it is dead duck, but that's another story)! I always get lost at least once per trip, because I'm directionally challenged!!  And there is ALWAYS a food story!!

And this trip is NOOOO Different!

THE PILLOW STORY:

• Call in advance and say "please make sure my room doesn't have any DOWN pillows or blankets"  they say "Of course, I'll put a note right now"
• Arrive for check in and they say "you are allergic to down, right?" I nod, and they call house keeping... "Please be sure her room has NO Down pillows or Blankets"  (I actually hear this conversation)
• Get up to my room, and guess what....  8 big fluffy down pillows.... And I'm not talking a little feathery, I'm talking, feathers falling out of the pillows kind of Down..  *sigh* 
• Remove pillows from bed and decide I'm not going to complain.  I'll just sleep with out pillows.
• OK, Scratch that... I want pillows....  So on my way out for dinner, I asked for some non-down pillows...

THE SHUTTLE STORY:

• Ask at the front desk for directions to our meeting
• Front desk says... Oh, that is too far to walk!  Go ask the Valet to drive you
• Walk outside... No Valet Guy
• Back inside.... ask for walking directions since Valet guy isn't there
• She calls Valet guy, still not there...
• We wait outside again... Valet guy appears and says "get in van, I drive you"
• ummm?  but there are cars in the way, he can't get out...
• We sit in the van while he moves cars
• (yes by now we could have walked)
• Drives us to the building... We tip the nice Valet guy, he leaves...
• We walk in the building and the security guard says "Sorry, wrong building" you need to walk about 4 blocks that way
• And so we WALK!

THE FOOD STORY:

• Last week I saw the agenda and there was a link to the restaurant we would be eating at.
• Check out link and see Veggie Fajitas on the menu  (I've been looking forward to these ever since)
• Arrive at restaurant tonight to find out, our only food option is Mexican Buffet.  NO MENUS!
• The buffet consisted of the following:  Beans, rice, tortillas, steak, chicken, sour cream, guaco, salsa and cheese!  That was it!
• I fix my self a plate of rice and beans, with a sad "Gulp" in my tummy that had been craving those fajitas... when it dawned on me, the beans may not be Veg!
• Ask the waiter.... Nope they aren't Veg... But he will bring me some that are... and while at it, he brought me the best plate of Grilled Vegetables I've ever had.
• In the end, I got my Veggie Fajita and MAN WAS IT TASTY!!! 

IN DALLAS

The Good - Our Airplane ride was smooth as can be and even arrived early!

The Bad - The bridge that we were supposed to walk on to (ya no, the gang plank, between the airplane and the terminal) Well it was BROKEN.  So we couldn't get off the plane.   We sat and sat and sat a little more until Mr. Cool engineer Gang Plank Fixer Guy came to our rescue.  40 minutes later we were off the plane.

The Ugly - We couldn't find or catch a Taxi, so we call a Shared Ride thing that the hotel recommended.  and walk a lot further to find him. But we don't know what that is, until we find him... Get on the Van, and then wait, and wait and wait.  The Van doesn't move... Then he moves, but he drives around the airport and stops.  Drives again and stops.... Finally he says "We wait 23 more minutes, if no one comes then we leave"...  HELLO, What are we Chop Liver?  But apparently the "Shared Ride" thing means that he tries to get as many people as he can in the 36 minutes and then you share the cost.   Note to self....If your ever in a hurry, Don't take a share ride shuttle!

BIG FAMILY AND BUSY CAREER

Through out the day Veg told me he wanted to be a fire fighter when he grows up and also a soldier.  A real one so that he can fight to protect me.

After he gets married he wants Lots of Children.  3 boy children and 7 girl children.  (I hope he picks the right girl, or he will be in for a big surprise when he tells HER these things)  *smile*

PREPARING FOR TRAVEL

Tomorrow is another Travel day for me.  Getting on a plane of which I don't like and going to meetings that I'm not excited about.  Thinking if I have a bad attitude that it will make it not seem so bad....

Or at least that seems to be working for Hubby... he's not being so friendly today, so rather then think that he is "Just a jerk" I'm going to write this off to him not wanting me to leave.

But alas, preparation is imperative.... So I've grocery shopped, left my list of phone numbers and instructions, Prepared the morning school items, got packed and ready to leave at 5AM... Early Squirrelly, Yes Ma'am!  The house is clean (thanks to hubby helping) and the Car is washed (thanks to Veg's suggestion) so when I come home, I should have a nice transition back in to life.

I decided to make us a Vegified Baked Ziti for dinner, so they would have some left over for  couple days, along with Asparagus... yum yum.

Made Veg a Trail Mix bucket that he can dig in to when ever he wants, and some for his lunches.  Along with Trail Mix pouches for myself to take on our journey.

And yes... he asked for more Vegan Vanilla Cupcakes, of which I CAN NOT turn down... so Another batch will be going in the oven around 9:30 if all goes well.

I still have to Hide his Treasure Hunt items, (make my cheat sheet, or I will forget) ... Oh. and cut his hair, for his school pictures on Tuesday....cut his nails, his shower, my shower, Hmmm?  think that's everything, I hope!

Gonna get back to getting stuff done, so I can eat my Ziti (and maybe a cupcake or two)  Oh, and maybe catch some sleep! (NOT!!)

PICNIC SCRAMBLE

Last night was the annual school picnic for our Vegman.  Last year it was in September though and I remember because that was the beginning of our Sick Veg troubles.  I remember scrambling at the last minute, staying up late to create an exciting colorful pasta salad.  Arguing with Hubby because he didn't want to go, and trying to make everything just right for Veg's first School activity.

Then 3am came.... As the story goes, that's all she wrote!   That began our first of the sick episodes in the Veg house Sept. 2006! 

SOOOO..... this year, needless to say, I wasn't looking forward to the picnic.  I didn't make it a big deal and I was totally not even thinking about it.  And for some reason I had in my mind that it would happen in September again.  But it happened Yesterday!

I figured, I would take no trouble in preparing food and I'd just buy something....  But I left the office later then expected, Veg was still on the playground when I arrived so that took some time, and when I finally got back home... I didn't have time to get to the store.  SOOOO...  Quick on my toes, I made a delicious layered Bean Dip.  Took 30 minutes to prepare, and get us all ready and out the door.  Can't beat that!

With Black Beans, Veggie Meat, Tomatoes, Carrots, peppers, Garlic, onion, spices... Some cheese and sour cream, salsa and we stopped at a convenience store for chips on our way there.... 

Anyway, I was pretty excited at this point, Hubby wanted to go this year, and he loaded up the car with our lawn chairs and food.  I go to grab Veg and he says "I don't want to go, I'M SICK"  oh, you've got to be kidding me!!!!  This can't be!!!!!  (he doesn't say this, unless it is true)  I felt his head and sure enough he was burning up....

But - he'd been out on the playground in the heat, so I was hoping it was nothing more then that.  I told him, we'd go drop off the food and come back home.  SOooo He came with us, drinking a cup of  "Apple Cider" before getting in the car.  He fell asleep and by the time we got there he was cool as a cucumber and ready to play.

He's been fine since... (knock on wood) 

Anyway, he had a great time at the picnic.  There was LOTS OF FOOD, and many more people then we imagined being there.  He played on the play ground for a long time and they had a few games, races, Parachute activities etc. 

Our Mosquito Magic wipes came in handy again.  YIPPEE!!  other people were not so lucky. 

When we left, Veg said "This was a great day, I can't wait for another picnic"

Hope your weekend is going well....

MIDWEST

Random Thought:

Why is Michigan, Indiana, Illinois etc. called the Midwest?

It's not MID and its not WEST?

So confused....

MONTHLY COLD

I have pretty much determined based on the trend of this house since Veg started School last year, that there will be at least 1 person with a viral something of some sort at least once a month.

My preventative stuff isn't being so preventative because we are still getting the bugs.  However, I do have some favorite things that have really helped keep our symptoms at bay while building our immune system in the process. 

Basically we each only got three days of this bug without the ears, chest, or sinuses getting infected for either of us, which is a huge bonus.  Last year one of these things would have meant 3 more rounds of antibiotics for the Vegman.  But the last two times, we didn't use any modern medicines....

I know I've told some of these before, but here is what worked this go around for Veg:

• Special Lemonade - Lemon Juice, Water, Honey
• The Best Apple Cider - Apple Juice and Cap full of Apple Cider Vinegar
• Yummy Orange Juice - Low Acid Orange Juice with drops of Echinacea and Goldenseal
• Golden Seal powder just below his nose to make him sneeze and unplug his head
• Willow and Garlic Oil drops for ears
• Garlic Oil rubbed on the sides of his nose, along with lymph nodes, Chest and Back to open the passages and help the drainage loosen up.

All the above things worked for me as well, only I started to take my Apple Cider Vinegar Straight.  And I took a little more then Veg did.  Yesterday I did 3 doses through out the day and today felt 100% better. 

I always say that I'm not sure what tomorrow will bring, but this got us through one more round of the crud.  And we can only hope that it continues.   

Hope all is well in your neck of the woods!

SQUIRREL

Random Thought:

If a squirrel is smart enough to complete an agility course, treasure hunt, and obstacle course just to find a nut... They can avoid predators, climb and hang, fly with ease from tree branch to tree branch, and scale across a wire with out a problem....

So Why are they not smart enough to realize, when there is a car coming, they should move out of the way?

DON'T WORRY BE HAPPY

I got frustrated at my computer mouse the other day and uttered "Grrrrrrr"...  Veg walks up to me, puts his hand on my shoulder and says "Don't worry, Be happy, Mom"

Not sure about you, but I think I need that little hand today!

DON'T WORRY BE HAPPY!!!

$400 CELL PHONE BILL

I switched Cell plans so I could get national minutes with my recent travels... But I've had the same company for at least 7 years and have had ZERO problems with them.  Anyway, apparently my new national plan was not my friend because the bill came this week and was $400!!!

Yes, thats about $320 more then I would normally pay and I wasn't HAPPY! 

Thankfully they changed my plan and retro'd it back a month so I only have to pay $99 now.

Many people ask why I carry two phones (work and personal)  and there are several reasons:

1. Everyone knows my personal number that I want to know it
2. The Blackberry I can turn off, or use it for email while talking on the other phone
3. The Blackberry tends to loose service and has less sound quality then my cheapo cell
4. While on conference calls, my personal cell is easier to operate (mute, sound, etc.) and I can still be answering emails on the blackberry while sitting on hour long calls.
5. If a battery dies in one, I always have the other

Could I live without my Blackberry?  Probably!  Would I want to?? HECK NO!!!

Could I live without my Cell?  Probably!  Would I want to??  HECK NO!!!

And so, I have both!  *smile* 

MUSIC CLASS

Funny, that the keyboard playing at home started this week, because our Veg Man also had his first music lesson at school today.

He told me that the teacher had a guitar and he got to play the Xylophone.  I think he is just going to love this school year! 

How Fun!!!

MUSICAL GENIUS

HA HA - Ok not really!  *smile*  But I noticed my little Veg while playing a video game was able to match up sounds in order to get a door to open.

So we got out his little keyboard and I told him to watch my fingers.  I played Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, two times.  Then he said "Let me Mom" and he did it with only one oops.

So he says "I just need a little more practice"  After a couple times, he was playing it with out error.  And my Hubby was saying "Can you teach him another song now please"  ha ha

This weekend we'll do Happy Birthday?  and then I only know about 4 more songs before were going to have to get professional help!

ADOPTION

Another one of those subjects that hadn't come up until today in one of those "totally not prepared" moments...

Its not a subject you hide or don't talk about, its just one of those things that unless you know someone, it doesn't come up in conversation.  Or maybe thats just me...

Note to non-adoptive parents out there.... Add Adoption to one of those things you talk about with your kids... Long before they say something (in front of a child) that you really wish didn't come out of their mouths ...

And to that Mom that had to probably have a conversation with her own child tonight.... I'm so sorry!!!

*SIGH*

SOUNDS OF THE CICADA

If you walk out of my house on any given night this summer, you would hear this:

Download sounds_of_the_cicada.WMV

And so tonight I was determined to find a critter for Veg to have a picture of.  Now remember I don't like Bugs, and I'm a mosquito magnet.  So this was realllllyyyyyy stepping "OUT OF MY SHELL" much like the Cicada we finally got a picture of.  You'll notice his shell just below him on the left of the photo..  Pretty cool that we got both in one picture.    Now as for those mosquito's..... So far I have counted 6 bumps on my legs *sigh*  But we got a picture dang it!!!   

A COUPLE CARDS

And a weekend wouldn't be complete without a couple cards being completed...  Picture quality is horrible, but you get the idea!  The first two cards on this page are the ones I did this weekend.  The others are from weekend's past!

MAKE YOUR OWN TV

What would a weekend be with out some crafting??

Thanks to my friend's recommendation of the Kids Craft Weekly Newsletter, I was able to find this cool craft idea to make our own TV Screen...  I believe they used a matchbox and some other items to finish their project.  They also made theirs more for fun for the kids, but ours turned in to a really cute photo frame to keep.  You can do it either way, depending on what you have available for supplies.

S.H. gave me some blocks to help separate my stamps from Stampin up and she told me to keep the extra for crafts.  One of them was 4x4 and the perfect size for our Television...

Before:

After:

Veg decided on the Green Antenna and painted knobs (I was surprised he didn't pick yellow, but I was going for silver and was out voted)

Our version of the instructions:

We painted the block BLACK and let that dry.  (you could use card board or paper plate, in place of wood... anything you want)

We then used Mod Podge to glue the picture on and coat the whole block and picture with a glossy finish.  (You could use glue to stick the picture instead, and don't really need the mod podge to coat it.  But I liked the more permanent result of the coating)

When every thing was done and dry, we gave one last finishing touch by adding some Stampin Up Crystal Effects to the top of the picture only.  This made it have a thick glassy finish.

We stuck on a pipe cleaner for the antenna and hammered in thumb tacks for our buttons.  He painted the thumb tacks and then we stuck some little scrapbook stickers to the top.

Turned in to a fun craft project, and very easy... Also very quick for those with short attention spans....

CLEAN THAT DRAIN

Thanks to another tip from our Local Mom's site, I decided to try a Natural Drain Cleaner for my Bath Tub...

Pour in 1/2 cup baking soda, followed by 1/2 cup Vinegar.... fizz fizz fizz

After a couple minutes, pour in 2 Qts of Boiling water.... fizz fizz, super fizz

Shish Bam Boom - no more standing shower water in the tub.

INNER PEACE

OH MY!!  I'm still laughing over this one and had to share!

Veg came out of his room from relax time and says "I was laying down and trying to find my inner peace, but it just isn't there right now.  Can I help you clean instead"

Back to cleaning we go... Only 5 areas left...  hee hee

VINEGAR AND SILLY PUTTY

I found my self in a situation yesterday where silly putty had become "one with the carpet"  (don't ask how?)

Put a little Vinegar and Water on a wash cloth and scrub scrub scrub.... Voila, no more silly putty on my carpet.

*big smiles*

CLEARING THE PLATE

I know my little guy is only 4 (sometimes hard to believe) but I also know that he is capable of doing so much.  This includes clearing his plate from the table, sweeping up his messes or washing up spills etc.  Of course he was capable of all this before 2, so this is nothing new.  In most cases, he does these things without question.   But there are days, where he has a different agenda.

Being that this is a mostly non-discipline household and more of a "guide him to make the right decisions" house, I won't punish him for not doing these things.  I will however, guide him to making a different choice.... *smile* 

So last night when he wouldn't clear his plate and cup from the table, the conversation went like this:

"Did you forget something?"

<No, I'm too busy for that>

"Well, until you choose to put your stuff in the sink and garbage, your making the decision not to do anything else tonight"

<Sorry Mom, I don't have time for this, you do it>

"Actually, you have more time then you think, because until you do those things, your choosing not to do anything else"

<pout pout, fit fit, cry whine....  > ---- Ignore, no eye contact----- <Mom I'm sad because you won't let me do what I want> 

"You can do anything you want, after you clear the table"

<OH OK, I have a great idea... I'll put this in the garbage and this in the sink, then I'll have plenty of time to play that game>

"Yes, that is a Wonderful idea"

*smile* 

So today he was eating a blueberry bar at the kitchen table and when he finished, his chair was full of crumbs....

We went through the same thing mentioned above and with less pouting, he grabbed his dust pan, swept up his whole mess... and dumped the crumbs in the trash!

Gotta love it, when he makes the right choices!  *smile*