Cleaning the house

We have people coming to stay this weekend. I've been trying to clean the house all day. By trying, I mean.

-Ryan's ear hurt so he needed to be loved for an hour.
-Sean dumped an entire container of vinegar out.
-The wet jet ran out of cleaning solution and you can't just unscrew the bottle and make up your own solution.
-Andrew helped vacuum and got a sock stuck in the wheel breaking the belt.
-Ryan keeps letting Daisy in the house who is not clean and making tracks everywhere.
-I replaced all the filters and the belt and the sucker won't hold its power.
-Sean broke the screen door off its track.

Clean:
-Master bathroom
-Master bedroom
-Andrew's room

Not Clean:
-Everything else

Positive Parenting

In no particular order:

1. Presentation, Response, Reaction.
- How you present, respond, and react to a situation will often determine the outcome.

2. Never ask more than twice.
- After the second time, make it happen.

3. If the answer to a question can't be no, then don't ask a question they can answer "NO" to.
- Either/Or. State what you want.

4. Value your words.
- Follow through.

5. State what you want rather than ask.
- Say what is going to happen instead of asking for it to happen.

6. First ________ then ________.
- So first this will happen then that will happen.

7. Validate.
- Sticker boards, positive comments, praise, praise, praise.

8. Everything needs a beginning, middle, and end.
- Use a timer to start an activity and when it ends, it ends. They don't get 5 more minutes. They get to look forward to the next thing.

9. Put them in a neutral state.
- A child in the midst of a tantrum is not going to hear reason. Bring them back into calm before talking. DO NOT LECTURE THE KID.

10. Move them forward.
- Kids get stuck in a tantrum, bad behavior, whatever. We need to keep moving them forward. We're shopping, they stand up in the cart, move them onward (i.e. who sees the dog blanket? Where's the bananas?).

11. 80% positive, 20% corrective.
- So most of our interaction should be fun. Little of it should be corrective (also known as discipline).

12. Reduce the lecture.
- State in the smallest number of words (i.e. "No Hit!").

13. Consistency is key.
- Follow through every time.

14. If he can't do __________, what can he do?
- Let the child be part of the solution.

15. Prevention is easier than fixing.
- That's why our house is an example of minimalist style living.

16. Don't act upon them.
- Offer assistance. Don't pull clothes on them, give them a chance, let them ask for help.

17. Limit eye contact for rewarding and reinforcing. Do NOT use eye contact when correcting.
- Eyes hold power, kids manipulate with their eyes.

18. If you don't like it, don't let it work.

19. Respond to first positive communication.
- Kids struggle to get our attention, frustration sets in, etc.

20. Don't assume a child can do anything differently.
- We have to teach them what we want to happen.

21. Practice the behavior we want.
- PRACTICE! PRACTICE! PRACTICE!

22. Use the child's name only in positive ways.

23. Know what you want __________ to look like.

24. Find a place to go.
- Goes back to moving the kid forward.

25. Block instead of grab.
- When a kid takes something away from the other, don't grab it away, work it away so they are AGREEING to give it back.

26. Don't become part of the fight, move them past it.

From Andrew's preschool graduation

Spelling Bee

Alex's first spelling bee! He made it to the 4th round. Below is a video from the second or third.

Lately

We've been very busy working on the yard. All day Saturday and today Mark and I spent working on getting the backyard berm built. We have a bit more work to do...the we can get the gravel for the pathways ordered.

Yesterday, it rained. I took Andrew and Alex to see Star Trek -- per Andrew's request for his preschool graduation present. They got candy and popcorn and ate lunch at Burger King! They loved the movie, it was fun but fairly deep. I think some of the story lines bothered Alex a bit.

Andrew and Ryan have croup. We're fighting it off at home so far as neither has been coughing tremendously.

Andrew's Preschool Graduation

The graduate, Andrew! With Miss Amy. He preformed 8 nursery rhymes perfectly (and loudest of all) and when he grows up, he wants to be a dentist!

At his family party, where he showed us every page in his workbook, proudly talked about his special day and opened his card/gift from Nona & Papa! Andrew very much enjoyed his special day and is looking forward to his present -- he gets to see Star Trek!

The twix's preschool picnic

Ryan above and Sean below receiving their Certificates for their first year of preschool!

They had a picnic at the park and they sang "5 Little Monkeys," "I had a little turtle," and "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star." Seany knows all the hand movements and Ryan smiles throughout.

Miss Laura gave them each a certificate and a copy of one of their favorite books. Ryan got "Who Stole the Cookie from the Cookie Jar?" Very appropriate, since he walks around saying, "WHO!? ...." Seany got, "5 green and speckled frogs."

A Lot of Dirt

Bet you're wondering why we need 3 truck loads of dirt. We're making a berm.

Spelling Bee

Alex made it in to the 3rd Grade Spelling Bee! I'm very proud of him. He promised he'd try his best and he did. I had my doubts last night, it was like torturing him to get him to practice the words on the sheet. Spelling Bee is Tuesday morning -- anybody want to watch the twix so that his mom can go?

This weekend

The twix received a teeter totter from a neighbor who has twins older than them.

Andrew learned that spending too much time in the sand is bad for his skin.

Mark and I built these veggie boxes.

And we finished laying the patio out. I've been filling the joints with topsoil and then we'll get the creeping thyme to plant between the stones.

The little singers

Yesterday's Fun

Ryan was SuperRY! While Seany was the little devil.

Alex earned lots of belt loops at cub scouts last night.

Cheesecake

Mark bought a cheesecake sampler platter at my request last night very late. In the morning, I discovered 2 plates, each with a mostly devoured slice on them. And the remnants of a couple rejected slices on the floor.

Seany was in the kitchen quickly vacating a chair directly in front of the slices. "Seany, do you know what happened to this cheesecake?"

"That Ryan cheesecake."

"And Seany what about this one, do you know what happened to this slice?"

"NOT ME!"

Wanna be

Last week, Andrew wanted to be a knight. Alex mentioned that we don't live in Great Britain... I shushed him and told Andrew that was great. "That way I can beat up and shot bad people."

This week, "Daddy, do you want to know what I want to be when I grow up."

"What's that, Andrew?"

"A dentist."

Stunned silence. Finally, I asked, "Why a dentist."

"Because I can help people remember to brush their teeth after breakfast."

Happy Mother's Day

For Mother's Day, I received the following:

- A picture magnet of Andrew
- 2 selections of homemade (preschool) lip gloss that Sean and Ryan ate 3 days before they were supposed to give them to me (contained corn syrup and sprinkles)
- A card made by Alex
- A day free of wiping up after stinky diapers
- 10 hours hard labor
- 2 very cute blouses from my parents
- A cheesecake variety platter purchased at 10pm (which the twix got into this am -- fridge wasn't locked)
- An almost finished patio (that's my real present)
AND in the mail I just received: A gift card from Carolena to Starbucks! LOVE THAT GIRL!

For Mother's Day, I gave the following:
- Gift cards to the stores our moms like to shop at
- Assisted in the making of several cards from the chicklets

Feel as though I received much more than I gave.

Hope all the moms out there had a great day! Especially, mine.

Patio Day 5

Miss Daisy spent her day testing out the patio and laying in my way in the sand.

Proof that I was hard at work on Mother's Day and Alex too.

At the start of day 6, a view of all we accomplished in 1 weekend and Seany walking on the stones.

At Lunch on Patio Day 4

When we breaked for lunch.

At the end of Day 4.

Pallet #1 unloaded

This is what 4000 lbs or 2 tons of stone look like stacked up -- all by me, all before lunch.

Start of Patio Day 3

What the stones look like up close.

What 8 tons of stone look like in nice neat piles.

What the sand currently looks like. Will still be using to fill in between the stones...

End of Patio Day 2

This is how Mark leveled all the sand that I brought back there.

At the end of Day 2 we just have the final little area to do and then we can start on the stones. I'm so excited to be gettng to bring stones back instead of sand!

Building wheelbarrows

Alex positioning the parts to his wheelbarrow.

Ryan working on his wheelbarrow.

Seany hammering his wheelbarrow.

Andrew nailing a tack into place.

This is one of the coolest things Home Depot does, free kids projects once a month. And since we're there we always shop.

Let the record show

Seany was the chicklet that thought to bring the tractors and dump trucks over to the big sand pile -- developmentally delayed or just different kind of mind?

Backyard beach

At the end of Day 1, inspired by Swampy (Phineas & Ferb fame) we have our very own backyard beach -- until Friday afternoon when the stone comes...

After school, Alex stripped his socks & shoes off preparing to dive into to the dubbed "Sand World." Andrew and he were "Power Miners." Alex felt a moments guilt about not helping me, putting his socks & shoes back on. I said, "Or, you could just enjoy being 9 years old, with a giant pile of sand on the driveway." And off he went to play!

Andrew spent the entire day in the sand.

Daisy spent most of the day digging in the sand and climbing to the top of the pile.

Sand dump

Alex wants to know where we're putting the sand pit for them to play in! Sean in blue, Ryan in snowman jammies.

Lab

When taking Alex to school yesterday, we saw a very large yellow lab. I said, "Look guys, its a big version of Daisy."

Andrew thoughtful for a few moments, "MOMMY. That dog. IS. INCREDIBLY FAT."

I will admit that he looked like a sausage wrapped in yellow fur.

Student of the Week

Things Alex brought for show and tell:

1. Wishbone, stuffed dog that was Granny's and is his, though Seany is fighting hard to lay claim to it.

2. Photo of his baptism with Great-Grandma, Great-Grandpa, Granny and himself. Got quite teary about it.

3. Phineas and Ferb (he was also wearing his Team Phineas tee shirt).

4. Octopus that he won at Circus Circus Vegas.

Things about Alex on his fact sheet:

1. Hobbies: swinging and playing with Daisy (oh, to be 9 and carefree).

2. Wants to be: Professional baseball player (until basketball season...)

3. Favorite food: Enchilada Casserole (with veggies! because it makes it nutritious)

4. Family he lives with: Mom & Dad, 3 little brothers, and his puppy.

Spring Sports

Alex playing catcher at baseball practice.

Alex running the 100M at the track meet.

Baby Animals Birthday Party

Alex said, "We picked the right day to come to Farm Country! We met Miss UTAH!"

They got cake to enjoy at the party.

They played all variety of party games. Here Sean's running with his egg on his spoon to beat the rest of the Devlin's trying to balance their eggs.

Then we stopped by the Dinosaur museum and they piled on this little guy. Andrew, Alex, Ryan, and Seany.

Red Butte Gardens

Playing in a water feature.

Seany peeking through a teepee.

Sean, Ryan, and Andrew playing on the lizards.

Ryan rolling down the hill.

Andrew's favorite part of the day, lunch at Mickey D's with our friends.