Imagin{ation}

One of Jono's jobs is to empty the dishwasher each morning.

He puts the things that he can't reach on the counter for me to put away later.

I came out one morning and this is what I saw ...

Totally cracked me up !!

it's all fun and games ...

... until somebody falls into the washing machine !

THE REST OF THE STORY

I had told the kids that I wanted them to help me hang out the laundry. I needed to finish something first though and was just giving them a bit of warning. I could hear giggling but that's nothing new so didn't think anything of it. When I finished the job I was doing, I came into the laundry room and found that they, using very creative teamwork, had already emptied the entire washing machine ...

{soap and toothpaste no more]

i think i've mentioned already how well our charts are working

i'm not here to mention that again

i'm here for something else

a change

this is how the sink in the main bathroom looked every day up until a week ago

we have tried many things to get the kids to remember to wipe the sink

nothing has worked

until now

seriously, i can't believe how easy it was

the kids charts only go for three weeks

about a week ago it was time to print new ones

i simply added 'wipe sink' to the chart

alia in the morning

jono before bed

easy



so stinkin' easy

they do it every time

and the sink shines !

ok ... that's a stretch ...

but it is free of soap and toothpaste

and that is enough

more than enough !!

**

speaking of kids and chores ...

i wrote a two part series a while back sharing my thoughts on the subject ...

...........

if you're interested, the two black and whites of my dad as a kid are linked to those posts

as for me ... i'm heading to bed

i'm future dating this to be posted tomorrow while we are at a wedding

and then spending the weekend with grandma and grandad

a happy weekend to you all

i hope it's

great

!!

{charts}

it's happened ! finally !! they are doing it all on their own !!

my jono is 7 and my alia is 5. they have always been early risers. me, not so much. or not at all. my alarm goes off at 6:30 and i'm usually up by 7:00. the kids are up looooooong before me ! a couple of years ago, i had the brilliant idea to let the kids get their own breakfasts. it drove me nearly insane to be woken every morning (if you can call 5:00 morning and not the middle of the night !!) to "i'm hungry". i started by telling them they could have a piece of fruit when they got up. but, they'd have the fruit and then at 5:02 (still the middle of the night) i'd have a little person standing beside my bed saying "i'm hungry". so, i moved the cereal down low in the pantry, taught them how to pour it and the milk and voila ... they are no longer hungry and i am no longer waking up grumpy ! it's a win win for all involved !! but ... that has been happening for a couple of years now. what i'm talking about is the next step ... something i didn't know would happen this quickly !

i've recently set up a new home management station in our new house. i did it to help me keep everything in one place and to properly manage my cleaning (something i felt needed improving). i did up some charts ... a big one for me and a small one for each of the kids with daily things they need to do. their lists are the same except that one of them feeds the cat in the morning and the other feeds her at night.

before school they need to : make beds, eat breakfast, get dressed, brush teeth, brush hair, feed the cat, and get their bags ready ... not forgetting to include their library books, home folders and lunch boxes. these have always been their responsibilities but many mornings we'd leave the house with beds unmade and more often than not teeth unbrushed.

my kids love ABC kids, the morning cartoons that play before school. my rule has always been they can watch it once they are totally ready for school. but ... it was always up to me to remember what needed to be done and remind them and check and on and on and on ...

things have been improving since i made the charts. they looooooooooooooove ticking things off. alia cannot read but jono and i helped her at first. now, i think she has the thing memorized because she knows where each item is and ticks them off properly. they come to me and say "mommy, can we put on ABC kids?" and where i used to have to ask if they had brushed their hair ? made their beds ? etc etc etc, i can just say "have you done your charts ?" it's been a great improvement.

but ...

yesterday morning (!!!) ...

i was in the shower and jono came to me and said "mommy, we've finished our charts, can we put on ABC kids ?" (!!!)

it's finally happened ... they've got ownership of what they need to do. responsibility is being learned. and this is one happy mommy !!

again

This morning my email had a bunch of new comments on a post I did back in February !
I went and looked at the post and thought it must have been featured on tip junkie.
I popped over, had a look and sure enough, there it was in a post titled
'Spring Cleaning and Organizing'

It's featured along side of some great organizing ideas that I'm going to go visit when I have some time to sit, read and comment !!

Do you have a post on your blog that you think would be helpful to someone else ?
Why not submit it to the tip junkie ?
Tutorials.
Tips.
Ideas.
Anything you think other people should know about.

It's easy to do ...
Just go to tip junkie and click on submit a tip in the sidebar.
You can see it in the photo above ....

Anyway.
Was excited to see I'd been featured again.
I will be back later today with
CORNER VIEW !

A Day In The Life ....

The water lilies are out !! I love water lilies !! They are so beautiful ! I saw them out as I was driving the other morning and decided to stop. I nearly fell in trying to get some close ups of them with my little digi camera. Ahhh, one day ... one day I'll have a DSLR that I can fit our big lense to and be able to take amazing close ups from far away ! One day ... but not today !

Anyway, after stopping to visit with the murky pond that contained the beautiful flowers, I decided to photograph the rest of the day and take you on a 'typical bonnie day' ... if there is such a thing. No two days are alike for me. I do have a basic routine but it often gets adjusted because I'm flexible like that ... :)

So ... come on ... let me take you through my day ... don't mind the strange pose ... that's just me trying to take a photo of myself. I'm looking up at the sky because I always look ridiculous when I look at the camera. I'm not sure this was much better but it was the best I could come up with !!

Good thing I got into the car when I did because it started to drizzle just as I opened the door to get in ! AND by the time I reached the library, it was pouring ! Not to worry, I got a park close to the door and lugged my enormous bag of books to the return shoot.

I got my forms signed by the JP (forms for the house !!!) Of course, I couldn't go past the cookbooks without stopping to look and I had a look at the craft books while I was waiting my turn for the JP. Do you think I could leave that place empty handed ? Not a chance. Not when FREE BOOKS are involved ! I never make it out of the library without a bag full !!

But, come on. I've got to get to work. I just need to do a couple of hours for the fund raiser that we are having on the weekend. Oh dear ... construction. Don't know why I always forget this is happening ! I can't wait til it is finished. It's going to be a great improvement on the old road !

Phew. Made it. Here's my office. Come on in. I just need to work for a bit and then we can stop for some lunch. I'm going to order a sandwich from the cafe. You want something too ? My treat ...

Mmmmm ... turkey and cranberry !! Good choice !

I'm not quite finished with what I need to do but I'm frustrated because it's not working properly so I'm going to leave it and come in for a couple of hours tomorrow. Plus, Toni is on her way to my house to visit so we'd better head off ....

Here we are ... Home !

I'll just throw on a load of laundry ...

You still here ?

Sorry, I had to leave you for a bit. Toni was visiting. She helped me hang up the laundry, did a bit of knitting while I read a few of my new cookbooks. We walked to the school to get the kids and then came back to my place to hang out til soccer practice. I would have introduced you but ... I forgot ! Next time ...

I did get this incredibly cute photo of a cheeky grasshopper while she was here ... did you see it yesterday ?

It's almost time for soccer practice ... let's head on over.

I'm going to read some cookbooks, chat with the other ladies and watch Jono practice for an hour.

Home again. Jono's in the shower now. Alia's finished hers and is into her pj's. Rory is home but has to go out again. Excuse me for a bit while I lay on the bed and chat with him while he gets ready.

Dinner was supposed to be in the crock put but I didn't get home in time to get it started so it's not done. Rory's going to be out til late so I think I'll just run up to the fish and chips shop. The kids and I will share an order of calamari and chips. Cheap. Easy. Tasty. Not something we do very often ....

I'd better head the kids towards bed. Jono will read for a bit while I do Alia's book with her. She loves it and I so enjoy having dedicated time to talk with each of them, especially on a day like today when it's just been go go go. Jono's book is next. And then I'll let him read a bit more. He's getting that bit older now where he can stay up a little bit later ... plus, I just love that he loves to read and want him to do as much of it as possible !!

You thirsty ? Want something to drink ? I'm going to have some ice water and head into the family room. Actually, I think I'll just check my email first. And that's right. I wanted to post this photo too. I'll just do that. And yeah, I think I'll play a bit of bejewelled blitz on facebook. And I'll just check my google reader to see what everyone has been up to. Blogs read, comments made, emails read but NOT RESPONDED TO ( really need to do that ... they're backing up !! ), game played, eyes bugging out ... I'm heading to the family room.

Come on.

Get out your knitting needles. Or if you like you could just watch the TV. I've got it on for a while tonight. And I think Rory wants to watch some football later too ...

Yep, he does. It's 11:30 and his game is starting. I'm too tired. I can barely keep my eyes open to walk to the bed. Plus ... football doesn't do it for me !!! Unless you want to hang out and watch with him, it is probably time for you to go home ! Thanks for sharing my day ... hope you enjoyed it as much as I did !!

Good Night !!

Sharing Perspective - Responsibilities

This week's perspective is going to be a bit different.
Instead of photos taken by the kids, I'll be sharing a project we did together.

I've been slack on keeping the kids accountable with helping out around here.
You may remember the posts I did on this subject.
Or you may not.
Go read if you like ... I'll wait.

Needing to re-visit exactly what the kids responsibilities are, I spent an afternoon with them planning and discussing and putting it all on paper. I asked them what they thought they should be responsible for and here's what they came up with.

Can you tell what they've drawn ?

We've hung the charts on their bedroom doors.
Alia gets straight up in the morning and does hers.
Jono ... well, not so much.

I have designed a chart that I will use to keep them accountable.
Little tick marks beside each job each day and at the end of the week we'll assess ...

The chart is here if you want to take a peek.
It's simple.
I wanted to get it done !!
Maybe later I'll make a prettier, more interesting version !

At the same time as the kids were doing their chart, I was doing mine. Mine has what I'd like (in generalities) my mornings, afternoons and evenings to look like. And scattered in between are key words that I'd like to be as much a part of how our home operates as the practical, day to day responsibilities that need to get done.

Here's a sneak peak ...

But since this post is about the children's perspective, you'll have to wait til later in the week to get details on mine ...

Sharing Inspiration

I read an inspirational post at the beginning of the week. Rhonda encourages her readers to slow down. She shares from her experience saying ... "Instead of whizzing through the housework as fast as I could, I slowed myself to do each job well. That slowness allowed me to think about the task as it was being done and how that task connected to the others that followed. I realised then that all those connected tasks made our home what it is - and that it could either be the comfortable and nourishing place I wanted to live in, or a chaotic jumble of disconnected and generally unfinished chores that didn't encourage anyone to relax and put their feet up." That's just a little bit to whet your appetite ... I recommend popping over and spending a few minutes reading the rest of what Rhonda has to say ! And look around a bit ... I just love her blog !!

I've taken Rhonda's encouragement to heart.

The past three days I've been doing things around the house, things that I would normally do, but I've had a change in attitude and approach ! And while I am slowing down, I seem to be accomplishing more ...

Odd.

But true.

And I'm not grumpy when I'm done.

I'm tired.

But not tired and grumpy which is a baaaaaaaad combination !!

This morning, I defrosted the freezer. It has been needing to be done for some time now. And I'll tell you, a hot summer day is perfect for this job !! I know you're all dying to see the inside of my freezer ( right ? ) but you're going to have to wait. I plan to join in with Sandra's tips on Tuesday this week ... subject defrosting ancient freezer !

The laundry is done and blowing in the breeze.
I did all the sheets and all the towels.
And a couple loads of clothes.
I'll have to run out and pull them off the line when I finish this post, they should be dry by now.

I fixed the door on our little china cabinet.
It had come apart at the bottom and the glass was about to fall out.
Not good.
I took the glass out a couple of days ago.
Took the door off and glued it back together yesterday.
Put the glass back in and screwed the door back on today.

I've been to the grocery store and dinner is in the crock pot ... cooking away. It's making me salivate being home smelling it all day ! It's wrong I tell you ! WRONG !! Greek Lamb with Spinach and Orzo. Have you tried it yet ??? You're missing out if you haven't !!

Pop over to my cooking blog and check it out ... and while you're there, help yourself to a cookie !

I should go. I have a few more things I need to do this afternoon ...

We've got family coming to spend the weekend with us so I'll see you all next week !!

Sharing Beds

I'm in need of a quick post today.

Someone wanted to see what the kids beds looked like when they make them by themselves.

This morning, I took these photos.

I didn't touch anything ... just took the photos !

Jono's bed ... he'll be seven next week.



Alia's bed ... she just turned five.

Not bad, if I do say so myself !

See you all tomorrow when I'll share with you about one of the books I've been reading ...

Sharing Childhood Part 3

With all this talk about the things my kids do around the house, I'm thinking about the amount of time Rory and I have put into teaching them to do these things. I don't want to mislead you into thinking it has been "a walk in the park" !

I think that we, as parents, often underestimate the abilities of our children. I know I have. But, I tend to live a lot of my parenting life letting them try. Encouraging them to try. Not expecting them to accomplish at adult standards.

Jono's bed looks like a six year old made it. Because a six year old did. I do not go along behind him and fix it up. How discouraging for him ! I praise his efforts. Let me tell you, his six year old bed making skills are a whole lot better than his three year old bed making skills were !

Alia's clothes look like a five year old folded them. Because a five year old did. I do not expect her to be able to fold them like I do. I have taught her the method, she follows it and does a good job.

I have spent time teaching and training and showing and working alongside my children. I continue to work along side them. I am not sitting watching TV while they 'keep house' ! We are working together. Sharing the responsibility that comes with being part of a family.

My children have plenty of time to be children. As I type this, I'm listening to them outside playing with the neighbor kids. Riding bikes and enjoying the days as they lengthen coming into summer. They watch tv. They play computer games. They color and read and do puzzles. They spend time playing in their own rooms. They love a swim and a day at the beach. We bush walk together as a family. And play games.

Their lives have a healthy balance, and that is what I think is important. Too far to either side and it wouldn't be healthy. Finding the balance ... well, that's the job of the parent !

Sharing Childhood Part 2

Yesterday, I was thinking about childhood. My own and my children's. This morning, I was visiting some of my favorite blogs and was delighted to find this post by one of my all time favorite bloggers, Sandra.

Did you go read it ?

Go on ... I'll wait.

You're back ? Good.

Sandra asked this question of her readers:

"Are you planning on teaching your daughters everything you know, or do you want to leave it up to them whether they want to learn or not? "

I thought I'd answer her question here.

I am teaching my daughter everything I know ... whether she wants to learn it or not. Not only am I teaching my daughter, I am teaching my son. I've been thinking a lot about this subject lately. On a broader scale. The thought occurred to me the other day that if I don't teach my children what they need to know to be adults, how will they learn it by the time they reach adulthood ?

I see a disturbing trend happening around me in parenting circles. I am no expert but what I see is a generation of children growing up with only 'feel good' experiences. No consequences for actions or behavior. No expectation of personal responsibility. There seems to be a hesitancy for parents to allow children to experience something unpleasant that may be a natural consequence of their actions.

I'm not talking about letting your kid run in the street or jump off a roof so they 'learn their lesson.' I'm talking about saying 'no' to them, and holding fast to decisions made. I'm talking about expecting to be obeyed, and following through on consequences when not.

I'm talking about children having (age appropriate) responsibilities around the house. I read a book when Jono was a baby that made a good point ... "when babies are old enough to take toys out of their toy box, they are old enough to put the toys back in their toy box." Rory and I have lived by that ever since ... long before Jono was old enough to take toys out of his toy box !

Sure there were nights when we were tired and couldn't be bothered, but on a whole, if Jono (or Alia) played with it, they put it away ! I can honestly say that I do not pick up after my kids (who are now five and almost seven) very often. I sometimes have to remind them about something they have left in the family room, and it is usually at my suggestion that they pick up their rooms before dinner, but for the most part, they are good at keeping their things out of the public areas of the house !

They carry their own dishes to the kitchen after dinner, and then they stick around to help clear the table, put stuff away, empty and load the dish washer. We do it as a family.

They help do laundry. I wash it ... though I am thinking it may be time to teach them how to do that too. And then they hang it. I do the sheets and towels, and the big things like Rory and my jeans and shirts. But they hang their own clothes, all the undies, socks, tea towels, wash cloths. When they are dry, they fold and put away their own clothes. I do not worry about the level of 'neatness' that happens in their folding, although I must say, they do a great job. I do ask that they fold, rather than wad up in a ball. I also ask that they put their clothes in the proper drawers. I do random checks from time to time !

They make their own beds. They hang their own towels after their baths. They put their own dirty clothes in the hamper. (although Jono's have a tendency to spend some time on his floor before they get there !)

They love to help me cook and I really need to let them do that more often. They could both make pizza if I gave them the dough. They can both make sushi, once everything is chopped up. I gave Jono his first lesson at the stove the other day. Let him stir some thing. They can both use sharp knives ... ok, not SHARP knives ... but sharp for them. Small ... dull ... but they have pointy ends and they're going to do minimal damage ! The kids think they are sharp and so are learning the proper precautions !!

I hate to stop in the middle of a thought but I need to go prepare dinner. I'll pick up where I left off in my next post ...

Walking Towards Simplicity

Truth be told, one of my biggest dreams is to live simply. To leave the hustle and bustle of the times we live in ... and to bring people with me !

In an effort to move towards this dream and after talking to Rory about it, we're making a few changes around here.

Let me tell you about last night. We had homemade sushi for dinner. Do you know I love doing meals like that ? I put everything prepared onto the table and then each person makes their own. It causes us to slow down. We have to wait 'til one person is done with the thing we need. There is no shoveling of food into mouths. There is talking, laughing, even a few tears when Alia bites her own finger ! But then laughter again when Rory teases her that he can see why she wanted to eat her finger, it looks yummy, can he have a bite ?

Part of growing up in my family was having to stay at the table until everyone else was finished. I know it was part of my Mom's growing up too. I remember going to Grandma's house and having to wait 'til everyone was finished. She, Grandma, used to tease us by eating corn on the cob one piece at a time !!

Staying at the table, waiting for everyone else to finish, I think it's important. We encourage the kids to talk. We talk. We ask questions. They respond. They ask questions. We respond. We have always done this but I am trying to make more of a concerted effort these days as I'd become a bit hurried myself lately.

Doing the dishes together. All of us. Not something that has ever happened (regularly) before. Oh, we've taught the kids how to empty the dishwasher, and they have been clearing their own plates from the table since they learned to walk but to actually all pitch in 'til the kitchen is clean, straight after the meal ... nope.

Working together last night, the four of us, and waking up to a clean kitchen this morning ... I am sure I don't have to tell many of you how wonderful that was.

Playing games together. We love it. We've bought a few good ones the past year or two. Ones that can be played while our kids are young and also as they grow older. A few of our favorites are Jenga, Phase 10, Uno, and Monopoly.

Last night we played The Dice Game. Such a fun game. Tomorrow I will teach you all how to play ...