Summer System

Well we are one week into summer. I have put the girls on a system that seems to be working pretty well. I told them that in the morning they need to get up and get dressed in order to have breakfast and after that they have about five things they need to get done. I gave them a paper that has 5 charts on it (Monday-Friday). I told them that each chart had the things I wanted them to do for the day. They can do their jobs in any order and when they want, but (there is always a but :), they can not play or have friends over until all their jobs are done. When they do get their jobs done they bring me their chart and I check it off and give them their morning snack. At the end of the week they turn in their paper for a treat and family activity. (this is replacing our money system for the summer).
These are their jobs on their charts:
*get dressed, make bed, clean room
*Chore (they have a room in the house they have to clean for the month)
*Read (20-30minutes, depending on the child)
*Workbook pages
*Piano practice (for Emalee)
*Computer Program (we are doing a research program for Waterford Research for 15min a day)

That's it! Nothing to complicated or too drawn out. The idea is to keep them busy in the mornings so that they are constructive and don't have as much time to get on each others nerves!

This last week actually went really well. Emalee got up one morning and had all her stuff done by 8:30 am. I like it because it teaches them accountability and responsibility while keeping the house clean and keeping up their academics. They have had a ton of time to play and to my surprise did not even ask for friends to come play until Friday (instead they played with each other.) I am not saying I do not have to get after them at times and we have not had peaceful bliss all week around here but for the most part the system seems to be working.

Also, Wednesdays are our library days. We go for a program and then they turn in their reading time for prizes. In two weeks we will also start Movie Days at the Spanish Fork Theater. (They show a free Disney movie each week for the summer.)

Hope everyone else is off to a good start. Pass along any other good ideas or what is working for you. I would love to hear about them.

Ramblings

What a busy few weeks we have had. Week before last we had the "triplet affect" at our house. The van had a broken sway bar link, the computer crashed (had to send it in), and the washer stopped agitating! Why things always happen in three's is beyond me. We got the van fixed. The computer came back on Friday, and the washer is still sitting there as we decided what we want to do. (It still works, just not so well!)
We did have something fun happen though...There was an ad in the newspaper a few weeks ago for some items up for auction at greengello.com. Our mechanic told us a while back about it, he had won a bid on lasik eye surgery for 1/2 the price of retail. We looked through things and saw that there was a store selling 2 (new) 2-pant suit (with alterations), 10 white shirts, 12 pairs of gold toe socks, 5 ties, and 2 pairs of shoes. We bid $350 and won the bid. This was a highlight for Robb (since he wears a suit every day and has not had a new suit in YEARS!) We are excited to go pick out his new attire before school starts this next year!

Also, school is out. I am actually excited. Last summer I had the kids on a schedule of doing some reading, workbooks, and activities each morning. It worked great and gave us a lot of time to play and do projects. This summer I am planning on doing the same thing. We will also go to the library once a week and the free movie at Spanish Fork theater every week.

Ok, well that is enough rambling. Have a good week. And if anyone wants to get together at the park sometime this summer let me know. I want to take my kids to the park about once a week...would love the company!

Love Triangle!

I had the fun experience of going to the zoo with Abby's Kindergarten class on Friday. I took Kamree and Lorrin too. Apparently Abby got to pick who would be in her group and to my surprise (but not to her teachers) she picked Carter. They started the day holding hands and sharing lunches. It was after lunch that my eyes were open to a situation that I am sure will not be the first! I took them to the park area and Abby went to play on the Monkey bars. Kamree and Carter headed to the swings. Well after about 10 minutes, as we headed out, I looked over to see Kamree and Carter holding hands! It took Abby a few minutes to notice what was going on, but as soon as she did she marched over to Carter, grabbed his handed and pulled him away. Kamree got upset and almost started to cry. Carter went to grab her hand again but when Abby noticed she reached out her hand. I had to finally intervene and let Kamree AND Abby hold hands with Carter. The whole experience made me laugh and I momentarily had this vision of my girls in their teenage years.... (did we fight over boys???) What fun the future holds!

Going to the Temple

We took the kids to the Provo Temple on Monday for Family Home Evening. We wanted to take a picture of each of them in front of the temple to put in their rooms. It wasn't exactly the spiritual experience we were hoping for (the kids were a little wound up and running around) but we got the pictures and it was a good teaching experience about reverence for places and grounds. We had a fun time and it was good for the kids to be able to walk the grounds of the temple. We had some really nice pictures with full views of the temple in the background that they each got to hang in their rooms. We hope it will help them remember the goal of having an eternal family and help them make a goal to be married in the temple.

Taitt

We took Taitt in for his wellness check last week. He was just over 16 pounds at 7 months and is 25 1/2 inches tall. That puts him in the 10th percentile for height and 25th for weight. Remember Lorrin at this age? She was 5 pounds heavier! (So to us, Taitt is so tiny!)
We couldn't imagine our lives without our little boy. He adores Robb and lights up when he is around. He is a content little guy. He now rolls ALL around the room, scoots backwards and can sit on his own. Where did the time go?

Kamree's 5th Birthday

Kamree announced "I have been waiting my whole life for THIS birthday!" Oh, to be five again and be so excited about life.
The best part of her birthday was how thoughtful Abby was. Kamree had been asking for a Singing Barbie. Because we have over 40 barbies in our house Robb and I did not get her one. The morning of her birthday I watched Abby go through the Barbie drawer, then the Barbie clothes drawer. She snuck upstairs and later came down and placed a bag on the counter with all the other presents. I saved that bag for last. As Kamree opened it she looked inside to see Abby's "Island Princess" Barbie, dressed in it's original clothes. She then said "I got everything I wanted, thanks Abby for sharing your barbie with me." Abby told her "You don't even have to share, I know you wanted one."
Well, later we went birthday shopping and as we walked down the Barbie aisle, Kamree did not even look at barbies, I asked "Do you still want a new Barbie?" "Nope," she said, "I have a sister who likes to share!"
I realized that if I would have given her everything she wanted this birthday, we would have missed the opportunity for another sister to show love and kindness. I learned that holding sometimes gives others the opportunity to give. I am grateful for children who give and are content with what they are given.

Admitting Defeat

I am admitting defeat. After 4 long months our diet contest is over. I dropped 30 pounds! I am very proud of my accomplishments and worked hard. I dropped 17 pounds in the first month, about 10 the second and then the rest this month. The nice thing isthat I went about two months (six weeks) maintaining, so I am confident I can keep it off! I now weigh 3 pounds less that I weighed before I had Emalee. I have not seen that weight in 9 years! I can fit into every, yes EVERY, pair of clothes in my closet!
It was hard letting my brother win! :) He totally starved himself the last week to pull out a big number but so he deserves it! He is over 45 pounds lighter.

I have also learned through this whole contest that spiritual things are tied with every temporal thing we face in this life. I wish I could tell you all the things I have learned. I know the Lord wants us to have control over our flesh. I also know the Lord values our efforts. The parable of the men that worked in the field for a penny has been opened up to me. He values our efforts in the beginning, middle and end. Although in the contest someone won, in life the lord pays equally as long as we are willing to do our part. I love that!
I hope now to stay healthy (although I have enjoyed some yummy desserts the last few days) and to remember all this experience has taught me. I am very proud of all of us and what we have accomplished.

Abby's Kindy 500

Abby had her Kindy 500 on Friday. All the Kindergartners had to make a car out of a box and take it to school. They did a patriotic program and then drove their cars to 6 stations in the school that were about national monuments. I helped out and did a presentation on Mt. Rushmore. We had to show off her car because it was a funny event. It was like having a "pine-wood derby" on a larger scale. Some parents really got into it with star wars millennial falcrums and jets. We thought Abby's Jeep turned out pretty cool. We have decided to put it in the attic for next year so we don't have to do the work for Kamree! Either that or Abby can wear it for Halloween!

Is 4 am to early to get up and get your Easter Basket?

The Easter bunny comes to our house on Saturday morning. My mom started this tradition to keep Sunday more spiritual. I think it was old to keep the chocolate off our new dresses! My kids were so excited for Easter that I was woken up at 4am by Lorrin who wanted to know if she could go downstairs. I looked at the clock and then down the hall to realize that all the girls were wide awake and up talking in their rooms. I put them back to bed but I'm not sure they slept. I am not sure what they were expecting from the glorified Easter Bunny but I think they were disappointed that Easter was nothing like Christmas. Although Robb and I bought them all BYU shirts and new flip-flops, the six candy filled eggs were all that was left to get them excited! Next year I think I will forget to tell them Easter is the next day, just so we can sleep in!

Hello and Good-bye

Saying Hello:
What a week. Helen (My sister) and her family got here late Wednesday night and crashed at our place. My Dad made the long drive with them from California. They spent a the last few days unpacking and moving into their home just a mile down the road. I was able to spend most of Thursday and Friday helping move boxes and put things away. I love having my sister here. I didn't realize how much I missed her until I spent a few days with her. I feel like we are kids again, hanging out and doing our thing. It is going to be great to have them here! I has been a very busy week with family but well worth it!

Saying Good-bye:
On top of my sister's move we also spent experienced some joyful/sadness as we said good-bye to Robb's car. Yep! Although the Toyota is still running we decided it was time for a new car. We sold it on Friday with 253,000 miles and a lot of memories. It is like the energizer battery and has kept going and going and going. For the last nine years we have talked about getting a new car and every year we have said "maybe it will last one more year". The brake lights started going off this last week and we decided it wasn't worth putting the money into it. Robb was able to get a very nice 2007 Sonata which we paid mostly cash for and will have paid off by the end of the year if everything goes as planned. The Toyota was a blessing (it literally ran on tithing and a prayer) we are hoping the Sonata will be one too!