Friends for Life (I hope)

Originally posted on my old wordpress blog Jan. 21, 2011.

My daughter issued a strict no-boys policy for her room this week. I absolutely can empathize with her on this one, but even so, I wondered if I should remind her that it is actually my room that I am allowing her to occupy free of charge.

Besides, her little brother secretly adores her and although neither one will admit it publicly, they are each other’s best friend. He will play Barbie and babies with her; she will play trains and dinosaurs with him. They wrestle and giggle and tickle and fight. If one is coloring a picture, the other has to grab a page and do one too. If one jumps on the dog for a snuggle, before I know it, there is a literal dog pile in the living room. They are inseparable and I love it.

All the same, I told her she doesn’t have to let Charlie in, but she simply may not sit on him in the hallway until he squeaks to prevent him from coming in. I have a feeling he is going to be her friend whether she likes it or not.

Happy Tickets, Happy Momma

Originally posted on my old wordpress blog Jan. 20, 2011.

I’m not one to bribe my children. Ok, that’s not true. I find myself bribing them all the time and they love doing things for treats. (Puppies exhibit a similar trait ;o) But if I’m not careful or consistent, the kids tend to morph into greedy little monsters who refuse to act until they are promised some special treasure. And I don’t like having to threaten them to get their work done, obey or get along . . . something I find myself doing all too often as well.

So today, we have started the happy ticket program. Do something good and get a happy ticket. Do something bad and get nothing. Turn in 3 tickets for such things as 1) a chocolate, 2) TV time, 3) a shiny quarter or 4) any kind of small little prize that I think might suit their little fancies.

As of lunchtime, the program is working. My dishwasher is unloaded, everyone is dressed, the dog is watered, no one is fighting or whining and Miriam is sitting down long enough to complete a drawing before running off to do something else. In other words, everyone is HAPPY.

Here is where I got the idea and the pdf for some cute little tickets to print:
http://www.ambrosiagirl.com/blog/happy-tickets/