Sunday, April 20, 2014

Happy Easter!!


Happy Easter!! Here we are at church. Our church has a sweet tradition for the children on Easter morning...they use flowers to adorn the cross in the church yard. It was so cold and windy today, but if was sweet all the same.



Something about this picture I just really like...even with the eyes closed and all...


We took another picture once we got home. It makes me laugh that Tim's head is cropped. Do-it-yourself-photo-shoot, and do-it-super-fast-cause-everyone-is-freezing.


It's been a good week. Zack is outside right now see-sawing, the boys are laying on my bed watching Free Birds (for the second time before we return it to Red Box) and Tim is out shopping for a push mower!! We are really getting into this "make the kids responsible" thing. They are going to be the ones mowing the yard form now on! (I've got my fingers crossed, anyway). I was remembering last night that I used to mow the yard with our old push mower--while pregnant with Samuel and with William on my hip!! Ah, the good ol' days.

So, back to the good week: William worked a good bit on the computer, learning more about Minecraft. The kids are wanting to do some "Mindcraft programing." There's ways to make modifications to the game and he's been watching how-to videos. Hasn't had success making anything yet, though.


I made some sugar cookies this week. Zack helped decorate them. I've never seen him work this hard on anything before--I guess that's what the funny face is for anyway!


He loves to help. During dinner this week I heard him grunting in the kitchen and came in and saw he was doing dishes... (He's reaching to get soap from the soap dispenser.)


We had (what we hope is) a break-through this week with the kids. They have been driving us nuts lately about "electrics" (that's what they call watching videos and playing video games). They have limits on how much they can play, and when, but they just pester us about it. We came up with a new system. They have to EARN electronics time. It is awesome. Each day they have 3 "jobs" to do. For each job they get 20 minutes of time. We have little magnets on the fridge to keep track of their progress.

Job #1: Get up, eat, get dressed, make bed, do chore, brush teeth, and start school by 8:00a.m.

Job #2: Finish school.

Job #3: Clean kitchen after dinner and have it finished by 7:30p.m.

Honestly, it has only been 2 days...so I don't have much to go on...but it has worked bea-u-tifully!!! I didn't know they could move so fast! You should have seen them cleaning the kitchen the other night!! Tim and I helped, too, and it got done so fast!!

Additionally: We have another chart for Saturday wii time (or whatever you call it). All week long they will earn time towards Saturday. I made them a chart that has little "life" hearts--like there are on Minecraft. I fill in hearts for them for all kinds of things: helping clean, having good attitudes, doing good on a test, using their time wisely, helping with Zack, etc. (This chart was filled up, but I erased it after their time on Saturday, and they have just started over.)


Not the best picture, but you get the idea. I introduced this on Friday morning, and gave them an automatic hour's worth of hearts since it was so late in the week. Oh my...the work they did the last 2 days to earn another hour of time!!! It was amazing. I'm sure that their enthusiasm will wear off, but I hope that it will set of new tone of being helpful, and of looking for things that need to be done.

One thing they did yesterday was help make food for Easter! William made our annual Pine Apple Crunch salad.


Pineapple Crunch Salad

8 oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 c sugar
20 oz can crushed pineapple, drained
8 oz cool whip 
1 c crushed pretzels
1/3 c sugar
1/2 c pecan pieces
1/4 c melted butter 
Mix cream cheese and sugar. Add pineapple. Fold in cool whip. Put in fridge until serving time. 
Mix pretzels, pecans, sugar, and melted butter. Spread on cookie sheet (I like to line it with foil first) and bake at 375 for 5-7 mins--till golden. Store in a baggie until serving time. Mix together right before serving.

But I digress. William got 2 hearts for making the recipe. Samuel made blue jello with fruit in it for Easter. He got one heart. They were happy. I was happy. Very happy.  I made Kentucky Pound Cake (recipe in linked on the side bar) and I used my Gluten Free flour mix.  It turned out fantastic!

We dyed Easter Eggs. It was a little crazy...but fun.






We did Easter baskets this morning, and had a delicious breakfast: fresh fruit salad, coffee cake, Easter Story cookies, and Sparkling juice (Celebration Juice :).


The kids did a Easter Egg hunt at Grandmother's.



That almost wraps it up...except that Tim pulled up while I was typing, and this is what has been going on:


Our two helpers:



This is William's silly face. He is in responsibility heaven. He just blossoms when you give him responsibility. (And, he's earning hearts!!)


Did ever a mower sound so sweet?

PS--Thanks, Dad, for making me mow the yard growing up.  It gives me loads of confidence that if a silly middle school girl can do it, these boys can do it.  I may have complained at the time, but I'm glad for the experience :)

1 comment :

  1. Jill I just loved reading your blog! What a great idea about earning electronics minutes. I can't decide if you are thinking like a teacher or if the best teachers just think more like mom's ;) I also have some funny lawn mowing memories- I would mow in my bathing suite to get a tan!!! HA! I loved that task and would get mad if my dad would mow it without asking me first :) Enjoyed today with you and all your boys! -Sarah Tolleson

    ReplyDelete