After School Schedule

As we gear up for the beginning of school, I thought I'd share our after school schedule that I keep on
the fridge. It started as a note for babysitters, so they would not be fooled by our innocent childrens'
penchant for bending the rules, but it has proved beneficial for the kids to also know the daily routine.
Feel free to copy, & let me know if you have any additions or other helpful tips!

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When the kids get home from school:

-Empty lunch bags

-Have snack

-Practice Piano -20 min

-Read for 20 min

5:00 they may play video games or watch TV

Dinner around 5:30/6:00

After Dinner make lunches, if they can’t cooperate in the kitchen, only 1 at a time.

7:00 Reading Time:  (Shower if needed)

-Toilet

-Teeth

-PJs

-Book

8:00 Lights Out!

If the kids can’t agree on something, use common sense, & don’t be afraid to say NO!

The kids also have ‘days’, odd=Asher’s choice, even=Chancery’s

There’s a paper by the TV which tells you what channel the TV needs to be on
to watch TV/play video games

If you have any questions, Sherilyn’s cell 604-xxx-xxxx, Chad's cell 778-xxx-xxxx,

Home phone 778-xxx-xxxx

Wifi: "WiFi Name"

Password: "CleverPassword"

Summer TV Drought

Summer is both a good time & bad time for TV shows for me.  It's good because there are less shows I like during the summer, so I can get caught up on the shows I have fallen behind on, but it's also bad because sometimes in the evenings I feel like there is nothing good to watch at all!  After I go on holidays I always have a look through my SideReel tracker & decide what shows I don't think are worth trying to get caught up on, & I pare down what I watch.  When it seems like there's just nothing good to watch, I'll start a shows that didn't really interest me initially, but I have heard a lot about, which is how I came to watch 13 Reasons Why.

What I had heard about it before watching was that it was dark, & it was about a girl who committed suicide.  That's all I knew.  Now, after watching all of season 1, I have to say it's a really well written show that is a pretty accurate portrayal of high school.  Not every high school has all the same dynamics, but there are a lot of things going on in the students' lives that they just don't feel they can talk about with any of the adults in their lives, or even some of their peers.  Some of the issues they face could have been avoided had they just told an adult, or talked to their friends about them, but instead they all felt like they were alone, & because of that, they had to face many of their problems alone.  Also, you see the kids refusing to acknowledge things they may have done, & repeatedly make the situation worse by trying to cover it up, or bully others into denying it as well.

Would I recommend it?  Yes.  Now there is swearing, & there are adult themes, & the last episode is a bit graphic, but I'd still recommend it.  It's not fluffy, mindless TV.  Watch it more like a documentary.
Now, for who I'd recommend it to:

-If you know your children have watched this show, you should also watch it.
-Watch it if you work with kids.
-If you have kids who are heading off to University or College, watch this show with them.  Even if they seem well adjusted, a lot of things go on at college/university that they have not encountered before, & them knowing you are aware of what is going on with their peers can open up some amazing dialog.

Don't pretend it's not happening.  It's way more prevalent than you can imagine.  Watch it, & talk about it with your kids.

Ice cream truck

Sometimes a promise isn't enough. Sometimes you need to document that your kids said it...

The End Is In Sight!

I've had a few people ask about what's been going on in our lives, so I figured it was time to post an update.  Life has been a bit hectic & chaotic to say the least.  Last weekend we moved out of the place we had been house-sitting since the owners were coming back home this week.  We were very fortunate to be able to stay there for nearly 3 months, & initially when we began our move we had figured by this time we would be moving into a house of our own.  However, the house we ended up buying had renters in it, & we needed to give them 2 months notice to vacate the premises.  Unfortunately, that left us with about 6 weeks with no place to live. We put out the word that we were looking for a place in the meantime, & through church connections we managed to find a 3 bedroom duplex to rent, & church people have donated furniture for us to use since our things are all in storage!

We are thankful that everything has worked out, but this time of transition has not been easy for the kids.  They are adjusting to a new school, new friends, new church, & their normal routine has gone out the window.  PChad & I are trying to maintain as much normalcy as we can, but there's always the occasional thing that comes up, & while it's not so difficult for us to deal with, the kids occasionally have little meltdowns.  I made the mistake of bringing the kids to the grocery store after school the other day, & they did not have as much time to play at home as they wanted, & dinner was a sad, sad time.  If you have seen the movie "Inside Out", you will understand that my kids wanted to lay on the floor like a blob, & just disappear.

I have been filling my days trying to do normal boring things like laundry & cooking, & also trying to do as much as I can to get things set up for our new house.  Making sure we have electricity & heat when we move in, so we don't actually need to lay on the floor like blobs under a pile of blankets just to stay warm.  (We did move into a house once in November & were without heat for a week, it was not fun).  Getting the vehicles inspected so they can be registered & insured.  Some of this stuff has to wait until we are in our new place so we have an address (you can't have a drivers' license without a home address on it).  I have started making a list of all the things I will be able to do once we have a permanent address again: library cards, Nexus cards, Provincial healthcare, Order new checks from the bank.  It will be so exciting!

So, we get our new house January 1, & all of our things come in the moving truck January 2.  The kids go back to school after Christmas on the 4th, & my parents are going to come up & help me to unpack all the boxes while the kids are in school.

Before we left PEI the kids were so excited for this move.  Asher was 2 years old & Chancery was 6 weeks when we came to PEI.  They kept saying, "This time when we move we'll remember it!"  I dare say they will never forget it!  At dinner the other night we were talking about how I had decided that I'd like to marry a farmer so I would never have to move, & then we were counting all the houses each of us had lived in, & how sometimes what we plan doesn't work out, but it's ok because God knows, & his plans are better.  For those of you who are curious, by the time we move into our house here...

Chancery - 7 Years old
- 1 Country
- 3 Provinces
- 4 Schools
- 5 Houses

Asher - 9 Years old
- 2 Countries
- 4 Provinces & 1 State
- 4 Schools
- 7 Houses

PChad - 35 Years old
- 3 Countries
- 4 Provinces & 2 States
- 6 Schools
- 16 Houses/Moves

Sherilyn - 36 years
- 3 Countries
- 4 Provinces & 4 States
- 4 Schools (PChad went enough for both of us!)
- 18 Houses/Moves

Purple Dresses

The other day my kids got into quite the fight over a misunderstanding.  I'm sure my kids are not unique in this, but I wanted them to see the 2 sides to the story, so I told them this anecdote...

One day my friend Katie & I were both wearing purple dresses.  Our friend April was with us, & at one point she said, "I really don't like purple dresses."

Later that day, Katie was thinking about what April had said, & it really bothered her.  She let it bother her the next day, & into the next week as well.  Katie started to think, I'm really angry April!  She didn't like my dress, & she doesn't want to be my friend anymore!

I also started thinking about what April had said about our dresses, & at first I was hurt by it too, but then I thought, April is my friend, & she wouldn't want to just say rude things to me to hurt my feelings.  Maybe she meant that she just doesn't like to wear purple dresses herself! 

The next time I saw April we had a great time together.  We played with Lego & made weird creations, & laughed about what they looked like. 

When April & Katie saw each other, Katie was so mad at April!  Katie said all kinds of mean things to April, & April started to cry!  When we asked Katie why she was being so mean, she said it was because April had been mean to her first, by saying she didn't like Katie's dress.

April then explained, "I once had a purple dress that my mother made me wear, & it was so itchy!  Now every time I see a purple dress, it reminds me of how itchy that one was, & I just don't like them!"

The kids & I discussed which person had dealt with what April had said in the best way.  I told them, "This is something that will happen often in your lives.  In fact, I had a situation like this happen to me again in the last week, but I thought about who had said it, & knowing that she is my friend, I knew that she didn't mean to hurt my feelings, so I decided to forget about it.  But it kept bothering me, so I went to my friend, & asked what she meant, & she explained that she wasn't trying to hurt me, she was just trying to be funny!"

Think the Best of Others.  People generally aren't trying to hurt you!

Age Gap

Asher & Chancery were talking about being teenagers, & adults, & where you make the different distinctions...

C: "I'm almost a teenager."

A: "No, you have to be 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, or 19 to be a teenager."

C: "Yeah, & when you are 20 you become a parent."

Me: "You can become a parent at any age.  You become a parent when you have a kid, not when you turn a certain age."

A: "When you are 20 you are a young lady, or a young man, & when you are 30, you are just a lady, or man."

Me: "Do you think I am a young lady, or a lady?"

A: "You are a parent!"

C: "Yeah, you're a mum!"

I guess being a parent sweeps you out of the other categories!

Crime & Punishment

Yesterday Chancery got a time-out, & she stomped her way to the stairs for her 6 minute punishment.  When it was over, I told her to come & talk to me.

Chancery: “Do you forgive me, Mummy?”

Me: “Yes, I forgive you.  Will you try not to do that again?”

Chancery: “Yes, I’ll try not to do that again… Are all of my 6 minutes over?”

Me: “Yes.”

Chancery: “Six minutes is quick!”

Me: “Should I give you longer time-outs?  I’ll have to give you another minute when you turn 7, but should I just start giving you longer ones now?”

Chancery: “Well, when I turn 7, you can give me 8 minutes then, ok?”

Me: “Well, we’ll try 7 minutes & see how it goes.”


Chancery: “Ok, I just like asking if you’ll forgive me at the end of them.”

Playing Old School

I was looking through my unfinished, unpublished posts, & found this one from last January…

**************************************************************************

 

It was a quiet day so PChad decided to bring the old Atari out of storage & hook it up for the kids.

 

It took a bit of finagling, but we got it working.  The power switch has always been touchy!

 

Asher enjoyed it for awhile, but he said the games were boring!

 

Chancery just likes to watch…

 

Three happy kiddos!

Saving the Day, One Lock at a Time

Yesterday Henry & Vincent (our Home-stay boys) decided to ride their bikes downtown for the day, & spend some time at the library.  Around noon, they called me that they couldn’t get their bike lock unlocked.  I told them to ask at the library if there was a maintenance person who could cut the lock for them.  They asked, but the maintenance worker was not allowed to cut it off for them because they had no way to verify that the bikes were theirs.  It totally made sense.

 

So, I got another phone call that they needed me to come downtown & save them.  I know we have a bolt cutter, but I had a feeling that it was out at PChad’s shop.  I looked around the garage & the basement, but couldn’t find it, & I couldn’t find a hacksaw either.

 

So, on my way downtown, I stopped at the local greenhouse which is owned by some friends from church, to see if they had a bolt cutter I could borrow.  Unfortunately Mr Charlie was on lunch break, & they other employee I found wasn’t sure they had a bolt cutter at all.  I told him I’d take a hacksaw, but that lead to a bunch of questions about petty theft!  After assuring him I wasn’t going to do anything illegal, he looked in the back room & found the bolt cutter for me!

 

So the kids, & I marched up the the library carrying the large tool down the street, & I managed to cut my first lock!  I then loaned the boys a keyed lock that I had brought, & warned them not to loose the key!  I didn’t want to have to go through that whole ordeal again!  Fortunately it all worked out.  I wonder what other adventures we’ll get up to while PChad’s away!

Hello? Hellloooo?

A few nights ago, after PChad had put the kids to bed, Asher started calling out, “Daddy?  Daaa-ddy!”

 

I was tutoring, & PChad was on the phone, so neither one of us could answer him…

 

Asher: “Daddy?  Daddy!  Is anyone there?  Hello?”

 

“There has to be someone!”

 

“What if there is a fire?”

 

It was nice to know that he was so concerned about fire safety, but when PChad got off the phone & went to see what the fuss was about, he got this report…

 

Asher: “My neck is sore.  It’s so sore, it’s like it was cut off like Nearly Headless Nick!”

 

It was quite the analogy!

“The Deal”

Every night before bed, we ask the kids to say what their 3 favourite things were that happened that day.  A few nights ago when I asked Chancery, she said “the Deal” was one of her favourite things.

 

Now, the kids are not allowed to watch TV or play video games until 5pm, but I had made a deal with them at 4:30, that if they could play nicely together with no fighting or arguing, they could watch TV at 4:45.  About 5 minutes into it, they were fighting & arguing.  I started coming up the stairs, & Chancery said, “No, Mummy, we are talking about it!”

 

They wanted to sort it out on their own.  However, I have 2 very stubborn, opinionated children, & neither one would back down from the injustice they thought they were suffering from at the other one’s hand.  So I had to get involved.

 

It was now 4:45pm.  Chancery asked if they could have a new deal.  So, I told them that if they could not fight or argue for the next 10 minutes they could watch TV early (it was only 5 minutes early, but any extra time is extra fun!).  This time they had a tiff, but they talked it out (instead of fighting it out), & they managed to get the 5 minutes extra.

 

Even though the first attempt was unsuccessful, the second worked, & Chancery said it was one of her favourite things from that day.  Maybe I’ll have to make more deals!

Awe, That’s So… HEY!!

Each morning I bring Chancery to school, & I give her the option of waiting in the car for the school doors to open, or waiting in line with her class.  She usually picks waiting in the car (there was a cold morning last week which turned her off of waiting outside).

 

This morning, Chancery & I were listening to the radio, & I reached back to her, gave her leg a squeeze & said, “I love you.  You’re my favourite girl.”

 

Chancery respeonded, “I love you forever, Mummy.  You’re my favourite Mummy…  No, you’re my SECOND favourite Mummy!”

 

“Hey!” I protested, “that’s not very nice!  Who’s your favourite?”

 

Chancery replied in her sweet little voice, “Auntie Tara.  But I guess she could be my second favourite, since I don’t live by her.”

Explore

The weather has been warming up this last week.  By warming up I mean it’s up around 10° during the day.  After school today Asher & Chancery went out to play.  A short time later the front door opened & Asher asked, “Mum, is it ok if Chancery & I go on an explore all around?  We’ll just be gone for about 30, or 20 minutes.”

 

I gave them clear boundaries of where they needed to stay in the neighbourhood, & with strict instructions to stay together they were ready for adventure.

 

A little while later Asher came in the house, “Look what I found, Mum!  Someone lost this key!  It’s all muddy, can you clean it for me?  I found it in the neighbour’s yard!  Where the cat lives!  It was just under a rock!  Someone must have lost it!”

 

With strict instructions to put it back exactly where he found it & to stop digging in other people’s yards, he was off again, to find more adventure.

 

When the kids came back a little while later, Chancery told me that she found a tennis racket on someone’s lawn, but she left it there, even though she really wanted to play with it.

 

I love that we live in a neighbourhood that is safe enough for the kids to be able to wander freely in (within reason).  I remember having a lot of fun roaming around with my friends in my neighbourhood when I was younger, & I think it’s an important part of growing up & becoming independent.  Hopefully the kids remember to respect other people’s property & leave it alone!

Justice

Asher & Chancery were playing with our Playmobile Nativity set.  Asher was playing with the angel, & flew up to PChad & asked…

Asher (angel): I need to ask God if I saw a cow kill some sheep, if I should kill the cow.”

PChad: “Well, that’s up to God to decide.”

Asher: “But can I kill it?”

PChad: “We are supposed to do to others what we want them to do to us, so do you think you should kill the cow?”

Asher: “But if I kill it, then it can’t kill me because it will be dead!”

PChad: “Do you want someone to come & kill you?”

Asher: “No.”

PChad: “Then you shouldn’t kill someone else.”

Asher then went off to play some more.  Then he came into the kitchen & started playing by the table.  He kept putting the angels’ face on top of the salt shaker…

Asher: “I looked into the future, & saw that I should not kill the cow.”

So… we got to the answer through looking into the holes of the saltshaker to see the future…

Consequences

I had put Chancery to bed for her nap, & after about 10 minutes of ‘barking’ from her room, I went up to investigate.  She knows she is not supposed to be loud, but to sleep, so since her stuffed puppy Ginger seemed to be such a distraction, I took it away from her.

 

After I took Ginger away, I went into the washroom.  I could hear Chancery calling out to me in distress

 

“Mummy!  Did you put Ginger in the toilet?”

 

I’m a pretty strict Mum, but I wouldn’t go that far!

Turning the Tables

At naptime, I heard a little sing-songy voice coming from Chancery’s room.  I quietly snuck up the stairs, & opened her door.  Chancery was sitting on her bed, with her pillows stacked, & her stuffed dog, Ginger, on top.

 

Me: “No, this is not what you are supposed to be doing.”

 

Chancery: “Sorry, Mummy.”

 

Me: “You need to lay down & go to sleep.”

 

Chancery: “You frightened me though!”

 

Me: “Well, you are being naughty.  If you weren’t being naughty, you wouldn’t have been frightened.  Now, lay down & go to sleep.”

 

Chancery: “Then don’t frighten me anymore.”

 

As if it’s my fault she wasn’t sleeping…

A Little Treat?

A few days ago I had some errands to run, & I had to take the kids with me after school.  Asher doesn’t like having to go anywhere after school, he would much rather stay home & play outside, but there was no getting around it.  I offered to take the kids to Tim’s if they behaved themselves in the stores.

 

They weren’t angels, but they did their best to earn their donuts, so I let them pick what kind they wanted, & I told them to choose which kind of juice they wanted to share.  If they couldn’t agree, they’d have water instead.

 

After some negotiating, I heard Asher ask Chancery, “Would you like to have some of the Peach Poison Juice?”

I think we may have to work on his reading a little this summer!

The Mother’s Day Gift

We have Coffee Break at our church on Tuesday mornings, & last week was the final week of it.  There are different classes for the kids, separated by age groups.  Chancery’s group made necklaces for all the Mums last week.  My friend JJ came up the stairs wearing her gift from her daughter, but Chancery insisted that I couldn’t open mine until Mother’s Day.  Since I had seen JJ’s, I knew what my gift would be, & I figured it would be similar to hers.

 

When I opened my gift on Sunday morning, I was a bit surprised at the difference between the necklace JJ had been wearing, & the one Chancery gave me.  Here’s JJ’s necklace…

 

 

And here is the one Chancery gave me…

Notice that there is a knot right at the centre of the necklace, so my beads all hang on one side.  Chancery told me, “You can wear it when you have your jammies on!”  I think I just might!

Following Instructions

Lately we’ve been having a bit of trouble with Chancery at nap time.  Apparently her stuffed dog “Ginger” has a bit of a talking issue, & talks & talks & talks, keeping her awake for most of her nap (suspicious, no?)

 

So, as I put her down for nap yesterday, I warned her not to talk, & then I warned Ginger, that if she was caught talking, I’d take her away & put her in the closet.

 

Chancery took a nice, long quite nap.  When she awoke, she proudly announced, “I was so quiet, & I didn’t talk at all!  I didn’t tell you that my pants leaked & my bed is all wet!”

 

Me: “Was your bed wet for a long time, or a little bit of time?”

 

Chancery: “My bed was wet the longest time ever!”

 

Awesome.  I guess I’ll have to be more specific in my instructions from now on, & add that if she has issues with her pants, that she is allowed to voice them.

Chocolates & Santa

Chancery & I were at the store to buy a birthday card for her friend Corbin’s birthday party.  While in line, Chancery noticed all the candy bars displayed below the counter…

 

Me: “Please don’t touch the candy, Chancery.”

 

Chancery: “Are these for my friend, Corbin?”

 

Me: “No, he doesn’t need any.”

 

Chancery: “Are these for me?”

 

Me: “No, they are for other people to buy.”

 

Chancery: “For other people to buy for me?”

 

Me: “Nice try, no.”

 

The lady behind us started laughing midway through this little exchange, & jumped into the conversation:

“Oh, now she definitely should get one!  She’s so clever!”

 

Really?  Now I have to explain to the random lady that my kid doesn’t need a chocolate bar, when I just finished explaining it to my 3-year old?  What would I be teaching her if I bought her a candy bar now?

 

The lady turns to Chancery: “Santa will bring you a candy bar.”

 

I couldn’t believe it!  Now she’s making promises to my kid about what she’s getting for Christmas!  I loved Chancery’s response…

 

Chancery: “Santa isn’t real.”

 

Lady: “Oh my Gawd!!!  At her age?”

 

Chancery: “It’s not nice to say ‘Oh my God’.”

 

Lady: “Who told her Santa isn’t real?”

 

Me: “I did.”

 

Lady: “Why would you do such a thing, at her age?”

 

Me: “That’s not what Christmas is about.  It’s about Jesus!”

 

At this the cashier joined in too: “Amen!”

 

Lady: “But you can let her have a little fun!  Santa’s just something fun to do!”

 

Me: “And at what age do you tell your kids that you’ve been lying to them all along?  They’re going to start wondering what else you’ve been lying to them about.”

 

Cashier: “That’s right!”

 

Chancery: “Mummy, can I have this kind of candy bar?”