Friday Funnies- Play along!

Woo Hoo! It's Friday! And time for another Friday Funnies!! Come on, you know you crack up at the stuff your kids say (and the things you find yourself saying TO them!).  Just this week I found myself saying "Bailey we do not sit on our sisters when we are naked."

Join the fun and write your own blog post about all the "funnies" at your house this week.

This post will be available on our sidebar for you to access at any time (as long as I figure out how to do that).

Please be sure to follow the rules and then visit the other blogs so you can get your laugh on.
Yes there are rules.  Why? Because it's our blog and we can. :)  Also, because we want to make sure it's family friendly.  SO.....

1. Please refrain from using profanity.  It may be funny that your kid accidentally said the "F" word at a restaurant, but please don't spell it out.
2. Please do not use the link system to drive traffic to your blog for anything other than a Friday Funny post.
3. Please be sure to put the actual blog post link and not a link to your home page. This way we can find your Funnies even after you have posted other things.
4. I am not responsible for your computer when you spray water, tea, soda, or whatever you are drinking, across the monitor and keyboard from the laughter.  Likewise, you are responsible for your own weak bladder.
5. Please make sure you include the Friday Funnies graphic in your post somewhere.  I worked hard on it and it will boost my ego if you I get to see it all over the internet.

Here is the Friday Funnies Graphic

You can either copy and paste this jpeg or go to my sidebar and get the smaller version to embed with a code.

Have fun!!!

Of course I can't be left out so here are my own Friday Funnies from this week (woo! It was a doozy!):

Please pardon all the "potty" talk as we have been potty training miss Bailey this week (with great success I might add).  Hence the above "funny" about not sitting on our sister naked. 

I was watching a show with Bailey in my bedroom when she said "I have to potty." So I took her into my bathroom, left the tv on, and while she was sitting on the potty she tooted.  To encourage her I said "oh! What do I hear?!" Rather than focus on the "toot" she listened for a second and recognized that a Geico commercial was on so she replied, "Ringading ding dong!" 

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For the first couple days of potty training Bailey would say "I PEE!" Thinking she had just peed I would look all over the floor for it.  It took me a little while to figure out that she was trying to tell me that she needed to go.  

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I was getting the girls ready for bed and Skylar said "But I just want to keep playing." Reagan told her, "Skylar, everything has to come to an end eventually.  Well, only the fun stuff." Wise beyond her years :D

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I don't know about you guys but when I have to get my girls' attention, I use their middle names along with their first.  This past week while Cali was barking, Bailey walked over to her and said "Cali JANE!".....which happens to be Reagan's middle name. :)

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Reagan and Skylar were playing upstairs and Bailey was looking at books downstairs with me.  We heard a loud "thud" from upstairs. Bailey, without looking up from her book, says, "Dey fine. Dey jest playin." HA!

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I was trying to get Bailey to sit on her potty for a while so I was reading a book to her about colors.  Each page has different fruits and vegetables on it so I was asking her to identify each one. 

"What's this Bailey?"

"Umm, dats carrots."

"What's this?"

"Dats Oh-anges (oranges)."

"What are these?"

"Dose Grapes"

"What about this (pointing to an eggplant)"

"ummm, dats YUCKY!" 

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While driving home from the library Skylar said "Mommy, I don't want to be tan anymore. I want to be white like you." :D

The family jewels

A few weeks ago I blogged about this (establishing some solid rules for our home) and started the search for appropriate rewards/consequences for the different ages of our girls.

The researcher in me went into high gear and finally found an awesome system.  I'm so excited to share it!!

Some have referred to it as a "marble jar" system but since we didn't have marbles, we used Princess jewels from Disneyland.

(This works with pennies, marbles, those little clear rocks you put in the bottom of a vase, etc.  Anything that makes a 'plink' sound when it goes into a jar).

Our goal (and duty) as parents is to raise well-adjusted, kind-hearted, rule-abiding, God-fearing, children.  Not necessarily in that order.   There are a number of different ways to achieve those goals, and I believe our jewel system is a great tool.  Let me explain how it works:

Each child gets a jar (or a glass bowl as it is in our house) with his/her name on it.

Each Sunday (or whichever day you decide), he/she begins the week with ten jewels.  When he/she makes a poor choice or disobeys (or doesn't listen the first time asked, etc), you ask him/her to go get a jewel out of their jar and bring it to you.  Likewise, when you see your child doing something you really like or appreciate, he/she is given a jewel and told to go put it in his/her jar.  (There's something about the plinking sound that makes them SO delighted too!).  On Saturday (or the day before they "start over"), you count up their jewels.

If they have 5 or less, they lose a privilege for an entire day (tv, computer, playtime, dessert, etc...whatever you choose and it may be different for each child).  If they have 7 or more, they get to choose from the "treat list" that you create or a "treat box" that you fill with appropriate items.  Our list has the following "treats" on it:

1. Playtime at the park
2. A trip to the dollar store
3. Time alone with one parent
4. Frozen yogurt at a self-serve
5. Movie rental

Notice that two of these don't actually cost anything, and the ones that do cost money, cost very little.  You create the rewards so you have control over what their "reward" is.  It's not meant to be a "thank you for doing what you are supposed to do so let's go to toys r us and buy you an expensive toy" kind of thing.  :D

We love this system for a variety of reasons.

First, it eliminates the constant asking.  If they do not obey the first time, our girls are told to go get a jewel out of their jar and then they are pretty quick to comply.  I don't usually have to raise my voice.  I just say "please go get a jewel out of your jar and bring it to me and then do as you were asked please."  Much more pleasant than the alternative. It also separates them from a situation if there is bickering.  If the girls are fighting, I tell them to each go get a jewel and bring it to me and then go do something different.  It just diffuses the situation immediately.

Next, it's adjustable.  You can add a time out at any point.  "Please go get a jewel and then you need to sit in time out for four minutes."  Or, if it's a large offense, you can ask your child to bring you 2 or 3 jewels to really make a point.  I have a friend that just implemented the marble jar as well and she takes three automatically for biting, kicking, or hitting.

It's also "individual."  Skylar was getting out of her bed at night and going into Reagan's room to sleep.  Reagan wanted her to stop, so we told Skylar that she would lose a jewel if she did not stay in her bed.  She has not been out of bed since we said that.  I have been rewarding her in the morning with a jewel if she does stay in her bed.  Obviously it wouldn't make sense to reward Reagan for the same thing because she has no trouble staying in her bed at night. :)

Also, it teaches what is important to us as parents, like sharing, and loving your siblings.  Just this week I said "Reagan, I noticed you shared your treat with your sister.  I love when you share without being asked so you may go put a jewel in your jar."  On the flipside of that, they understand that obedience is important to us also.  "You chose not to obey the first time I asked, so you need to go remove a jewel from your jar."

It also teaches delayed gratification. Yes, there is gratification in the "plink" of receiving a jewel, but ultimately their prize only comes once a week.  It keeps them guessing too.  We don't reward EVERY time my girls obey so they have to keep being good and wait for us to reward their behavior.

It's also helpful while you are out.  Just this past week, I asked Skylar to stop climbing on a planter at Reagan's school.  When she disobeyed and kept climbing on it, I said, "when we get home, you need to remove a jewel from your jar.  If you would like to not lose any more, I suggest you get down now."

It puts pressure where it should be: on the parents.  We have to make our expectations known and when they don't meet them, it's up to US as parents to provide the consequence, consistently.  It's also up to US as parents to show them what we DO want.  If I want my children to speak kindly, I need to speak kindly to others.  Being aware of their behavior should make us aware of our own.

For obvious reasons we do not have a marble jar for Bailey yet.  I suggest that kids be at a minimum age of 3 for this to work cognitively (and for the choking hazard).  I can't wait for Bailey to hit 3!

I know this has been long, but I hope it was worth the read.  I just love when something works!

The ground rules

I think we have pretty good kids.  Most days they are sweet to one another, use their manners, and obey when asked to do something.  But they're kids, and they're not perfect.  We've noticed as Reagan gets older she is starting to assert herself more.  She "bargains" when asked to do something; she corrects anyone that she thinks is wrong; she can get very bossy with her sisters.   We were talking yesterday about how to help correct this behavior now before it gets out of hand.  As the parents, we know this responsibility falls squarely on our shoulders.  I don't want to make the mistake of assuming she will grow out of it either.  It's easier to deal with a six year old's defiance than it is a ten year old that has been getting away with it for years.

I read a great blog from miss Amy about a family binder.  I have my own system of chores, budget, organizing list, but since we only have one child able to read we will probably wait on putting the rules in it a little longer ( I think it's a FANTASTIC idea!).  But it got me thinking.  We need to establish a few ground rules for the house.  If the girls know the rules, they know when they are breaking them.  In like fashion, we also need to establish consequences if the rules are broken.  We are not going to go overboard with rules (it's hard for a 3 year old to remember 15 rules!).  So far I've come up with three.  We will start with those.  The one I'm most excited about is the rule to obey the first time you are asked to do something.  Lately I've been having to ask the girls (well mostly the older two) to do something repeatedly.  I ask nicely the first time.  The second time I get a little frustrated. The third time I am downright irritated! But it's after that third time that they finally comply because they know I mean business.  Now, there will be a consequence after the first request is ignored.

We just need to come up with age-appropriate consequences now.  Any suggestions?