Positive Motivation Idea For Kids

In an effort to discipline, I had been taking things away from my little ones so often that I felt like I was more of a tyrant than a parent. I mentioned this to a friend who had great feedback.

Marbles.

The idea is to show them what behavior is good and guide them to choose it.

Each time they do something that you would like to reinforce, tell them "Wow, great job Jimmy! You earned a marble!" Then, let them see you put a marble in their special cup. (Each child should have a cup with their name on it)

Go to the dollar store or target dollar spot and let them pick out 5-10 items. These items go directly into a treasure box/bag that is put away. Inform the children that the items in the bag are off limits.

When the child earns 10 marbles, they can cash in the marbles for a treasure from the bag and this part is important. Make it a big deal that they earned TEN MARBLES! WOW! and let them know how proud you are of them.

In order to get them in the groove, give them a marble for almost anything. You will be amazed at the things they will do to earn a marble. Remember they need to earn 10 marbles to get a dollar treat. Don't be too stingy with the marbles, or they will loose motivation. Later, you can say things like "Thank you for brushing your teeth, but that is something you should be doing everyday to ensure your teeth stay in your mouth". There is a balance to find of course, but I am sure you can do it if we could.

My children are going out of their way to help each other out. I only let them cash in marbles when they both have 10 together. My son has been earning a little more than my daughter so he has offered her some of his so they can reach the reward together. At this, he gets a bonus marble and they both reap the reward of a treasure. When my daughter cries or carries on simply because she has to go to bed, I say "It was unfortunate that you chose to carry on because you could've earned a marble for doing what Mama says the first time. Maybe tomorrow you can try again." This concept works wonderfully for teaching them to do things the first time I ask. Always a learning curve, but they are starting to get it.

I was thinking of other ways to use marbles too.

How about around Christmas time or birthdays when we have to give away toys that aren't played with anymore... we can do 1 marble for each toy you give away! We have yet to see how that turns out.

Garbage Disposal - Keep this post in the back of your mind

Perhaps your Disposal is running very well these days. Excellent. Be sure to thank God for the smooth sailing....

However, just incase tomorrow or the day after it is not.. read on.

Here is a quick fix for a VERY simple problem that could cost you big in time and money if in haste, you turn to a plumber or even a new disposal. FYI... this post is assuming you are past the I dropped a spoon in there stage. :)

Case 1 - Disposal not grinding but you can hear motor running.

(there is something lodged in the blade. You are going to manually dislodge the food or item from the outside of the disposal) Here are a few pictures to walk you through.

Take the "Disposal Tool" (pictured on Orange towel- if you do not know where the one that came with your disposal is, use a larger sized alan wrench that fits in the hole at the bottom.)

As pictured in the second image (this is the undercarriage of your disposal) take your alan wrench or "Disposal Tool" and put it in the center hole of the dispsal.

Turn the wrench clock wise or counter clock wise to unlock the blade. This should not loosen the blade itself. You should even be able to hear/feel when the item that was lodged gets loose.

Run your water, and try the disposal again from the switch. It should work.

Case 2: You hear nothing. Try hitting the red reset button on the bottom of the disposal. This is pictured in the 2nd image. You may also try unplugging and plugging back in the disposal.

For all other problems, you might google "disposal troubleshooting" or "my garbage disposal doesn't work". These internet searches work for other problems as well. Remember, if someone built it, you can fix it. The only thing that might hold you back is finding out how.

How to save vertical blinds from kids

In finding a quick and easy way to fix those venetion blinds at my back door that seem to fall right off at the mere glance from my sweet children....

What you need? - A toothpick and clear packing tape

What is the fix?

Well the reason your blind fell off is one little piece of plastic holds another and neither of these pieces can hold the weight of a 4 year old monkey as well as a real vine might. Most of the time the plastic on the blind itself breaks right off.

Simply tape the toothpick at the very top of the blind where the old plastic came off to replace the plastic 'hook' that use to be there. Then poke a hole in the tape where the clear opening is. The blind will go in the same way it used to.

Yep, it doesn't have to be pretty to be functional. Remember, it is up high in an area that people don't look to see. If by the off chance they do see your handy work, that is exactly what they will be thinking.... "my what handy work"!

Fun At The Doctor

We just came from the doctor's office and I didn't leave frazzled from all of the waiting with three little ones, four years old and under.

A few items that worked for restraint/entertainment are treats, crayons and magnets.

Treats are always a hit and really a no brainer for any mom, but I have to share that we find ways to eat our treats so they last longer. Separating fruit snacks into color patterns or making funny sounds with them as our lips smack from their gooiness. Feel free to make up your own games with them. I have also found they are great bribes (or call it motivation) for guiding them to make good choices while waiting.

Crayons you may have heard of before as well. Forgetting them once, the nurse overheard me saying so and brought them in. She mentioned that she only shares them on request from parents. I am sure the nurses have even taken some of my kids creations from the exam table paper for their own home refrigerators... and rightly so! :P

Now my recent hit has been the best. Magnets. Never before did I realize how much metal is in a Doctor's office! We find all of the different places they can stick. We only bring in one magnet per child so as to not give too many options or leave any behind. The children are eager to find a new sticking spot for their own magnets especially when boisterous encouragement is my response.

Lesson Learned: Setting up engaging activities ahead of time for the kids allows for more fun, less discipline, and a happy Mama.

Heathly Lunches - Peanut Butter and What?

While at a play date the other day, handing my kids their standard lunches of peanut butter and jelly, I saw a friend take out some whole wheat bread, organic peanut butter and honey. She made some sandwiches right there for her kids. How about that. Honey. I have heard that the dyes and astronomical amount of sugars in jams and jellies were terrible for our children, but never did I think there was an alternative. After finding this one, I am sharing it. This seems to be the new standard now (my children didn't even ask about the switch, and I didn't offer to tell them). I am open for more new additions to their luncheon diets, so please do share!

Sprinkles

How do you get your kids to eat plain yogurt, or plain oatmeal?

And the answer is......... SPRINKLES!

Who knew!?
My mouth-watering vision for the creation of sprinkles has me with a smile holding either a donut, ice cream or cake with sprinkles on top, and there's a special occasion. After all, that was the purpose of their creation, right? I thank God for my connections to impressive moms with creative approaches to moving towards healthy eating for family.

Now every day can be a special occasion!

Seasoning Vegetables

Results from an annual medical exam came back with a great increase in cholesterol numbers.

Now introducing.... How to "process" making Heart Healthy Meal Choices.

With the needed change, I called two of my trusted Health Nut Friends that I had not wanted to take very seriously in the past regarding food until now.. and said "where do I begin". What stuck out from the first conversation was... No Meat, No Dairy, and No processed Sugar.

Almost everything I have made usually had instructions right there on the box. As you may imagine, I was lost. If you would be too, you don't have to admit it. You can simply benefit from my lack of knowledge.

Lesson 1 Seasoning vegetables
A little salt & pepper and some lemon zest (grated lemon peel) goes a long way.
My Health Nut Friend asked me how I prepare my vegetables, and my response was; 1. Go to pantry 2. Get can of Veg 3. Open can ... She let me know kindly yet firmly that canned was not a future option. Ah Boy, so she was kind enough to share this simple seasoning with me.

First Recipe from what I had in the house!
Wheat Spaghetti Noodles
Frozen Broccoli
Baby Carrots
Lemon Zest
salt & pepper

Prepare Noodles from directions on box.
Steam Broccoli for 5 min
Cut and steam baby carrots 5 min
Put Noodles on plate, add broccoli and carrots to center, top with a dash of salt & pepper and lemon zest. Whala! He loved it and so did I. Who knew?!

Special note, we will be doing chicken, turkey and seafood as I have much to learn before we take that huge step to no meat if that is a step we choose to take. We are simply taking the biggest step possible for now.