Thursday 14 January 2010

Good news

This blog is mainly a record of my time with the kids but I also like to write about, though not too often, about how I'm feeling and other stuff that goes on. It's therapeutic and anyway, these things affect the atmosphere in the house. The last 2 weeks have been on a bit of a downer but there's no point dwelling on them. And anyway I find the not-so-good times make you appreciate the good times all the more. So today I made the effort to get out a bit more because I've been stuck in for far too long and definitely need a distraction. I took the baby to the garden centre for a bit of a mooch about. We are very short of money this month so I had to be strong and resist blowing my housekeeping budget on some of the pretty things in the sale. Though, I might go back next week and see if things get reduced even further. I did buy some seeds, though. A mix of vegetables and flowers. I don't have the compost yet but I hope to start some seeds of sometime in the next 2 weeks.

I also went to pick the kids up from school ( because Hubby has been doing this job since Christmas) and was very glad I did. There are some lovely Mums on that school run and it was nice to see and have a little chat with some of them. Best of all was hearing the news that a friend is pregnant. We were both pregnant at the same time (while I was expecting Hope) but very sadly her baby died just before he was due. I know she is excited but I can imagine the anxiety and fear she must have to deal with too.

The snow is beginning to disappear. Fortunately the kids had a chance to go out this afternoon and have a snowball fight with the neighbours before it vanishes altogether. Honor made the most of it but Henry quickly feels the cold and wet and gives up to come indoors.

Finally, I've just been reading the latest post from Unplug Your Kids. It reminds me that we also need to revisit our discipline strategy. We do something similar with a smiley face board but it has been neglected a bit and the reward and consequence part of it has become unclear. I like the idea of a 'chore basket' so I'm going to get thinking about how to incorporate one into our household routine. I'm not sure if I want to use it as a punishment, though. Maybe they use it as taking responsibility for things that need to be done around the house, but the lucky dip element of it to make it fun. I'll have to think about it.

1 comment:

  1. It is not easy being at home with kids 24/7! Many days in the depth of Winter here (Ottawa)the thing I looked forward to was picking up the kids from school. The fresh air was just what I needed and I knew the other Mums were in the same boat. often we were a life line to each other to get through the Winter. Cabin Fever is far easier to deal with after a chat and a cup of tea with other Mums! Now that I work I full time I have started to go for a walk every lunch as I miss the fresh air that I used to get on my walk to school. I still miss the Mums but hey..life has moved on.

    I stopped by Un Plug Your Kids. I was thinking back to when our kids were little and how we used to discipline them. I like the idea of rewarding with things that are a treat and not bought! My son's high school actually uses a point system. The have 9 points and loose points for lateness and missing school etc. If they miss school with out phoning in they loose more points than if they call into the teacher. Once they loose all their points they go on 'strike' (suspension)During strike they have to complete designated work in order to come back. They can also earn back points for good attendance etc. It is very strict and works well.

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