Email

Print

After taking care of three on-and-off sick kiddos for the last three weeks, and after a crazy week of Halloween parties and craziness, I was finally hit with the bug yesterday.

From my bedroom, I could hear Maddy, Owen, and Cora asking my husband every two seconds for another piece of candy.

Every. Two. Seconds.

I know there are very cool ideas out there about a “Halloween Trade“– a small gift in exchange for the children’s bag of candy–which is a super idea, but I just didn’t get there this year.

Plus, being a sweet tooth myself, I do want my kids to have some candy. Call me crazy. Some candy. Some.

So this Quick Trick I came up with on the fly, from my bed, and I was just thanking my lucky stars that I had been keeping empty egg cartons for a while and had enough to do this.

• Candy Countdown Cartons: I grabbed the egg cartons, taped a piece of paper that said “Maddy’s Candy Countdown” onto one carton, “Owen’s. . . ” on another, and “Cora’s . . .” on the last one.

Maddy’s Candy Countdown Carton

Then I said, I’ve heard enough crying for candy. Enough! I am trying to rest, and all I hear is ‘More candy! More candy! Can we please have candy?’

First of all, we don’t eat candy all day long. Secondly, we’re not going to finish all of this candy anyway. Imagine how your bellies would feel if we let you eat junk all day long. Remember the Berenstain Bears and ‘Too Much Junk Food’? It’s Mommy and Daddy’s job to help keep you safe and healthy.

So here is your Candy Countdown Carton. Owen, how many little holes are in this container? He counted and told me.

Right. Twelve. So I’m going to dump all of our candy onto the floor, and each of you can pick twelve pieces of candy. That’s it. Stick one piece in each of these holes, and when Daddy or I say it’s time for candy–for dessert or when we say it’s time–then you can pick one of your pieces.

When your Candy Countdown Carton is empty, candy’s gone. There’s no more. So go through the candy, pick your favorites, and fill up your containers.

So they did. And maybe giving them some ownership over a tiny bit of candy, maybe because ‘twelve’ seems like such a big number to them, or maybe because they just they were happy to play with their candy for a bit, Maddy, Owen, and Cora were content.

I could hear them, after lunch, picking out a piece from their cartons. One piece and they were done.

Maybe this ‘Good-bye Halloween Candy‘ Quick Trick worked after all–or at least for today.

Just a little something to try if you’d like. Hope you had a great Halloween!

Join over 5000+ subscribers and get fun, free ideas for sneaking learning into your every day via email so you don't miss a thing!

Comments

comments

Email

Print

Mmmmmuahhhh!

Give your brain a kiss.

I learned so, so much from Maddy’s incredible preschool teachers when I parent-aided in her first classroom.

She was only there two mornings a week, and I was there a few times a month, but these women were amazing, patient, and seriously skilled at with working with the teeniest of teeny two-year-olds.

So today’s Quick Trick is from them. Just like arm circles and a lot of the Conscious Discipline that they demonstrated, this is something that we’ve used for quite some time and have had much success with.

• Brain Kisses: Whenever Maddy, Owen, or Cora show us that they’re really thinking–really using their growing brains to figure something out, remember something, or to share something they learned with us–we say,

Give your brain a kiss! Your brain is really working hard today. Or,

How did you figure that out? . . . Give your brain a kiss. Or,

Did you really remember that? Oh my gosh, your brain is working so hard. Give it a kiss.

And then that person kisses his or her hand and then puts the kiss on the top of his or her head.

It might sound strange or quirky or weird to some (and it is a little funny. . .), but it’s really normal for us around here to talk about brains and the hard work our brains do to help us learn and grow.

Teachers talk with their students about metacognition–thinking about thinking–so why not start here at home? By giving our brains a little love now and again, we’re helping our kiddos to become more aware of their own processes of learning and developing.

Sometimes, if we see Maddy, Owen, or Cora doing something especially loving towards one another or someone else, we say, Give your heart a kiss. I love it.

A lot of discipline techniques do sound different before they become norms for households, and this is certainly one of them; believe me, I know.

Brain–and heart–kisses reflect the idea behind noticing–or sharing with children the times when we observe them demonstrating positive behaviors in hopes of having them repeat those behaviors independently. We’re all about celebrating little successes, kind of like the big ole Special Plate, letting them make some choices, or looking at things through a positive lens.

Here’s to a weekend full of brain kisses and getting-smarter-(and kinder)-everyday kiddos!

Join over 5000+ subscribers and get fun, free ideas for sneaking learning into your every day via email so you don't miss a thing!

Comments

comments

Email

Print

Lately, I’ve felt overwhelmed by Cora’s ‘two-year-old-ness’.

Her fiery temper; her constant movement; her unceasing energy; her smiles, hugs, songs, and cuddles; her high high’s, and her low low’s. Some days we enjoy this roller coaster ride, and others, we all want off.

But what I’ve also realized is that as a parent, I’m more experienced than I was when Maddy was two, but I’m not in the fog of fatigue that I muddled through when Owen was the same age. I’m in a different place, and although I sometimes wish that Cora already knew the correct ways of behaving, I seem to have forgotten that those behaviors have to be taught.

So last week, I needed to revisit my old, trusty parenting books for a quick refresher. I didn’t like that I had begun to sound like a broken record, ordering everyone around, raising my voice, and being a reactive parent instead of a proactive parent.

I needed to stop, breathe, and really start to notice the behaviors I wanted her to continue. And then I needed to share with her what I noticed.

It’s all about “shining your light” where you indicate value:

• Noticing Behaviors: The goal with noticing is to state an observation rather than make a judgement.

No–Good job, Cora.

Yes!–Cora, you put your toys in the bin and your clothes in the drawers. You cleaned your room so you can find things when you want them.

Wordy, yes. Takes thought, yes. But it does make sense, especially for our little guys.

Here’s the skinny–

• Start your sentence with the child’s name or the pronoun ‘you’. Look at you!, or I noticed. . .

• Describe what you see. You found her blanket and gave it to her. That was helpful!

• End your description with a ‘tag’. Tags describe attributes of your child or values you admire, like that took determination; you sure are organized; that was helpful; that was thoughtful.

Some examples–

• Look at you! You’re eating with your spoon!
• You did it! You went potty on the big potty. Good for you!
• Owen, you held the door for Cora. That was helpful.
• Cora, you offered Maddy a french fry when hers were all gone. That was so thoughtful.
• Maddy, you picked up all of the doll clothes without being asked. That was super helpful.

Becky Bailey believes that if you accentuate your child’s strengths, you teach them their abilities. If you encourage their contribution, you teach them how important it is that they share their gifts.

It’s hard. It’s so hard. But positive behaviors have to be taught–which is much easier said than done sometimes.

And if we spotlight the behaviors that we want repeated (think: Special Plate), then most likely those behaviors will be repeated.

This Quick Trick is another one from Becky Bailey’s Easy to Love, Difficult to Discipline (2000), which has helped me to become more conscious in my disciplining. (When I am disciplined enough to use it!)

I’m far from an expert, hardly the perfect parent, and by nature am quick-tempered and fiery myself (hmmmm, where does sweet Cora get it?), but I am always, always looking for quick tricks to keep in my back pocket. Do share yours!

Join over 5000+ subscribers and get fun, free ideas for sneaking learning into your every day via email so you don't miss a thing!

Comments

comments