--33 School days left. Whew!
--My students are still somewhat "checked out," but after reviewing their crappy grades with them last week, more of them are "on board" for work time now.
Emma: DH and I are at our wits' end.... Getting dressed/hair brushed/out the door on time in the mornings has become a HUGE ordeal. I hate yelling...DH hates yelling....but it seems we result to this at least 2-3 mornings per week as Emma lays in bed stalling.
--We've tried a sticker chart for "cooperative mornings" where she could go to the Dollar Tree if she filled up a week. (Em LOVES Dollar Tree.)
--We've taken away evening TV time based on morning behavior.
--I've refused to pack her lunch and forced her to eat the school lunch (she WAY prefers packing) if she didn't cooperate in the morning.
--We usually leave at the same time. There have been many mornings I've left without DH and Em (poor DH!) Em freaks out when I do this, but it still doesn't change her behavior.
Em is usually such a sweet girl....but the dawdling in the morning is driving us NUTS! Any parental ideas of what makes your kids get up and dressed independently in a TIMELY manner?
DH: Plugging away at another book. He texted me last week that he finished the 5th chapter of his 3rd book. He continues to seek agents. I'm so proud of him!
--Sick, sick, sick. DH was vomiting and in bed much of the weekend. He seems to have caught a stomach virus. Bleck. Poor guy.
Me: My parents arrive on Tuesday evening for a 4-day visit. SO excited to see them! One of the greatest pleasures of Mommyhood is watching Em interact with my parents. Hearing her on the phone with them this weekend was precious. She is SO thrilled they'll be here to attend a school field trip with her this week.
--I got all of the house cleaning done this weekend. (Drat! I shouldn't have put it off....sick DH couldn't help out like he usually does!) Tonight all I have to do is change the bedding and the house will be ready for visitors. Yay!
--I finished the Percy Jackson book series. LOVED them! And was tickled to see in the acknowledgements from the author that he considers this "the first of the Olympian series." YAY! I assume this means there will be more Olympians in the future---awesome!
--I've been hooked on the Showtime series The Tudors. I've watched all of seasons 1, and 2. I'm halfway through season 3. (Season 4 recently started and I have them recorded and waiting for me on our DVR.)
--Last weekend I was able to meet more blog pals!!! I met Lynn from Wistful Girl and Kym from I'm a Smart One. We met at the Applebee's in Waycross, Georgia. It was super! We had over 2 hours of conversation. Topics included: IF-issues, Teaching, Insurance, Husbands, Childhoods, etc. Even Leroy from the original Fame TV show. We had great conversation! We're planning to meet up again this summer...I look forward to it!
Kym, Lynn, and I
11 comments:
Yay for 33 days of school! That play sounds pretty cool too.
I'm sorry I can't offer any advice on getting Em going in the morning. Is she needing extra sleep? She would probably hate it, but maybe an earlier bedtime would give her the energy she needs? (I'm just guessing here)
Yay for your parents coming! I hope you all have a great visit!
And have I mentioned how envious I am of your DH's motivation when it comes to writing? I can't wait until I can go the shelf in my store and pick up a copy.
Book recommendation for you: Maze Runner... a teen title that I am totally loving right now. Think 'Hunger Games' but geared a bit more specifically for boys.
Regarding mornings with Emma, one of my other bloggy friends was having a similar problem. She found out her daughter's behavior was related to her diet. When she upped her daughter's protein intake, the child chilled out significantly. Don't know if that will help at all but I thought I would pas on the info.
Have a wonderful visit with your parents.
We went through a morning phase awhile back. J uses an alarm clock in the morning, and we discussed how the alarm would be set for 15 min earlier if she couldn't get ready on time in the mornings. She didn't like that idea much, and we only had to do it once. I think it's all about finding a consequence that matters...and knowing, like all other things, it's a phase :)
Horray for visiting parents. I hope it's a great time!
Mornings around here are tough too. I've tried to alleviate as much of the potential arguing as possible by doing much the night before. Picking out clothes, selecting a snack, etc, etc.
Could Em make a schedule for herself, something where she feels "in charge"? Does she eat breakfast 1st or last? Maybe switching that around? Just some thoughts.
YAY for meeting bloggers! How fun and exciting, love the picture!
As far as Em goes, maybe ticking off minutes to an earlier bedtime? I know that's kind of harsh and might cut into family time, but having crazy stressful mornings can't be much fun either. You could also go over what the plan is for the mornings, before bed too. If Zilla is having a rough time, that's what we do. Those might not be very helpful, but there they are ;o)
Have SO much fun with your parents!
*HUGS*
Hi, thanks for stopping by my blog...;)
I have some of the same issues with my 4yo DD. She isn't in school yet, and I work afternoons so the situation is a bit different, but I am not a big fan of yelling but how come she can't hear me when I ask 3 or more times in a normal voice? The the yell comes out. :(
I think that it was awesome that you met other bloggers...I should look into that...;)
Take care!
you described Morris. somedays I have to threaten him with not watching Jurrasic park...but when Phil drags in the morning, can't really complain about the kids. It drives me nuts. I started watching the Tudors a couple weeks ago (yay netflix) just have to watch it with no kids around lol. Have fun with your parents!
Hey hun! Hope you had a great visit with your parents! I know it will have been a great treat for you to see them.
As for suggestions on morning get-up-and-go, I sadly don't have any :( I know....I'm no help. I do hope things will get easier with Emma's morning routine very soon! Maybe it's just summer-is-almost-here-itis? Hope so!
I'm currently reading the Percy Jackson series and loving it as well! I lack 2 books having completed all five. It's good to know I may have others to look forward to :D
It was so great seeing you and Kym the other weekend! Can't wait for this summer! We'll have a great time!
How exciting to get a blogger meet-up!
Where does DH find writing time- is it his full-time job? It is THE most difficult thing for me- carving time for the novel.
Alana,
SO late on commenting but I am catching up on blog reading! :) We had the same issue with Abby, she was just so stubborn and full of excuses and it was just a bad way to start the day. We moved her bedtime up 30 minutes and after about 2 days she was an angel in the mornings. Once we adjusted our schedules and made it a point to get our evening routine done a bit earlier so she could get in bed 30 minutes earlier it really made a huge difference. She also wakes up with an alarm so we offered the option of getting up earlier in the morning or an earlier bedtime. Each kid is different but hopefully you will find something that works for you guys so you can have peaceful mornings again soon!!!
Getting caught up...
Hooray for the end of the school year! It's so close now. You've worked *really* hard this year and deserve a fabulous summer.
No advice about Em, my munchkin is still too small for that. But good luck, sounds like others have given you some ideas.
Have an awesome time with your parents!
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