Random Rewards....

We've started something new lately, it involves remembering to be good without being asked and candy. (I know, I swore I'd never bribe with candy...but this isn't exactly a bribe....is it?)

So what happens is at random times throughout the day I pick something like remembering to clear your dishes from the table, make your bed, put away clean clothes, take PJ's back upstairs, etc. and give a small treat to everyone who had it already done at that moment in time. The boys seem to really like it and even though they are a little disappointed if they don't get a treat but they don't fuss about it and it seems to be a good motivation to help them be in charge of themselves without me feeling like a naggy hag.

Even the Tiny Tyrant (more about the shift from Terrific Toddler to Tiny Tyrant in a later post) seems to be catching on. He HATES taking care of his dishes. Like screaming ranting, sobbing, take him by the hand and drag him and his dishes to the sink HATES taking care of his dishes. However after our Sunday Sundae's tonight he took care of his bowl without even being asked and then he came looking for "nandy". Since I do try to keep the treats and the checks random ( and won't do one if someone asks me about it (see how mean I am) because I don't want candy to be the reward) he didn't walk away with any treats. But he was fairly stoked at getting a High 5 and a "Way to go".

So for as long as they work the way I want them to.....we have a new game at our home.

Happy Birthday Little Engineer!

Once there was a little boy who was born to a mama and a papa who loved him very much! In fact everyone in his world loved him very much!



Every day he grew bigger and bigger until one day he could walk across the room with a little help. It must have been because he had just turned one year old that day!



Soon he had a little brother and even though he was a little jealous he tried his best to be a good big brother. Luckily for him his cousin Bradley had some tips for him.

By his next birthday he was helping his Papa out with chores around the yard. It must have been because he was turning two!

Soon after his third birthday he decided to take on bigger things and exercise his inner Picasso. Luckily we were already planning on painting the kitchen walls blue.


On his fourth birthday he walked up a tree as he pursued the hidden treasure hunt for his birthday present. AND he learned how to ride a bike with training wheels for the first time.





It was pretty cool being four!







A year or so later he discovered that chocolate could absorbed through his skin! It must have been because he was five!

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When the engineer turned six all kinds of new worlds opened up for him. He played Tee-Ball for the first time. He was on the White Sox team. He also took swimming lessons for the first time and discovered that he really did love the water! That year for his birthday he got a scooter! He could ride it so well because now he was six!


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But this year he had the most remarkable experience of all! He got to have all of his closest friends over for a birthday party. While we were waiting for parents to come everyone went outside to ride on bikes and play!


That is when the MOST AMAZING THING HAPPENED! The Engineer could ride his bike all by himself with no training wheels and no help getting started.


When I asked him how he did it he told me, "Because now I'm SEVEN mom, yesterday I was still six!"

Like duh!