Just a little Cuteness

This morning the twins and I went to the grocery store. Always a fun experience. On the way home I hear Ali in the back shout, "Mommy, I need to go potty!" At this time, we are about 2 minutes from home, and I am thinking that I will probably have a mess in her seat to clean up. I tell her to try to wait and use her big girl muscles. She flexes her arms and makes a funny face then suddenly crys out, "God help me, amen!"

We made it home with no mess.

She got on the toilet and went, and then she said, "God helped me, mommy!" To which I replied, "Yes He did."

God cares about the little and big stuff in our lives. In the process of potty training, I have cleaned up many messes. This one wouldn't have been a big deal for me, but apparently it made a difference to Ali. She called for help and God answered her, even though to others, it wasn't a big deal. Do you ever think that your problems aren't big enough to ask God about? Size doesn't matter to God. He's big enough for the big stuff and small enough for the small stuff at the same time. He's God, and He loves you.

"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly."

-Jesus Christ

John 10:7-10

Organizing kids

My beautiful little girl went to school this morning in her old shoes that I should have put in the trash. Why? She couldn't find her newer shoes because she didn't put them away, and Ali just loves to wear other people's shoes and pretend to be them.

We were late getting ready because Becca was still doing homework this morning. I've come up with a plan, though.

I am making a chart. It's a chore chart that all the kids can check off when they do things. When all their check marks are in place, they can play or watch tv or anything else that they want to do. We already have the do homework before watching tv rule, but since Becca's homework isn't really organized for each day, I'll have to check her stuff when she gets it and organize it so that she does a little each day. Micah is going to need it so that he remembers his chores. Becca usually remembers her chores, but puts off her homework. I figure I'll put the twins on there, but their only chore is to pick up their toys so far, and I'll have to come up with something to work for homework because I know that they are going to want to do that, too. They already asked for homework yesterday. I am debating putting Cassidy on there, too. She's only here in the morning, but if the twins start getting into it, Cassidy will probably need to have something to do, too. I may just give her homework or something. The girls like to color, we may just do some of that every day with an occasional craft project or something.

I haven't totally figured it out. I know that it will have to be big, or no one will remember it. I may have to make separate charts for each child just because their activites are so different. Hmm...I don't know. I do know that the 99 cent store has poster board real cheap, so I could try things out. Still, if it is going to be reusable, I'll probably have to laminate it or something.

Remember when I said I am a walking disaster? I meant it. I am no good at this organizational stuff. I can intelectually fathom the idea for organization, I just don't do it. Yeah, that's where my kids get it from. Micah actually is more organized than I am. He has his routine and will remind me of things if I forget. If I start this chart thing and do it with both kids together, my hope is that he will begin to remind Becca. It's pretty fair that he should help teach her organization since she teaches him all the time about interacting with people. They are therapy for each other.

Well, that's my plan. I should probably write down all the rules for them, too. I did stuff like this when I was teaching preschool, you would think that I could put it into place with no problem in my own home. It kinda sounds like a verse I read recently:

"I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do." Romans 7:15

That passage is about sin and the struggle with it. When I read it, I usually have to read it over and over a few times because it kinda gets confusing, but its really worth it. I recommend reading the whole chapter.

Kindergarten stuff

Well, tomorrow Becca goes back to school and has her first day of all day kindergarten. This means that today, we are doing her off-track homework. About 3/4 of it is being done today. The packet was about 40 pages of busy work that is just so simple that Becca has had a hard time doing it for very long. That means that I have spent my entire day telling her that she has to do 4 more pages and then she can have a break. Then I tell her to go back and re-do the ones that she just scribbled through so that it can be done. Yep, she's really lazy.

The one negative thing that Becca's teachers have to say about her is that she procrastinates and then rushes through her work at the last minute. Yep, that's exactly what she is doing here at home. They say that she'll probably do better once she has the harder work that is coming, but I'm thinking that there isn't much in Kindergarten curriculum that she doesn't already know.

She has been told almost every day of the break (except weekends, I just don't think kids should do schoolwork on weekends unless it's really necessary) that it is time to do some homework, and she will sit down and apparently look like she's doing something and then when I get distracted, she escapes. I know, it's probably all my fault.

So here I am. I'm now going to make her a schedule now. Every day she will have a more structured plan for her work. I hate schedules. I really don't want to do this. I get enough of that with Micah. Still, she has to learn organizational skills somewhere. Maybe a checklist. I'm thinking on it.

So, those of you who are moms (or happen to be organized, or just have a thought you'd like to share...I'm not picky), do you have any ideas? I'm not really organized myself, as I previously admitted, so whatever plan that I make would have to be simple and probably very visible so that I am reminded about it as well as she is.

Here's a fun proverb:

"All hard work brings a profit,
but mere talk leads only to poverty." Proverbs 14:23