They're getting so big

Wait a second?  When did my kids get old enough to get ready in the morning by themselves?
When did they stop needing me every second of the day?
When did they start going farther down the hill
away from the house
without looking back?

When did they get so big?
And strong?
And smart?

These kids are magicians I tell you!

In the house day - don't go cra-zay

I had the supreme honor of being alone in the house with the boys all day this weekend.  The girls were all gone, and it was just us guys.  Only one problem - raining downpour kept us inside for most of the time.  So what do you do when you can't send them outside, and they're too young to play by themselves downstairs?

They played in their room for awhile, but that only goes so far.  Then you suddenly have drag races up and down the kitchen floor, or sledding on a blanket down the stairs.  That can only go so far until you have visions in your head of bloody noses and cracked skulls.  So what do you do?  Get them engaged in an activity of course!

Cookies are always great, because the batter isn't as messy as cupcakes, and they are ALWAYS interested in the prospect of a sugary snack (we do oatmeal to make me feel better - the fiber takes away the calories).

That took up a good 30 to 45 minutes.  Then we played in a make-shift fort of blankets and chairs.  That took us another half an hour.  But I needed to get some work done too, so I shifted gears and tried to get them into a game WITHOUT me.

I tried three things, and only one worked.  If you have any other rainy day suggestions, let me know!  Here was my scientific observations.

1 - Drawing was okay for awhile, but then they wanted help making things they didn't know how to make.  A good learning experience for them - but I didn't get any free time.

2- The Harry Potter diorama was a failure to launch.  My own fault I'm sure.

3- The hide and go seek scavenger hunt was a winner.  Hide a bunch of stuff around the house, and set them to find it.  They lose points if they ask me for help.  Bought me a good 30 minutes.  And who could ask for more than that? :)

Top 4 ways to get the kids ready in the morning

I know my kids are the only ones who are slow movers in the morning, but maybe a few people will get a little info out of this. :)

When my kids get up, I've got a whiner, a slugger, a sneaker, and a mover. 

1 - The whiner complains about everything.  "Do we HAVE to take a shower again?"  - like the answer is going to be different this time, when it's been "yes" every time for the last 4 years.  My way to motivate them is to give them EXTRA activites whenever they whine about it.  This has proven effective 50% of the time, most of the time.

2 - The slugger moves at a snails pace (ala a slug).  When one is already dressed, ate, and ready to go, they've barely started wiping the sleep from their eyes.  The strategy for them is simple - leave them one day.  If they're not ready for school, leave without them (of course, mom is still home.  And mom has to give them LOTS of chores on that day).  This was pretty effective.  Repeat about every few months.

3- The Sneaker tries to get away with things.  They'll try and slink off and hide somewhere and lay down, or cut corners by not taking a shower when they should.  I give praise and extra sugar on the cereal to the others, who are still visible, when this happens.  Surefire way for them to stick around more next time, just waiting for the praise.  And the sugar.

4 - The mover is great.  They move all around, getting ready and not complaining, and always doing what they're supposed to.  The funny thing is - not every kid keeps the same role each day.  Sometimes one is the mover, sometimes they're the sneaker.  It's a revolving door.  So with the mover, I just tell them they're doing a great job.  This always makes them smile.  And gives them a reason to try to stay "the mover" the next day as well.

Here's to mornings!

go to http://www.mredie.com/ for teaching tips and tricks, and follow @misteredie on twitter

My little Heroes

My kids are blowing me away in the "living life" category.  I think they've done more in 10 years than I did in 30.

We went skiing last week, and I was blown away by how well the girls are skiing now.  I was zipping down the mountain fast as I could, and still could barely keep up with them.  We both learned at the same time, about 4 years ago, and now they are smoking me on the slopes.

That makes me more proud than when I accomplish something.  I used to think it terrible when parents lived vicariously through their kids, but I can see why.  Your kids ARE an accomplishment, and when they succeed, you have too.  (of course, the caveot is when people ONLY experience life through their kids - big no no in my book).

I have a lot of personal heroes - My parents, Abe Lincoln, Paul Bunyan.... but my kids are all top of the list.

check out http://www.mredie.com/ for a post about the heroes that are everywhere in our lives.

Art is life

We have a sculpture in town that was commissioned around a year or so ago, that is of a train conductor waiting for the train.  He's looking at his watch and he's got a little dog beside him, waiting patiently.  It's really great, and a wonderful addition to an already colorful and artistic town.

I gave the kids a challenge to try and draw the sculpure.  I gave them some pictures I took, and tried to get them to caputre the essence of the sculpture in a 2D format.  They did a really great job, and Kassy in particular took a real effort at getting the lines and shading right.

I know I couldn't have done that when I was a kid.  I had no idea what good art was, and how in the world you could produce it if I wanted to.  I think the kids have more talent than me!  But I also think it comes from talking to them about it.  We'll walk by the sculpure, and I'll point out a few details, or "wow, look at how detailed the lines are on his jacket" or things of that nature.  It's all about the talking I think.  It's all about conversing with them at their level, but at the same time raising their level on a daily basis.

Who knew that running your mouth was a good parenting technique?

Check out http://www.mredie.com/ for more on drawing techniques, and how to incorporate them into your homeschool or away school class!