New chart is in effect....week 2!

As the arrival of Baby #4 approaches I have been thinking of ways to make life flow more fluidly in our home. I also have wanted to teach the older kids about responsibility and that there are some things they could be doing to help out the family. But I also wanted to do it in a way that is appealing to a 7 and 5 year old. And of course there is a selfish element...I don't want to do it all myself! =) As I was lying in bed a while back, trying to get my brood of pillows in to their perfect position for a good nights sleep, I had this idea....



First I made a list of all the chores they can do already and then thought of a few more that they can learn to do, and if not done perfectly will not drive me crazy, and then some bonus chores that were optional.

Then I took a picture to represent each of those chores and printed them out and laminated them after putting a brief explanation on the back of what the chore entailed. There are daily, must be completed chores (brushing teeth morning and night, make beds, room is picked up and vacuum ready). There are weekly chores that they swap each week (setting the table, clearing the table and wiping it down, vacuuming their room, vacuuming the living room, vacuuming the stairs, cleaning the bathrooms) and then the bonus chores (reading for 30 minutes, coloring a picture or writing a note for someone, memorizing a bible verse or doing an extra job for mom or dad).

The chart itself is just a piece of poster board, with mini clothes pins to hold the chore cards and two pockets, one to hold completed chore cards and one to hold their earnings...pennies. For each completed card they earn a penny at the end of the day.

The pennies are then used for tv and computer time. 5 pennies = 30 minutes.

So far this has worked WONDERFULLY!!! It has also been a great lesson as to what jobs we just do because it is a part of being a family. For example...turning a light off that someone else left on is not considered an extra job for mom or dad, but just a part of being a family...as is getting Emily in her seat, or getting a loaf of bread out of the freezer, or playing with Emily while mom makes lunch, etc...

I also like it because the chore cards can change as the kids get older!! Hoping it sticks!!

Thanks for voting!

Thanks so much for your help making this difficult decision!! The polls closed last night at midnight and Photo #7 was the clear winner!! I was secretly rooting for a picture of my sweet niece to win, so I will enjoy seeing sweet Teagan each time I go to my doctors office and am excited that she is doing some great advertising for me! I will be sure and take pictures of the finished product framed and up in the office to share with you!! Thanks again!!

I need your help!

Okay...I have the opportunity to do some advertising for Kori Mauch Photography in my OB doctors office. I am going to be doing an 11x14 picture in a 16x20 black frame. I just cant decide on what picture to use! SO below is what I have it narrowed down to...Cast your vote on the right hand side of the blog! Voting will close on Wednesday at midnight!

Photo #1


Photo #2


Photo #3


Photo #4


Photo #5


Photo #6


Photo #7


Photo #8

A Season of Sickness

For the past 2 months we have been back and forth to the doctor over and over again for one sickness or another....Strep throat...wheezing...coughing...ear aches...strep throat...pink eye...ear drainage...unexplained fever for almost 9 days...the list just goes on and on...And in the midst of all this Andrew has come home with notes on two different occasions that have stated that there was cases of lice in his classroom. A total of 6 kids have been sent home from his class! As of yet we have been spared, praise the Lord! I had to laugh the other morning when I took everything off the bread box to clean it...we have our own little pharmacy/healthfood store...I CANNOT wait for warmer weather to stay around! I want to open all the windows and let the fresh air chase out the germs and stale winter air that have accumulated! Until this week I had avoided all this sickness, but now it is my turn...It is amazing how a sore throat and pink eye can just wipe a pregnant woman out! I think it is supposed to be in the 60's early next week....spring just can't come quick enough!




Our pharmacy/healthfood store:
Acid controller and tums for my heartburn...with this pregnancy even water gives me heartburn

Omega Swirl Cod Liver Oil...my mom gave me some research that stated that women who took fish oil in the 3rd trimester of pregnancy had babies with less incidences of childhood asthma...since I have 2 with asthma, I thought I better give this a try

Sweet Echinacea for Emily

My flinstones and folic acid (prenatal vitamins make me sick!)

Emily's vitamins

The KZine are digestive enzymes that I give Emily every morning...she has had some reflux and this has seemed to help

Vit C and Echinacea for the older two

teething tablets for Emily...workin on her 2 year molars already

Vitamins for the kids

Andrews Inhaler and singular that he takes every night to control his asthma

and ear drops for Emily's nasty draining ear

Brians Vitamins

I don't even want to add up what all this costs???!!!

The Belly!

Well I finally got around to asking Brian to take some photos of my ever expanding belly! 27 weeks this week, officially in the 3rd trimester! It is going SO fast!! I change my mind almost every day as to whether I think it is a boy or girl! The kids are getting excited and have begun suggesting names for their new brother or sister...so far they haven't suggested the ones we have selected! =) Brian has been faithfully working up in the attic getting that room ready for Andrew and I have been rearranging the house in my head and on graph paper to try and figure out the best arrangement for all of us to be most comfortable and for family life to flow as smoothly as possible after the little one comes! For the first time yesterday I had a glimpse of excitement about this being my last baby. It was short lived, but at least it happened! Emily has had a fever for 6 days so she was sleeping in (after being up for several hours during the night) when we took these...I will be sure and get some with her when she is better!

She reminds me of Andrew...

Not only do they look alike...they act alike...I can remember calling Andrew a monkey all the time when he was this age! Today Emily, even with her 102 degree fever was drinking her water in the dining room while I was cleaning the kitchen and I came in to check on her and this is what I found! After taking a few pics, removing her and explaining she can't climb on the table I spent the morning continuing to remind her that she can't climb up onto the table as I took her down over and over again! =) Little stinker...like her big brother! They keep me on my toes!!!

Can't believe it has almost been a month!!

Boy do I feel behind! I can't believe that Feb 10th was the last time I posted! We have been busy, but really just enjoying life together! Things have started to slow down a little (at least as far as my commitments) and I hope to just be home more and taking it easy as I get further along in the pregnancy! I am 25 weeks...can't believe how fast this is going! I am doing good for the most part...having some tailbone discomfort, but am going to the chiropractor and have been helped immensely! I have been having some contractions, but since this is my 4th baby, that is to be expected, and my doctor is comfortable with the amount I am having. So we will just keep truckin along! Brian has continued to work on the attic and it is going to be the most awesome room, especially for a 7 year old boy!! We are hoping to have that wrapped up within a month or so! Kelli is spending a few days in Freeport with her grandpa and grandma and we will join her there tomorrow to celebrate the birthdays of two of my sweet nieces! Today was such a beautiful day and it was great to spend the afternoon outside. It was especially enjoyable to watch Emily discover the great outdoors! She was fasinated! Hope you had a chance to enjoy the beautiful weather as well!! Come on Spring!!!

55 degrees and lovin' it!

It was so beautiful today! We were all getting restless being inside so we decided we should go for a bike ride. Well, trust me I am in no condition to go for a bike ride, so Kelli and Andrew rode bikes and I pushed Emily in the stroller. We went around our neighborhood a little and then stopped at a little deli up the street from us for a muffin and something to drink. When I asked the kids if they wanted to stop at Shawn's (the deli) they were so surprised! Kelli said, "Mom you are the most wonderfulest mom in the whole university!" They have been saying that lately about all sorts of stuff...the most wonderful ________ in the university! It cracks me up! I should probably correct them and tell them it is supposed to be the universe, but I like it so much I will let it go a litte while longer!!

Sidewalk chalk...a sure sign of warmer temps!!

Does anyone else see a resemblance here??? I wont say who I think she looks like, but if you can see it...leave a comment.

I just love how Kelli is looking at her big brother in this one...Andrew held up the peace sign and Kelli held up 4 fingers...Andrew tried to explain to her what he was doing and she said just do how many old you are! It is like she is looking at him thinking "Wow, He is 7!".

This one makes my heart stop!!

Couldn't leave it!

Well, I didn't like my previous header so I took it down and just added a picture and I didn't like that either! So I should be in bed but instead decided to make a new header! It is huge and I am afraid it wont look right on square monitors! So let me know how it looks on your screens!

I am heading to bed...Andrew came home from school sick today...went to the doc and he has strep throat, poor thing. He was miserable!

Just gonna take it easy tomorrow and do lots of snuggling and probably a couple movies and reading and enjoying being home with nothing to do!

Smile!!

Andrew came home from school on Tuesday and was so excited because he had a loose tooth! He has not lost any yet and several of his friends and cousins have so he was beginning to get anxious about it! SO when he said something felt funny after eating lunch he was checking things out in gym class and discovered a loose tooth! I was so excited for him and a little sad to see another sign that he is indeed growing up as much as I am trying to not let him! As soon as Brian got home from work he ran to tell him all about it! Later that night, Brian was giving it a wiggle when we discovered that new teeth were coming in behind the loose tooth and the one next to it! Better start saving for braces now!! =) Yesterday when he came home from school it was really loose and I could see him playing with it with his tongue pretty constantly. When Brian came home, he told Andrew he should just pull it out! So Andrew tried for a little bit to get it out and then Brian did a little more wiggling and then Andrew, without even a whimper, reached in there and yanked it out! Thankfully they did it when I wasn't in the room because I was getting weak in the knees watching them wiggle it around!! He was very excited to have a dollar from the tooth fairy this morning! I told him I thought he was pretty lucky because I think the most I ever got was a quarter! I told him that the tooth fairy must have been feeling generous because it was his first lost tooth! Here are some pictures of the milestone! (You know I was focused on the tooth when I was taking the pictures, because when I uploaded them there was big crusty boogers I had to edit out!!!)