Apr. 7, 2006 - Without Mom..
up to par the house goes to heck in a hand basket...
I have alot of stomach problems and have had them for over 20 years..well this week I decided that I needed to add to the mix an intestional virus that knocked me on my butt...
The kids were really starting to get the house rules down pat, the quiet chair,etc until I got sick then they decided to test me..so now that I am feeling better we get to start all over...unfortunately even when Robert is home, he isn't much help..but that's for another blog entry 
I don't have much time to sit here today as I have to get this house back in order..so until next time, have a very blessed day!!!
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Apr. 4, 2006 - Gloomy Day..
In Las Vegas when Spring arrives we just don't know what kind of weather we are going to have..yesterday was beautiful, hence us all going outside and cleaning up..today it is windy and supposed to get a good rain..When the weather is like this I just want to curl up on the couch and read but with 7 kids that doesn't fit the schedule LOL
As I type this I have Dylan (yes he's my terror) has been sent to the "chair", while my oldest is watching a Harry Potter movie, my daughter is reading a Nancy Drew book and the rest of the kids are playing games on the other computer with Dad...
A friend of mine left me a comment in a previous entry about the house rules...I made them simple because my children range in ages from 4 to 15..but here is what the chart says..
1.No hitting
2.No name calling
3.No yelling
4.No cussing
5.No jumping on or off the furniture
6.Do your chores right the first time
7.Do not interrupt when someone else is talking
8.Do not go outside without permission
9.Do not take things that do not belong to you
10.Do not talk back
11.Do not lie
12.Stealing is a definite NO NO!!
Well there you have it..and the rewards can be based on what your child likes..for example if I had to find something to reward my oldest with, it would be a cd or dvd..those are his passions.. Hope that helps!!!
Now on to the homeschooling stuff...I have decided to finish out the rest of this year which is only a few more weeks completely unschooling..we have had such an eventful year that lesson plans,etc went right out the window..I actually love the unschooling approach as the kids are learning without realizing they are learning...there are methods to moms' madness ROFL!!!
We will be starting our next school year the first week of June so I am in the process of figuring out where we want to go..I like the idea of using the classical ed approach combined with unschooling...my older two are going to be starting their highschool in June so it's time to keep track of what they do,etc..I am scared to death!!! The idea that our homeschooling now can effect the rest of their lives just makes me doubt myself like you wouldn't believe...I know it's Satan naggin' me..
Well I'm off to do something, just not sure what yet..LOL
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Apr. 3, 2006 - It's Working...
This morning started with me making the house rules chart, listing all the rules and making the kids each sign it showing that they understood what I said (yes, I helped the little ones LOL).. Then I decided over the weekend that I was going to participate in a Clean Heart Clean Home Challenge (you can find the info about it here: http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/DandelionSeeds/THE+CHCH+CHALLENGE/
I am using her concepts but doing things a little out of order..as she starts with the front yard, that one gets kept up for us alot better than the back yard so I gathered up the herd and said let's go outside and do the 2nd shed and patio area..4 hours later I have a beautiful looking patio and a shed that is organized where the doors now shut.
Besides working on decluttering and cleaning I am working very hard to get calmness in my house..I am just tired of all the yelling, screaming, temper tantrums..so I have set up a chair where I would be bored stiff to sit in as I can't talk to anyone, play with anything, just sit there and look at the wall..so instead of arguing with the kids or spanking them (things that got me no where) I put them in this chair to think about what the child has done wrong..they have to sit there according to how old they are..when their time is up they have to get up and apologize to the offender..hug and voila we got thru the whole ordeal without screaming!! A couple of the kids have tested me today but I haven't had to yell once..so hooray for mom and Super Nanny!! I got the idea from her show and her use of the "naughty chair"
Well this mom is wiped..so until next time
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Apr. 3, 2006 - Not As Bad..
Last night was the first night I said to turn the TV's off at 8pm..you might be scratching your head not understanding what is going on here...well see the kids slept all night with TV's on and have since they were babies...I had 2 kids that didn't cope with it all that well but I stuck to my guns...
Normally I would give in to temper tantrums simply because I just don't want to hear it..well I didn't budge..I let Dylan and Matthew have their fits...screaming for Mom,Christopher or anyone else that would listen...Matthew was doing more copying off of Dylan than anything...as soon as I separated the two of them, Matthew went right to sleep and Dylan was asleep within 15 minutes...
You might be asking why I finally changed the rules...well it hit me like a ton of bricks night before last when it took me almost 6 hours to get the younger two in bed that something had to give as I was dragging yesterday when I had to get up with the other kids...
I got up this morning and immediately started on the house rules chart which the kids are signing so they understand the rules, the consequences and the rewards!!
I'll update maybe later on today...but until next time..
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Apr. 2, 2006 - Lightbulb Moment
Sitting here ready to pull my hair out with Dylan..he had a day that no matter what I said he did the opposite..if I said sit, he would stand..you get the jist..well I was watching the Super Nanny marathon today (btw, I love that lady!!!) and it hit me like a ton of bricks...one of the major problems in my house is that I lost myself in trying to fulfill all my roles of the house...being a mother, wife and daughter in law (my ill MIL lives with us and I am her primary caregiver)..so when losing myself I lost the joy in the roles I play...sad huh? But it made perfect sense to me!!! Of course little things get to me when I am just not happy....
So now I have to fix that...I know it won't happen over night...and I know I have to lean on God to do it as I am not strong enough to do it alone...
I did make a little head way today..I sat all the kids down today while Dad was at work and laid down the law...in my opinion they watch too much TV..that is now gone...and the best part of the story is when I shut the TV off, they got bored and reached for books off the shelf (remember we homeschool) and started talking sign language to each other..so turning the TV off worked this time!!!
Until next time..
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Mar. 31, 2006 - One of Those Days..
The first noise I heard this morning was the dog barking at the cat..of course telling them to stop is like telling the kids to stop..just doesn't work..
Later on the kids start getting up and they do the same thing..fight over the remote,the computer, what to have for breakfast..I can go on and on here but I won't LOL
Today is a short day for Robert at work then he is off for two days so hopefully I will get a little of a break..I doubt it but wishful thinking is coming into play here..
I guess I should introduce everyone to my family so you can see why things are hectic at times..
Robert and I have been married for almost 18 years..we have Christopher who will be 16, Jessica who will be 14, Michael is 12, Kevin is 11, Robert is 9, Dylan will be 7 this week and Matthew is 4..We also have 6 parakeets, a pitbull puppy, 2 cats and a fishtank..
I have been homeschooling for 9 years now while Robert has been bartending for a casino for the last 11 years..
So you can see why life can get crazy for us...
Until next time, have a God filled day!!!
