Cookie Time...

The cookies are in, the cookies are in!!!


This is the first year I took a step back and let them do it. Sunshine is old enough now to do things correctly and the twins were eager to sell! They made the phone calls to family and friends and we bundled up and went door to door.

Today after I came home from a busy day of helping sort the 12,000+ boxes our town sold and the 1,400 and 840 boxes my two troops sold, I helped the girls sort the 120 boxes we sold.

Each girl sorted their own orders, bagged and tagged them. I took them one by one into our makeshift warehouse. They did a great job!

Oh the things you can practice and learn while organizing girl scout cookies!

Counting

sorting

writing

colors

name reconition (all those cookie names!)

Manners... a thoughtful "thank-you" on each name tag.

Goal setting.... each troop had a goal and each girl had a goal, they exceeded their goals and were so very proud!!!

Selflessness.... Even though the twins had the same goal, thing 2 is so proud of her sister. She tells everyone "She sold 7 boxes and gets to go to Mcdonalds!!!!" Thing 2 actually went door to door (unlike sissy) and sold more cookies. She never mentions that part.

Concentration....I was proud of my Sunshine. She had a very hard goal to achieve. 100 boxes to go on a group overnight. She did it! I had expected to do most of the work today sorting... it's a lot and she does have ADD. I was shocked, she did the whole thing with minimal help!! She took it very seriously and is the one who made sure everyone had a "Thank-You" on their tag.

What lessons did I learn?

That there is so much more to selling Girl Scout cookies than making troop funds!

To stand back and let my little ones do things on their own.

To use patience and cooperation.

To wear my wrist brace and the glory of a nice warm bath!!!

Most of all I'm proud of my girlscouts!!!

Webkinz Momma

Have you heard of them?? The cute stuffed animals that have special codes to enter an on-line world of fun. They are great for gifts, reasonably priced, and the website has snuck in learning without the kiddos even knowing about it!

I have come into the next generation of webkinz! Sunshine loved them from Kindergarten til sometime last year. Just as they were going "out" in Massachusetts we moved to Maine and right back into the craze.

I thought they had run their course through the house, til last week. My nephew wanted to play with his online while he was here. That was all we needed to spark the craze again! This time with the twins. Then, they went to a friends house... and lo and behold! She has about 50 of them and goes on everyday!!! Even more fuel for the fire!

We are now regulars on the webkinz website. They both had stuffed webkinz that hadn't been added to the site yet (like I said, we weren't really into it anymore) which was good since it only lasts a year from your latest adoption.

Even I'm getting into it! Yes, I'm a webkinz momma ;) It's fun, and if your going to play computer games why not earn your babies some Kinz cash (they can buy their pets food, toys, decorations for their rooms etc...).

These guys at ganz really outdid themselves... we love webkinz!!!

I did a little updating

Jodi asked me a question that made me realize I haven't updated my profile in a long time. I had the time on this lazy Sunday afternoon to write a new "about me" and update my picture. Take a look and let me know what you think!

What's new you ask? Not much really. The girls have all had their share of tantrums but I see an improvement. Thing 1 has 6 X's, Thing 2 has 5. Sunshine still has the one she earned last night. She has told me it will be her last, we will see! I am sure she will not fill up her bad X area as sure as I know the twins will! When the twins see Sunshine get a prize and they don't I bet I will see even more improvement. It's just being diligent about it. Slow and steady progress is all I'm asking for!

Yesterday was busy running from one activity to another... winter carnival, Sunshine sang with her chorus, basketball, soccer sign ups, birthday party... a lot of fun but we were all really tired after. Today is much more laid back. Hubby got the newspaper, the kids played outside, we played a couple of rounds of Disney trivia... nice lazy Sunday!!

We are hunkering down for another snowstorm. Let's hope it stays to our south. Massachusetts didn't have any snow on the ground before this so it's their turn!! I'm just thinking of the kids really ;) They need to get in a little more sledding ;)

Too Funny!!

I know three posts in one day. I think it's a record!! I recieved this letter from thing 2's teacher and it was so adorable I just had to share.

"Thing two" is coming home with a new hat today. We had a guest reader who made hats for all the children after reading Kiki’s Hats. "Thing two" proudly announced after she got her hat that it was going to help her be a better listener! I told her that she did a nice job listening at school and she quickly told me that she doesn’t listen to mom and dad all the time at home. “I listen to you, but mom and dad not so much.” She went on too tell me all about the sticker chart and the three strikes and you’re out and she has had more than three a lot! She ended by saying that she was so excited about the new hat because it was really going to help her out with listening AND keep her head warm. Precious! (I hope it works!)

Also, we did her screening today and she has made so much progress! I was delighted and am so proud of her! I’m looking forward to sharing the information at conferences! Have a great weekend!

Isn't that funny?? It's an awesome hat too!!! Wow!

I am a luxury item!

Yes indeed, that's what my husband said!

We were discussing how much I do for him and the kids and he made a good point. He can do the things I do but it's so nice to have them done for him. "Your like a luxury item honey. I don't need you, your just nice to have around... does that make you mad?"

No actually it doesn't. I may be thinking in a different way then he attended but I think more wives should be thought of as a luxury item, husbands too for that matter.

We don't NEED to have them in our lives. We are perfectly capable of taking care of ourselves. But, isn't it nice to have them around?? It's nice for him that I make his coffee, put his lunch together, and do his laundry, etc... It's nice that he make enough for me to stay home, plows the driveway, mows the lawn, etc...

I might complain about him and feel over worked and underpaid sometimes but I do love him. He might complain that I don't make money, but he loves me too!! I think our "Luxury items" are worth the price ;)

Treat your wives and husbands like luxury items. Take care of them, nurture them... they are very precious treasures.

I found my camera!!!

Do you like my "Good Egg Chart"??
I was driving to daisies yesterday afternoon when it hit me where I put my camera! I called hubby at work and had him e-mail me to look in the basement! Yeah, that's how bad my memory is lately. I knew by the time I got home I would have forgotten.


I was taking pictures of the kids old carseats for craigslist and was interupted. At least it didn't drop out of my pocket at the library or shaws!


Here's a close up of the kids rules. They made up most of them.

The plan I decided on is: You get a sticker for really good behavior, one for following the rules during the day, and one for going to bed well. You get an X if you have really bad behavior. If you fill up your sheet of paper with stickers before the bottom row fills with X's you get to pick out a prize. The papers can be hole punched and tied with ribbon to make sticker books.

Last night turned out great. Thing 2 did get two X marks but she also got 4 stickers. She told daddy last night "I got a sticker when noone else did! Mom IS working on me most right now". I didn't even have words... I just laughed.

It's worth an effort

After everyone calmed down the rest of the night last night went very well. I think thing 2 wore herself out ;) Bedtime was a breeze!

Days of temper tantrums caused me to make a "Good Egg Chart". (I borrowed the name from an episode of Spongebob)

I wish I could find my camera (I had it last but I just cannot for the life of me remember where I put it!!! It's been 2 days... uugghh!) the chart is really cute.

I used a really fun 12 x 12 scrapbook page with a sports / cheer leading theme. Lots of Rah Rah's. I put a square of each child's favorite color on the page. On the top I added a sheet of white paper and used foam letters to spell out "Good Eggs". On the bottom I added the rest of the white paper for the rules. I debated this part but the girls insisted.

I let them write the rules. Of course each girl wrote a rule the other is working on! It surprised me that as much as I try not to say the word "NO" most of their rules started with "NO".
It didn't surprise me that they know the rules that needed to be written down! I just wish they would follow them.

I bought tinkerbell stickers at the dollar store and they are MINE! If they behave I will give them one of my stickers. I'm not generous either, they have to earn them!! If they misbehave they get an x. They each got to put one on for bedtime last night.

I started this thinking they would earn one for the morning, one for the afternoon / evening, and one for bedtime. After a few mishaps and a few great times this morning I'm thinking that may not work. I think it has to be more immediate. I don't think they grasp the concept of being good all morning!

Wish me luck!!!