New Habits
We got Laying Down The Rails in the mail a couple of weeks ago -- a book compiling Charlotte Mason's thoughts on habits.
I am so amazed and thankful for this book. All you mothers should check it out!
We're starting first with Isaac and working on building the habit of cleanliness. In less than a week, we have seen a HUGE difference. And it's so EASY!
It used to be that his room was pretty much always littered with toys, trash, and clothes. Now it is always clean.
Getting Isaac to clean his room was always a fight. Temper tantrums. Complaints. Hours spent telling him NO he can not come out of his room until it is clean. Now it is simple and our son responds dutifully.
We did two things.
First, we threw out half his toys -- all the broken, unsightly, or incomplete ones. We organized the ones that were left into bins, took pictures of the toys in their bins, then taped the pictures onto the bins to identify what belongs in them. This ALONE has made a HUGE difference. Now instead of looking at me with confusion when I say I expect him to pick up his toys, he knows exactly where to put them.
Second, we made a rule that he could only play with two bins at a time, and that he can only have toys out WHILE HE'S PLAYING WITH THEM. In other words, as soon as he wants to stop playing with his toys and go to another room, go outside, eat lunch, whatever, he's got to pick up what he has out and put it back. It takes all of five minutes, and he does it happily.
In other news, we've started potty training Samuel. Today's his second day, and he's doing quite well. I'd say about 80% of his pee makes it into the potty. He hasn't pooped yet. Hopefully it's not simply the idea of putting it into the potty that's keeping him from pooping.
Well, I'm expecting a lot of guests to be arriving in short order -- my parents, brother, sister-in-law, and their three kids. I better get busy knocking out these nasty floors. I haven't mopped in three or four days because my mop head's been too dirty. Well I washed it this morning, and now the mop is ready to go. As much as I like that my floors are tile instead of wall to wall carpet, white tile is a bit much.
I am so amazed and thankful for this book. All you mothers should check it out!
We're starting first with Isaac and working on building the habit of cleanliness. In less than a week, we have seen a HUGE difference. And it's so EASY!
It used to be that his room was pretty much always littered with toys, trash, and clothes. Now it is always clean.
Getting Isaac to clean his room was always a fight. Temper tantrums. Complaints. Hours spent telling him NO he can not come out of his room until it is clean. Now it is simple and our son responds dutifully.
We did two things.
First, we threw out half his toys -- all the broken, unsightly, or incomplete ones. We organized the ones that were left into bins, took pictures of the toys in their bins, then taped the pictures onto the bins to identify what belongs in them. This ALONE has made a HUGE difference. Now instead of looking at me with confusion when I say I expect him to pick up his toys, he knows exactly where to put them.
Second, we made a rule that he could only play with two bins at a time, and that he can only have toys out WHILE HE'S PLAYING WITH THEM. In other words, as soon as he wants to stop playing with his toys and go to another room, go outside, eat lunch, whatever, he's got to pick up what he has out and put it back. It takes all of five minutes, and he does it happily.
In other news, we've started potty training Samuel. Today's his second day, and he's doing quite well. I'd say about 80% of his pee makes it into the potty. He hasn't pooped yet. Hopefully it's not simply the idea of putting it into the potty that's keeping him from pooping.
Well, I'm expecting a lot of guests to be arriving in short order -- my parents, brother, sister-in-law, and their three kids. I better get busy knocking out these nasty floors. I haven't mopped in three or four days because my mop head's been too dirty. Well I washed it this morning, and now the mop is ready to go. As much as I like that my floors are tile instead of wall to wall carpet, white tile is a bit much.