Only mine would say "last month" instead.
We just got back in town, the house is a mess and the kids are driving each other crazy. Do any of you stick to a schedule for the kids to keep peace and order in your home? It's way to hot to play outside here so that limits us to mostly indoor activities. I would like to keep TV watching to a minimum but sometimes it seems to be the only way to stop the bugging/screaming cycle. Any suggestions?
3 comments:
It seemed for about a year that my kids rooms were always a disaster. When I cleaned up, it was back to a disaster in a matter of hours. I finally figured out that if I wanted them to keep their rooms clean, they would have to feel a need. So we now have a rule that they pick up their toys before breakfast, or they don't eat. They fought it fiercely for about a week, but gave in. Now if they want to make a disaster of their room, that's fine, because they're the ones cleaning it up. But surprise, surprise, it doesn't ever get that far because they don't like cleaning, so they don't make the mess. This has been a revelation to me, and has really helped keep the mess under control (and out of my responsibility, which is nice because I have enough on my plate).
Where we live it's too hot to play outside, too. If they go outside in the backyard, I make sure the hose with a sprinkler attachment is on so that they're always wet in this heat. They really like playing with the water, and it's fun to see what games they come up with. We're lucky that we have a covered deck, so they stay out of the sun for the most part (which is good since I have them strip down to their underwear).
If my kids can't play together nicely, they all have to go to timeout in separate rooms where they play by themselves. It doesn't even matter who was the instigator or culprit or bully or victim. I don't care. Some days it seems like they're separated for most of the day because they just can't get their acts together, and some days they've learned their lesson it seems, and they play together beautifully. Being persistent is the key. It sure is hard work, though.
My doormat would say, "This house is never clean, if that bothers you, go find a new friend." Just Kidding! We actually are living in a small apartment right now, but with hardly any toys or clothes so it stays much cleaner than our real house. The only things that pile up are the dishes and the dust and dirt on the floor since there isn't any carpet. I pay my kids to do chores other than putting clothes away and cleaning their rooms. It is way too hot to play outside here too unless you go out at 8 am (we're still sleeping) or 9 pm. We let the kids watch TV after they have completed either homework or chores. I also play games with them like Old Maid or Wig Out. Both of your kids are old enough to play Blink which is a two minute game you can buy at Target. Arts and crafts are too messy and drive me crazy at the moment. I might make playdough since we are stuck inside.
I would definitely break up the tv with other activities and make them do chores or workbooks to earn tv time because once they get bored with tv, what else can you entice them with?
We have similar problems. We do play dates with other friends, go to an inside structure, or play with water.
However, we also fall into the tv trap. Andrew will be out of control, and I think, " I need to turn on Barney, I can't handle you right now." I guess it is better than the alternative of snapping. A process for all of us.
cool blog.
Post a Comment