Off to a great start...

It is hard to believe that we have been on summer vacation for two full weeks already.  We are off to a great start, having done many fun things and, for the most part, everyone is getting along and things are going well.  Last year, the transition from all of us being separated for most of the day at school to all of us being together for most of the day was a rough one.  Keeping that in mind, and dreading the thought, I wanted to do anything I could think of to make the transition go more smoothly.  Thus, I borrowed and combined the ideas of several of my friends and Everly's classroom and catered them to our home and our needs. 

On the very first day of summer vacation, we sat down and created a list of house rules for us all to follow.  I took the idea from a friend and let the kids come up with ideas for the rules so that they would have more ownership.  Their ideas mostly had to do with not hitting, biting, poking, or otherwise maiming each other, but we came around to things like "Be respectful to each other" and "Tell the truth" and "Be a first time listener."  In Ev's classroom, they had used Popsicle sticks in envelopes that were the colors of stoplight to indicate behavior: red, yellow, green, and also blue if someone was behaving exceptionally well.  I didn't have the right colors, so we used a series of smiley faces to indicate the behavior levels; the kids decorated their own sticks, which start on green each morning and move up or down depending on how well they are following the rules.  Being that Everly deals with things in very concrete ways, this has been extremely motivating to her.  She absolutely hates the thought of being moved down a level.  If they manage to end the day on green or above, they get to put a sticker on their charts.

But perhaps the most ingenious thing about this whole thing is the reward system.  When the kids fill a row of his or her chart, the next day is his or her "Choice Day."  This has been amazing, and I am finding myself looking so forward to them filling the chart.  When it is Cortlan's Choice Day, for example, Cortlan gets to pick what color cup or plate he wants.  He gets to go first.  He gets to choose which shower he gets to shower in.  He gets to help with any other choices there are to make on that particular day, from whether we ride bikes or play in the sand to what is for snack.  And Everly cannot argue, because it is Cortlan's Choice Day and when she fills up her chart, she will have her Choice Day.  I am telling you, with zero calories, zero cost, and zero arguing, there is no better reward...for them OR me!  The novelty hasn't worn off yet, and I am hoping it lasts a while!

If only I had figured it out sooner

There are a few things that I wish I would have figured out a long time ago.  For example, there is no point in keeping the box that the crayons or markers came in.  Trying to get all the crayons put back in the box after each use is so much more work than just throwing the whole lot in a sandwich bag, zipping it up, and tossing it in the bin for easy access.  Another example:  I recently figured out that it is so much more time efficient to clean the bathroom while the kids are taking their showers than to try to do it on a Saturday morning.  I have to be in there then anyway, and I am usually waiting around.  Why not use the time to scrub the toilet and wipe down the sink?

The latest discovery doesn't so much save time as it does energy and frustration.  The back story: Cortlan hates waking up for school.  Our kids are asleep by 8PM and they both still take mid-afternoon naps both at school and at home, so it isn't as though he is totally sleep deprived.  But if I have to go into his room to wake him for school (sometimes he actually wakes himself, in which case the morning is a breeze) things are pretty painful.  "Cortlan, it is time to wake up."  "Cort, get up, buddy."  "Cortlan, we need to get ready for school!"  "I am going to turn your light on.  Here are your clothes; you need to get up and get ready."  And it goes on, until finally he gets out of bed.  Then the rest of the morning sounds more like this:  "Cortlan, go potty."  "Did you brush your teeth?"  "C'mon, Cortlan!  Get moving!"  "Cortlan, we are going to be late.  You need to get your clothes on."  "Let's go!  Get your socks!  Get your coat!  Come ON!"

Needless to say, it is frustrating.  For everyone.  And we are often late, no matter how early I start the process.

So recently, I decided: No more.  No more badgering.  No more reminding.  No more pestering.  And no more being late.  What did we do differently?  Well, the light goes on in Cortlan's room and he is told to get up.  His clothes are out.  He knows what to do and he needs to do it.  Seriously, he does.  For quite some time, the morning routine has been the same: get up, go to the bathroom, brush teeth, get dressed, get coat and shoes, get out the door.  The deal is that if he isn't ready by the time it is time to walk out (with reasonable time notices given), we take him in whatever state of getting ready he is in at the time.  Astonishingly, this method has worked.  I had a suspicion it might, but was a bit amazed to find that with or without the badgering, pestering, and reminding, Cortlan takes about the same amount of time to get ready in the morning.  So, it doesn't go any faster, really, but we are all much happier with this new way of doing things.  Until, at least, we have to take him to school half dressed and teeth not brushed.  But, with the way he reacted at the mere thought, I am thinking that probably won't happen.