Gettin' Er Done

We started using a chore chart with Max to get him to help out around the house a bit. So far (two months in) it's been pretty successful. I found the chart from this website full of free printables, we hang ours on the fridge and he earns a check mark for every chore he does. Getting to do the check mark is almost as good as the treat at the end of the week, for him.

He's only four so the amount and kinds of chores he can do are kind of limited but he does what he can and it actually isn't too much work on my part to get him through it. E is obsessed with the chart and wants to earn check marks too, its terribly cute to watch her empty the dishwasher with Max. Next year she'll be old enough to have her own chart.

He get a special treat, to watch a movie or go somewhere fun on Sundays if he completes most of his chores for the week. He almost always chooses a movie and popcorn, he's pretty easy to please.

** In case you can't read it, Max's chores are:

Make Bed
Get Dressed
Fold/Sweep
Empty/Fill Dishwasher
Set/Clear Table
Put Away Toys
Swing Chore (whatever we can get him to that day)
Brush Teeth/Bath

The chores won't always be as easy as getting dressed or brushing his teeth but it's worked so far in getting him clean and dressed everyday before noon. Gotta get them charm marks! Oh, and he gets Easter Sunday off because we're going to Grammie and Grampie Browns and we're not monsters.

A few of our favourite books

You were supposed to read that to the tune of "These are a few of my favourite things". Anyway, on our drive to Cape Breton we were listening to CBC radio (we always do). They were having a discussion about the most popular kids books right now and had listeners call in with their recommendations. Not one of the books we read on repeat were mentioned, but I did get a few ideas  to add to our collection.

Over Christmas collectively I think the Brown family received no less than thirty new books. We take reading seriously. They're stacked all over the house, crammed onto bookshelves and we all have a few piled up on our nightstands. Even though there's an entire library to choose from we always come back to the same ones.

In no particular order I give you...

Max's picks :

+ The Duckling Gets a Cookie by Mo Willem

+ The Incredible Book Eating Boy &The Way Back Home by Oliver Jeffers

+ Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak

+ Mad About Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans

+ All by Myself by Mercer Mayer


Ellies favourites :

+ Eloise by Kay Thompson

+ Winnie the Pooh by A.A. Milne

+ Olivia by Ian Falconer

+ The Paperbag Princess by Robert Munsch

+ Splat The Cat by Rob Scotton


I'm really lucky my kids have somewhat decent taste in books, because they have a lot that are just insufferable and it's nice to wind down before bed with a book everyone enjoys. The babes get to pick their own bedtime stories but sometimes Matt and I pick one or two, just because we really like them.


So, this is what we'd pick every night, if we could :

+ The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein

+ Pierre by Maurice Sendak

+ I Have to Go by Robert Munsch

+ Dear Mr. Blueberry by Simon James

+The Kings Stilts by Dr. Suess

* I Have to Go is missing from the picture. I later found it in the bathroom. Almost too perfect.*


Did we miss any good ones?

Resolutions

With 2013 behind us I'm looking forward to making a few changes in the new year. It's a fresh start and I have big plans. With Matt working away, Ellie not on a proper sleep schedule and family coming to stay from out of town, life was hectic here. No routines were kept, not that I didn't try but it's so easy to slip up once and ruin the whole thing.

So, this is what I plan to do differently in 2014 :

+ Juice every morning - Matt and I got a juicer for Christmas from my Dad and I really want to use it everyday, not just to be healthier. I don't eat breakfast and I'm tired all the time. I'm hoping this will change things.

+ Plan weekly meals - I always struggle every single day at dinner time. I never know what to make or I haven't defrosted anything so it's noodles and butter again. I want to plan cook and freeze meals for the week ahead of time. I feel like this is why Martha has so much time to craft, she only cooks one day a week (or she pays people to cook for her).

+ Play school for Max - Max has one friend outside of his family and he only sees him once every few months. I figure a program or play school would be good for him, make some friends, learn to socialize (and share!) and learn new skills that I can't teach him. I didn't do this last year and I've been beating myself up over it. It's happening this time around.

+ Learn How to do one new thing - I bake moderately well. I have no other discernible skills. I'd like to have at least two things on my list. I'm thinking knitting? Maybe?

+ Read more/ Watch less - This one isn't just for me, Max watches entirely too much T.V. it's ridiculous. He's on his way to learning to read now so he'll be able to read by himself, and I haven't read a full novel since the babes were born. Biographies, essays and short stories I can do. Anything with a long complicated (or even simple) plot with more than one character? I get distracted and don't pick it up again for weeks, then I've forgotten everything I've already read. Fixing that.

+ Be in more pictures with my kids - I have a zillion pictures of the babes (duh) and half as many with Matt and the babes... and maybe a dozen with me. I'm the one behind the camera usually or I don't look presentable enough to be in the picture or a million other excuses. I want to be able to look back at pictures of all of us, even if I don't look my best. Ever since reading this article it's completely changed my outlook. Get ready for more pictures of me, World.

I'm sure I'll add to the list every other day but this is it for now, I figure since they are pretty simple I should be able to do at least half for at least a couple of months. Baby Steps. I don't have big expectations but at least I made a list this year so that's progress.

Have any New Years resolutions of your own?

Good start. 

Lists

I'm a list maker, I always have a notebook full of them. Grocery, to-do, reminders, things I want to tell Matt when he calls. Max has noticed my lists and started making them too. He grabs a piece of construction paper and a pencil and walks around the house "writing" things down. He'll stop, pensively and put the pencil to his lips, or stick it behind his ear.

This picture has nothing to do with the post, but it's a baby selfie, so...

Last night he asked if we could make a list for Santa, but he wanted me to write it because he wanted to make sure the big man could read it. He talked about maybe listing off his favourite reindeer, in order. Or maybe, the things he wanted to see when he got to the North Pole (he's been talking about visiting the poles to see Santa in the North and penguins in the South). But he ultimately decided on a simple Christmas wish list. He even got Ellie in on the action and was asking her what she wanted. She's really good at miming so she had a few things added to the list and he improvised the rest.

This is their list:

"Max's Wish List

+ Hot Tub

+ Repulsor Rays

+ Bubblebath

+ A baby brother (with a curl in the middle of his forehead)

+ Wolverine Claws

Ellie's Wish List

+ Baby

+ Hat 

+ To be a cat 

+ Trampoline (Max's addition)

+ A Teensy Bike (also Max's addition)

He's going to sorely disappointed come Christmas morning, when none of those things are under the tree ha! What 3 year old asks for a hot tub? Only Max.

A Letter to Santa

I helped Max write a letter to Santa on behalf of he and Ellie. He was so sweet, dictating exactly what he wanted me to write, reading it back to him as he nodded his head in approval. He drew a picture to include but it was for Santa's eyes only. We addressed it to the North Pole, and Max assured me that the elves would deliver it directly to Santa.

In case you can't read my chicken scratch,

"Dear Santa,

My name is Max, I am almost 4 years old. I have a little sister named Eloise. We have both been very good this year. 

My favorite reindeer is Rudolph, Eloise's is Comet. I like Star Wars, do you have a favorite character?

For Christmas this year, I would like a web shooter, just like Spiderman. Eloise would like mittens and a hat.

Mommy is going to help us bake cookies for you. There will be milk, if you're thirsty.

Merry Christmas Santa

Love

Max & Eloise Brown"