BRILLIANT MOMS

(I wrote this part on Thurs.)

I am all about getting mommy advice from my fellow mommy friends (as you know). I've gleaned a couple brilliant ideas today - yeah, two in one day - that could totally change my summer, my life, forever.

Amazing!

Want to know what they are?

Here's the first one on disciplining children. I was helping my friend Jessa unpack today and we were sorting her books and she had a few on parenting and we were talking about various disciplining tips we've read and what seems to work. For me, taking away a privilege when Sophie doesn't listen seems to be more powerful, then say timeout. And sending her to her room always turns into a screaming match (seriously!). However, the problem with me taking away a privilege is that it usually punishes me too....fun time at the park (which I was looking forward to), computer games (which gives me a break), tv time, playing with friends - all things that give me a break from her. So Jessa says, take something away she wasn't going to have, like a playdate that was never scheduled, or a trip to the pool, etc. So, I tried it as we were leaving Jessa's house. I told Sophie to get her flipflops on so we could go and she started to walk upstairs and said she didn't want to go. I said, "Oh, that is sad you didn't get your flip flops on. Now we can't go to Thanksgiving Point. Do you want to come get your flipflops on or do you want another consequence?" I think on the way to the car, she did something else to ignore me and I said, "Oh, that is sad, now we can't go swimming tomorrow."

Obviously, I will balance this with a surprise trip to the park or elsewhere for good behavior, but I'm so glad I now have a way to get her attention quickly and get an obedient response!

Secondly- Linn, you know the famous Linn I always mention, was on a call with me and some other moms this morning and we were discussing our summer routines and how we work business into our lives with kids home from school EVERY day. Linn has a very structured routine for her kids each morning and they can earn beans that go into a jar for doing things like making their bed, getting dressed, etc. She even has pictures of these things on their door as reminders of what they should do in the mornings and evenings. In their glass jar, once the beans get to a certain line, they earn a shake date (or something like that). They get to go out for ice cream with mom or dad.

I've been talking to Sophie for a while now about a morning routine and was thinking about putting pics up on her wall to remind her, but now I have Linn's document printed and ready to go up tomorrow. My glass jar is out and the beans are ready! Sophie and I discussed this idea today and she was so excited!! She would like her prize to be a trip to the Aquarium! I think it sounds like a great idea. I told her we could have multiple options to choose from.

I do want to point out that Linn does not ever take beans away as consequences. She has the punishment match up to the bad choice. So, with the beans, they can get one bean for each thing they are supposed to do, but if they do all of them, they get bonus beans.

UPDATE (written today): We started the beans tonight and bedtime was so much fun! Sophie's super excited and so am I! I also put a clock in her room and taught her (I hope) not to come wake me up before 7 AM. I'll let ya know how it goes.

Now, I need some advice. Landon will be 9 months old in a couple days and he still isn't into sippie cups. I am SO looking forward to weening him, so we obviously need to get the drinking from a cup thing down. Did any of you have babies that had a hard time going from breastfeeding to cups? We have a couple different Playtex cups at our house and he can drink from them when laying down for a few minutes, but isn't that thrilled with it. This is a boy who has never sucked on a binkie (okay he did for a little bit maybe the first week), but since then - no binkies or bottles. He just chews on them. So, give me your cup recommendations for kids who just love to nurse.

Thanks so much!!