April #52weeksofmemories

 13. Sharing

The start of April may have been shorty nightie weather, but now, at the end, it's definitely time to get the flannies out!

I froze some muntrie berries I collected last month. I love using them in Hot Cross Buns instead of sultanas.

14.Easter 

Summer at the playground on Good Friday wearing a santa hat. Huh?

Easter Sunday evening, down the beach with family.

15. Reading
It is amazing how much Izzy has learned in the first term of school. We've been a bit slack with the reading in the holidays though.

16. Favourite
Some favourite photos from this week

The straws in a cup reward system

We are three weeks into a new reward system.

Basically it's straws in the cup for good behaviours and taking straws out for bad behaviour.

My neighbour does a similar things with pop sticks. It seems to be working for her kids, and I was willing to give it a go. This is opposed to chaos and tearing my hair out in frustration. I was taking some control back where their behaviour is concerned.

To earn a straw the girls do things like

• brushing teeth
• making their bed
• cleaning up toys
• eating all their dinner
• doing amazingly good things

The cups live on top of our fridge, with a few other things, like a sixty odd year old photo of my dear Granny,
some paint brushes and other odds and ends.

They lose straws for bad behaviour, like clobbering each other, or not doing what they are told. Or for squeezing a whole bottle of shampoo into the bath! You should have heard them howl when I took a straw out of both their cups for not picking up toys. This is when I knew, this straw thingy was a good thing.

Once they have six straws in their cup, they get a treat. It could be of their choosing, like a trip to the playground, a playdate, or an ice cream for example.

So far, they have had six straws twice. So I have taken all the straws out and replaced them with an Easter egg. Then the straw earning starts again.

Also I printed out a simple reward chart. When they earn a reward for six straws, they get to colour in a star on the reward chart. When all the stars are coloured in, they can buy a toy from the toy shop, or Kmart or wherever.

My kids really don't have that many new toys(compared to some), so I guess this is a way that we can give them more in a measured way. They get that important lesson that good things are earned and new toys don't grow on trees.

This reward system seems to be working for us right now. The key I guess, is to be consistent.

February #52weeksofmemories

5. bedtime
My cheeky sods right before bed time, playing silly buggers.

6. feet

Us girls, feet up, watching the telly at the holiday house

The girls doing jig saw puzzles, before school. 

7. watching

Brett took the girls out to check the cray pots in Livingstons Bay, near Pelican Point. I stood and watched with the dog. I was the nervous mother on the beach watching my babies go out to sea! They had a great time!

8. on the floor

These two I took yesterday. One of Summer playing during the day, when she gets all the toys to herself.
The other, an after dinner puppet show, with puppets made from toilet rolls.

52 weeks of memories - January

1. Summer
Ice creams down the beach. Bucks Bay, Carpenters Rocks 

2. Happy
Playing at the Carpenters Rocks playground. Summer sporting the haircut Izzy gave her. Summer had a go at Izzys hair too. They have since been to the hairdresser. There wasn't much she could do about Summers hack job of a fringe!

3. Sky
The evening sky, on our walks after tea time at Pelican Point.

4. Together
Wednesday morning. At home, before Izzy left for her second day of school. She seemed to grow overnight in my eyes but looked extremely cute in her school dress.
Summer loves her time at home without Izzy, but she is so happy to see her when we pick her up from school.

    Flog Yo Blog Friday at With Some Grace

Beautiful morning on the beach

Saturday was the most gorgeous day. 

We headed down to Southend. Boggy went out in the boat to check the cray pots, but there were none. Bugger.

The girls and I had fun on the beach anyway. 

The big sandhill

My place in time #16 - An outing with friends

We went out for a drive with our neighbours and friends. They have kids around the same age as our kids. 

We actually went to dig up wild garlic near here, and took them to the 'big sandhill' for some sand boarding fun. We made the mistake of not taking lunch, we would have stayed longer and even driven over to the beach.

I've been coming here since I was a kid too. It's at the end of the dump road, or where the dump used to be. It's where many a four wheel driver come to test themselves, to see if they can make it up the hill in one go. The kids were lucky enough to see a few get up there. They youngest of our friends boys, was uber excited. It made his day. Seeing a motorbike come out of the dunes topped it off for him and he didn't stop telling us all about.  

An InLinkz Link-up

Halloween

This photo was taken by Julie from Simply Joolz. She had her house open for halloween and emailed it to me later on. Kind.

The girls had a ball, we were out for a little over an hour, driving around, in and out of the car. They still have goodies in their buckets.

Summer has just started riding her bike. She rode for the first time, to the playground. It was a beautiful day and I need to find a backpack I can use, now I don't have the pram to chuck all the stuff in!

Wordless Wednesday

Potty talk

I really wanted to post something today. 

There's lots going on in my life, I have snippets of things I want to write flash through my mind and I really should write them down. But alas I don't, they fleetingly pass through my brain, like diarrhoea.  

That bit of the literary runs, is not however,  the potty talk. 

I started toilet training my youngest. She turns three in a little over a week, it's about frickin time. 

When I trained Izzy, we did the three day training thingy. Whenever she felt a wee I raced her straight to the loo. Do not pass go, do not collect 200 buckaroonies. The toilet is where she ran to. I had a potty, but it didn't even get a look in. She picked it up in the three days and we were off like a firework. Too bloody easy. 

I can say that now. I do remember having towel upon towel in the wash, from the sole purpose, of wiping up piss off the floor.

My attitude after that experience was, Pffft, what use is the potty?! Cocky, as I was.

Little Summer was different. She wasn't running to the toot. After a couple days of piddly undies, and a solid poo(thank goodness) in a pretty pair of Peppa Pig undies(not so pretty after all), I got the potty out.

It's been all smooth sailing from there on in. Need I mention how nervous I get, after she has been for a wee, to come carrying the potty to show the visitors how much of a clever girl she is. I am just happy to be able to grab it from her before she upends it all over the bloody place. 

I started with the potty in the lounge room. We have progressed it to the end of the hallway. Now to get it down the end of the hallway, where the actual loo is. She has however just last night, shown interest in going on the loo. Yee bloody ha! I have the kiddy seat insert all ready, and she even tried to put in herself too.

Really, little Summer has had a big week. She has only just started to properly ride a bike on her own this week too. 

Izzy was riding a bike much before this age, and I think it is only because I haven't invested the time to teach and help Summer, that she has only just started. It's a bit same with the toilet training too. I started much earlier with Izzy, but it took until October before I was able to take her out with no nappy and feel OK that she wasn't going to have an accident. I am not that confident with Summer yet. Maybe in a couple of weeks.

In a couple of weeks time, I most definitely have probably shed some happy tears with Izzy starting school transition. 

Where does the bloody time go?

Christmas is kicking me up the arse already. I have a joint birthday party, and two cakes to bake yet. The Millicent show, a christmas pageant, a gymnastic concert, a kindy graduation. Sheesh!

It is of the most importance that I let my days slowly pass me by. Not to get panicked and not to get my knickers in a knot. Day at a time..... pissy towel at a time..... :)

Are you as baffled as me, as what happened to August and September?! 

Are you in Christmas panic mode yet? Only 8 weeks you know. You can hate me now ;)

A garden weekend away

Mum, the girls and I, spent a blissful weekend away looking at open gardens around Strathalbyn, in the Adelaide hills. So much inspiration. I've been gardening for the last two days!

Can not wait to do it again. 

These first four are of the Murray River at Tailem Bend. I took these in the morning.
These views were from our cabin, number six, at the Rivers Edge Caravan Park.