Clean Floors and Dollar Stores

I'm trying to make yelling and lecturing a thing of the past. Here are the reasons:

1) It's wrong
2) It doesn't work
3) It upsets the yeller, the yellee, and the yell hearers.

So when Bubbles has misbehaved for the past couple of days, she gets to wash the kitchen floor with a wet rag. She definitely doesn't like it. It took two washings yesterday morning before she got the hint and decided to behave herself. And I was calm! Knowing ahead of time what the punishment will be lessens the frustration immensely.

Yesterday the kids were able to see the fruits of their labor more vividly. We cashed in the quarters for paper dollars and made a trip to the dollar store. Bubbles only had two quarters, plus one that she had missed in her sock drawer when she loaded up her purse and disobeyed me a couple of weeks ago. For now, her purse and its contents remain with me.

Bucky and Blondie counted their money and begged me to take them to the store. They even offered to pay for the gas money, which I calculated, and they happily pooled their money to cover it. Bubbles alternately searched her drawer and pouted on the couch while waiting for me to get ready.

I know that Bubbles left this morning determined to be good and keep her quarters. She also knows that she will get her purse back if she comes home with a good report from school and from the bus. So far she missed the opportunity for three days last week. She always says "I'm going to be good today Mommy!" but somehow doesn't quite make it. And yes, I do point out to her that SHE is good, but her BEHAVIOR is bad.

Boaz had to work yesterday (rare and unpleasant) so we finally got the Christmas tree put away and all the decorations boxed up and back out into the garage. I made a pot of spaghetti sauce and a pot of pinto beans to eat this week. I also made two loaves of bread and washed a mountain of laundry. The kids helped along the way, and they worked well together and we got a lot done. Bubbles was the only one who had to be disciplined, and it got me a clean kitchen floor, so I'm not complaining.

It was really good to see Bucky playing with Blondie and Bubbles so well. It's amazing what getting grounded from his electronics does for him. He's gotten more interested in his guitar, and gave us a little concert Friday night. He even wanted to take it to my parents house Saturday night to play for them.

And, by the way, things are going much better with my mom. Both girls rode in the car with my parents on the way to the restaurant. I can tell that my mom is warming up to them, and I think she has taken a shine to Blondie. Blondie and Bubbles are so starved for attention, that I think a good set of grandparents would be just what the doctor ordered. We'll see how it goes. They have several years to make up for. A couple of months with us has not lessened their need to be in the spotlight much at all.