Friday, October 31, 2014

7 Quick Takes Halloween Edition

This week...well let's just say it was wild and crazy above the normal wild and crazy that is Halloween week.  So here it is, in 7 Quick Takes...

#1: Not only was it Halloween week, it is also Red Ribbon Week at the big kids' school.  So each day had a theme, in which participation was apparently a life or death situation.  In fact, I think they might have never been allowed to return to school if they chose not to wear sunglasses and a neon shirt.  Tuesday was "Dress Fancy Day."  Even though Reece doesn't go to school, he very much wants to do what the big kids are doing.  So, for Fancy Day he literally wore a three piece suit all day long.   Jacket, tie, vest, velcro-pocket square...the whole nine yards.  Oh, and camo Crocs with socks.  All. Day. Long.  He even slept in the thing.  And did NOT want his picture taken. 

Check out Andrew's awesome suit coat.  So much love.
Finally broke through the baditude.
#2: Reece has been, let's just say "challenging" the past few years (read: his entire lifetime).  When we were naming him we discovered that "Reece" is derived from the Welsh "Rhys," which means "fiery and enthusiastic."  I think we got our money's worth on that one.  We joked that we should pick a middle name that means "well-behaved; subdued."  We chose to go with Kyle as his middle, which I think is Latin for "generic boy name."

Anyway, he is such a lovely little boy when he wants to be (as they all are) and I know that as parents, we see the best and the worst of our kids.  But lately he's being really mean.  I can't figure out if he's an introvert or just a bully.  Anytime that other kids come over who are out of the norm, he is just a jerk!  So this week I instituted the Love Bowl!  How many reward/accountability systems can you have for one kid?  Who knows?!  I say the more, the merrier.  So he already gets beads for behaving (i.e. following directions, having a good attitude, etc.)  If he is naughty he loses them and every bead he has at the end of the day turns into a chocolate chip.  So that is kind of a reverse reward system--he can lose them for misbehavior.  (PBS educators avert your eyes!)  The Love Bowl is just a big fishbowl that I taped stuff on (the front cover of the church bulletin, thank you Joe B.) that focuses on the greatest commandment--love God, love your neighbor, love yourself.  All the kids in the house at any given time can earn Warm Fuzzies to put in the bowl when they do loving things.  It's been helpful in getting them to think of others before themselves.  And we'll just save all the lessons on intrinsic motivation for when they go to college.

#3: We have the tiniest dining room in North America, I am sure of it.  Maybe there is a Guinness record to be won and I should look into that.  We also lack counter space in our kitchen.  So coming up with creative solutions to these first world problems is my full time not-job.  Any suggestions that would make entertaining at our house easier?  I was thinking about some kind of buffet/sideboard/wooden thing that would be super skinny.  I don't know.  Help me.

#4: The baby keeps waking up while I am trying to write this.  Geez.  Don't babies have any consideration for others?!

#5: These pancakes.  Seriously.  If you never do anything else I say, at least do this.  Make and devour these delicious creations.  We have found that it might be best (if you have a big-ish family or a big-ish appetite) to double the pancake recipe but leave the streusel as is.  Serve them with or without real maple syrup, cause these babies are sweet and wonderful. 

#6: Over the summer I had an idea to start an organization for kids who needed financial assistance for participation in extracurricular activities, specifically the arts.  I did a little research, and then I got busy with life and really didn't pursue it any further.  Then my awesome friend had the same idea and he actually started a non-profit!!!  It is called the Day Dreams Foundation and they are working on getting all the paperwork in order to be legit!  I am super excited to tell you more about this as it gets off the ground, but if you would like to financially support this organization, let me know!  They are currently looking for a donor who could contribute $400 to pay for some start up paperwork costs.  And there is a trivia night fundraiser already on the books for December 4th!  Go find them on Facebook and get involved in helping out a great cause!

#7: If we have any more children, I may have to start on Halloween costumes by July 4th. 
And don't even get me started on how many trips to the craft store it took!  My life is so hard.  Here are some pics from our un-official playgroup costume parade at the mall...see if you can guess the theme.  One of mine is in the stroller with the crown on and the other one is in the striped shirt, standing next to Queen Elsa.  And we also have Goldilocks, Baby Bear, and Ewok.  Marty the Zebra and Alex the lion from Madagascar were there as well, but they were camera shy.  




Life can't be all bad when your grandpa works at the carousel!


Happy Halloween, friends! 

1 comment: