Chores and Allowance - Kids Bank Accounts

CHORES AND ALLOWANCE

&

Kids Bank Accounts

There are a lot of opinions out there on chores and allowance, some are against tying allowance to chores as that is an expected part of family life. Others say yes, you should tie work to pay to teach the value of work, others say no allowance period, teach obedience.  As parents, we can never do anything right. With such varied opinions put out to us about every minute detail of child rearing and all of it contradictory, at some point you have to just do what you think makes sense and not put so much weight onto every decision as if it's life or death and not worry what other people think.  And If you realize you made a mistake, it's not a OK if you change your mind later...pray, live, learn, adjust.

In the attempt to give our kids some life skills, we wanted them to earn some money to learn how to save and manage it, to become aware of the cost of things.  So our first approach came from the book Life Skills for Kids.  I made a chart with different responsibilities for each child each day and they got $0.05 per item accomplished. At the end of the week it was added all up and my daughter, who was about 6 or 7, had the ability to earn up to $3.00 a week.

After a while, and a new baby, that system gradually went to the wayside and we didn't really do any allowance or tracking system for chores/responsibilities.

Then we picked it back up with a more casual plan, $5 a week allowance if you do your chores and school with a good attitude and have a clean room by end of week.  If room wasn't clean by end of week, no allowance.  But the chores were based on whatever I decided to ask them to do and while they did do what I asked, I wasn't consistently having them do things for me, I would forget.  When life is busy, it's easy for me to get in the habit of doing everything myself and not even think to delegate certain jobs to the kids.  I kept track of their allowance on my notes app on my iPhone and if they wanted to buy something with their allowance I would subtract from that but my husband grew frustrated with it as it felt haphazard to him and he felt like they maybe weren't learning enough with it, he felt like we were still just buying stuff for them even when I subtracted it out of their allowance.  He also was worried that without a structure of knowing specific responsibilities they would start to expect their allowance without feeling like they needed to earn it and he's big on being a hard worker and not just expecting to have things given to you.  So with his help we created a more structured approach that would give them consistent responsibilities and also teach them about banking and keeping track of their money.

My husband created 2 excel spread sheets.  One with the list of chores for each child with the weeks marked out as far as we could go.  The other excel page is a mock bank account, we decided we will be the bank.  This simplifies things for us too right now from having to open bank accounts and then spend time making actual deposits and such when we can just do it on the excel sheet and be their bank.  On their statement they can see deposits from the weeks they earned allowance as well as withdrawals, debits and their balance.  If they are out with us and decide they want to use their allowance, I can purchase it for them but when we get home I just open the excel file and enter the transaction and it will adjust their balance.  If they want some cash, they can ask me for that and I can give them cash and mark a withdrawal on their statement, adjusting their balance.  We can print out their statement for them at anytime or show them on the computer.

So far the structure is feeling good and working well.  And I'm really appreciating the more consistent help around the house!  Even the little jobs make a difference.  Our youngest who just turned 4 is so proud about doing chores, we were giving his older siblings their chores and he kept begging to know "what am I supposed to do? I want a chores!" When we gave him some chores, he was so thrilled!  Lol I wonder how long that will last for but he is very excited to help right now so I'll take it :). And my oldest whose gotten some bigger jobs she has never done before like vacuuming the upstairs, even if she isn't as enthusiastic as her little brother about it, she still gets a sense of pride from doing it as I have been patient in training her how to do her chores and not overly critical, but trying to be encouraging and appreciative.  I also didn't want to become the barking mom Sargent chore nazi!  

Here is the system we have implemented with my husband being the excel, finance, management guy pretty much being the one who made the all work.

My husband made this Excel doc with their names and chores with the weeks posted so we can keep track for quite a few weeks without having to print out new charts all the time.  If they earned their allowance that week, we check off the week and add their payment to their “bank account” in the other excel sheet.  Only once have our kids not gotten their full allowance and once, our oldest got ½ because she had consistently did most of her chores but she let her room become a huge mess and after multiple reminders never took care of it.

(click on image to make full screen)

Kids Bank Accounts

On the excel doc, even if you aren’t good at equations, you can just use a calculator to keep up the balance and enter it manually. But if you or your husband know how to use excel, then it's super easy.

What I love about our kids bank accounts is that first of all…no hassle of actual bank accounts but it does all the same stuff as a bank account…mom and dad are the bank, This is also nice because it was frustrating when we would be out and the kids would want to buy something with their allowance, yet did not have their allowance then I would have to buy it and keeping track of their allowance was harder.  I kept a running tab on my notes on my phone but when my phone broke I lost all that and it was just not a very good system, they weren’t learning anything with it, as my husband would say, at then end of the day it still felt like we were just buying stuff for them.  They now love seeing their bank statement.  We will print it out for them before we go somewhere so they have it on them to look at when deciding if they want to buy an souvenir on a trip or whatever it is, they look at their statement and see what they have, they see how many weeks/deposits it took to earn a certain amount and are now thinking in terms of…”wow if I buy that, it’s like 3 weeks of chores!” And then will proceed to decide if it’s really worth that.  And for big things they might wish for, it gives them a goal when they can think, well if I make this much every week and save for a whole year, then I’ll have this much and maybe get some birthday money, I can actually buy that.  For example my son wants to buy a kid sized quad…he’s thinking if he saves his money and gets any extra he should be able to buy a good quality used on in 1-2 years and is very focused on that.  My daughter is thinking she wants to get into photography and wants a nice camera, if she saves up for 1-2 years or more, she will be able to buy one and by then maybe actually be better able to learn photography.

Another thing, with allowance, the kids can get a raise each year on their birthdays by 1 dollar (at least so far it’s what we’ve done)  and maybe the chores will change or a more thorough job will be expected.  As the kids have gotten used to their new jobs, they have had their frustrations and complaints, especially if they sweep the floor or vaccum the stairs and say they are done but they missed a good amount obvious areas.  The thing I have found to be key and remind my husband is to not exasperate them but just remind them they are still in training and it will take practice to know how to do the job right without us pointing out what they missed.  I gently remind them it’s ok we don’t expect them to be perfect and we aren’t being mean or critiquing when we show them what needs to be redone but it’s part of the training phase. (mainly with my oldest who is more distractible and more easily frustrated) Sometimes when weeks are busy and they have a lot of their plate (especially our oldest with her gymnastics schedule) I will do her job with her, knowing she has a lot going on, I still want her to find the time and have the responsibility but I will casually work alongside her with another broom or visit with her while she’s putting her laundry away…it also helps her stay focused as she is more like me and can be starting a job and then get distracted.  Or my son with cleaning out the van, I will take a garbage bag out there and be out there with him and help a bit as well but I’m not doing it for him.

The kids still complain about having to do chores some days but I guess I still complain about what I have to do some days too.  I do remind them that I had to do chores as a kid and got no allowance for it, it was just part of being in the family and I think there is value to that as well and since we have started the kids being more responsible, they will help out with other things we ask them to do not on their list without feeling entitled to more allowance every time they have to lift a finger outside of the arranged work.  It’s been like Charlotte Mason promised…

"a mother who instills good habits in her children ensures herself smooth and easy days."

Having the kids help out with these chores has been a game changer.  They don’t make as big of messes now because they know they have to help clean it up, it gives all of us, including me, the structure to stay on top of housework and having them doing their chores makes me more conscious of my own work and if I’m keeping up on it or not.  It has also taught them money management and banking and they are good about saving and spending responsibly as we print out and show them their statements with their deposits, purchases and withdrawals.  And there has been a LOT less annoying conversations of the kids constantly asking me how much money they have or reminding me how much I owe them (Oh how that would get under my skin!) because they know they can just check their "bank statement".  I am so thankful that my husband stepped in to help create a better structure for our chores and allowance, my brain is more abstract and sometimes I just don't think to break it down in the same way he would think to.  

Copy Kids Eat Your Veggies DVD Review and Giveaway

COPY KIDS 

Review and Giveaway

Get Kids Hooked on Eating Fruits and Vegetables

The premise behind Copy Kids Eat Fruit and Vegetables is that young children are more willing to try new fruits and vegetables when they see another child eating them.  I believe this idea is totally valid because I have witnessed this myself with my own kids.  My older daughter always eats better when she's around her older cousins and my 2 year old son who shows little interest in sitting at the table and eating, will sit and eat a meal, even food he's consistently refused before, when we have interesting company over (i.e grandparents, aunts or uncles - but unfortunately non of them live close by).  So I was very excited for the opportunity to review the Copy Kids DVD.

J wanted to make a movie of her eating her veggies just like "those kids"

I told my daughter I had a new movie to watch she had never seen before and didn't tell her the name of it.  The first two comments she made as we watched the Copy Kids DVD were

"I want a pepper!" and "I want to copy her!"

While watching the Copy Kids DVD my 5 year old daughter ate a whole bell pepper and my 2 year old son was munching on bell pepper too...he kept spitting it out after a while, but he wanted to keep trying it because he thought it was fun to eat it while watching the kids on the DVD enjoy and have fun eating their vegetables.  It's a good start considering before seeing this DVD he wouldn't even TRY bell pepper (and it's been offered plenty as we often have slices of raw bell pepper at dinner).

Then my daughter wanted to eat a bunch of cucumber followed by 3 enormous carrots.  She got too full and couldn't finish all 3 but she ate most of 2.  She planned on eating raw broccoli after the carrots but she got too full.

Here's what my kids were saying while watching Copy Kids Eat Fruit and Vegetables

"I WANT A PEPPER TOO!"

"I WANT TO COPY HER!" (she didn't know the name of the video was "copy kids")

"I want to copy those kids!"

"LOOK! He likes that!" (avocado)

"Can I eat those?"

"Today I'm going to eat ALL the vegetables that they're eating"

"LOOK!!!  They LIKE them!"

"AJSDLKJEWRNJHAJjadfsajslfjasf!!!!!" (I couldn't understand her mouth was stuffed with peppers)

"I'm going to eat cucumbers after that (peppers) and then watch the cucumber movie when I eat cucumbers mom"

the shocking part was my finicky 2 year old grabbing slices of bell pepper and demanding "MORE MOO-EE!!! MORE MOO-EE!" and nibbling on the pepper (MOO-EE means Movie) as the movie had gone to the menu after the bell pepper segment had finished.

The Copy Kids DVD shows kids of various ages having fun and enjoying their food.  It is cute and the sound effects and style of it reminds me a little of the Baby Einstein series, which kids really enjoy.  The evening ended with my kids fighting over the bell pepper strips.  As much as my kids enjoyed and were fascinated by this video and inspired to chow on some raw veggies, watching little children/toddlers eat is not all that appetizing to me.  When the toddlers in the video were scarfing down avocado in HD on my big screen, it made me want to gag...despite that, overall the video is very cute, fun and makes my kids want to eat more fruits and vegetables so it's got two thumbs up in my book!  Just make sure you have a selection of fruits and vegetables on hand before you put this on or your kids might be upset...they want to COPY THE KIDS while watching it!




Want to win a free copy and get your kids chowing down on healthy fruits and vegetables NOW? Just enter below!
You can learn more by visiting
the Copy Kids website HERE
the Copy Kids youtube channel HERE




a Rafflecopter giveaway


GIVEAWAY HAS ENDED but you can still get a copy here


And if you haven't made the Rainbow in my Tummy - Eating Your Colors Activity Set tutorial I created, head over and print off the template, this will go perfectly with the DVD to get your kids eating all the colors of the rainbow in fresh produce!

Consequences

Consequences

Give them when necessary, but maybe let the knowledge of the consequence sink in and watch your child do the right thing on their own...

How could this sweet silly girl ever get in trouble???

Well, I'm no parenting expert, just in the trenches of motherhood like the rest but occasionally we discover things as we go, and not necessarily on purpose or to any credit of our own.  Lately I've discovered something about consequences...

I warned J that all her dresses (yes ALL dressups, skirts, play dresses, church dresses) would be taken away for a week if certain behavior continued....It finally got to the point that I had to stop warning and follow through and she was SO angry and defiant about the consequence.  When we got home, however, we were busy getting dinner ready so I figured I'd physically take the dresses away when we went upstairs to get ready for bed.  In the time between getting home and getting upstairs, J had time to calm down and think it over, she talked to us about it and we were able to explain to her again, but now with her calm and listening rather than having a freak out, why she could not act that way and why we had to take her dresses away to help her remember to listen and to treat her family members with kindness.  Anyways, by the time we went upstairs for bed, she was the one taking all the skirts, dresses and dressup clothes away into my art room.  She was vigilant about making sure I found every single skirt in her dresser.  Funny though, after it was time for bed and she saw her empty closet, she got this look on her face and said, almost as if she was just thinking out loud..."why did I help?"  This was last saturday and it was a pretty effective consequence since she didn't get to wear a dress to church on sunday...she almost didn't want to go to church because of that.  I can tell you what though, she has been an amazing big sister to her brother this week in response to that...for the most part.

A couple days later, she had a 2nd incident at a friends house where I felt the need to replace something that she had somehow ruined...not on purpose but by not being careful or thinking about what she was doing.  Both times it was something small, but still.  When the 2nd incident happened, I told her this time she had to help pay for it with her own money.  I had no idea she even valued her money yet, but apparently she really does. She had about the biggest blowup screaming "I'LL NEVER PAY MY MONEY!!!!!"  She was so angry about the consequence of having to use her own money to help replace the item.  Then yesterday when we stopped by their house to give them the replacement, she was screaming at me all the way there in the car, how she will never help pay for it, and how she was going to make me pay for everything...to which I replied "I already do...and I paid for the princess flashlight we replaced and now this"...anyways....lots more 5 year old sassiness.  I stayed calm and just kept telling her, "it's already happening, you are going to pay $1 of your money to help pay for it".  Anyways...not on purpose, but just like the dress consequence...I didn't get around to actually physically following through and taking her money yet because of being busy and distracted, but she knew it was already decided.  So today, sweet look on her face, she came down to me, stood there, looked down fiddling her feet and hands and said "I want to help pay my money for the flashlight AND the toothpaste...both of them, can you help me get my piggy bank down?"  

Wow.....yesterday she told me she wasn't going to have a mom ever again in her defiance over having to help pay for the toothpaste (it was a brand new tube and she squeezed it all out and I wanted her to learn not to do stuff like that, especially at other people's houses) and now today she willingly wants to pay me back for both items.  I was really happy I didn't have to pry her hands off her piggy bank to get the dollar from her and that she had thought about it enough to decide she should help pay for the first item as well.  We went up to her room together and counted out $1.00  

So my new realization from these 2 recent incidents is that it seems to really work well when you tell them what the consequence is, staying calm...they can freak out over the consequence, but you are still calm and then...let it sink in, talking about it when they ask in a calm way and explain to them how important it is to obey mom and dad, treat others nicely, not be destructive, etc and how we give them consequences to help them learn so they don't forget and do the same thing again. Because we love them and want to help them be great people, and that means we have to make sure they don't think it's ok do do certain things or act certain ways.  Then, after the fact, see if they put the consequence into action themselves, willingly because they know it's the right thing.  It seems way more effective (and easier) than doing it in the heat of the moment...prying her off the dresses or piggy bank and having a traumatic experience as we take her dresses away or her money away.  The tantrum ABOUT the consequence is bad enough, I am really liking the part when she cools down after a a couple hours or a day and then happily HELPS put the consequence into action.

I dunnno...at least it's working for us right now....anyone else have similar experiences?  How do YOU handle consequences?  Maybe you only do positive reinforcement?  We do both, trying to be as encouraging and positive as we can, but sometimes consequences need to happen...

Sorry Son, You Gave me No Other Choice

Does your toddler get undressed in bed, remove their diaper and get poop everywhere?

Well....mine has started to, and today was by far the worst...the other days it was just a little smeared up and down his legs as he pulled his diaper off but today it was $%#^ EVERYWHERE!!! Not the best way to start a Monday.....or any day for that matter!  He is like a little Houdini, I even put him to bed recently in a onesie shirt and osh kosh overalls but he's such a string bean, he shimmied his way right out the top.  I was so confused at first, the shirt and overalls were perfectly intact, nothing undone, the shirt, with it's long sleeves were still inside the overalls as if on display on a hanger.  So after complaining on facebook this morning I got some ideas I hadn't tried yet...putting a one piece sleeper on backwards.  The weather has dramatically changed here so his sleepers that fit are too hot, so I dug through his older sister's baby clothes and found this 12-18 month sleeper. It's good it was a little small for him, hopefully he won't be able to shimmy out the neck hole on these!  And I put em on backwards so as of now I'm hoping this works....I'll find out in the morning!  IT BETTER!  I am NOT interesting in cleaning up poop smeared bedding, bumper pads and crib rails...not to mention kid totally covered. BLEGH!

baby getting poop all over himself baby taking diaper off at night

Nummy Nummy There's a Rainbow in My Tummy

Rainbow in my Tummy

Get Kids Eating Healthy  with a Customized Activity Magnet Set

Hi everyone, in case you missed my guest post over at Wanna Be Balaced recently, this is my most recent tutorial.  I am excited to share this fun and easy craft project I designed that will help your kids eat more fruits and veggies and can't wait to hear what you think! :)

Sometimes it’s hard to get our kids eating healthy, including a variety of fruits and veggies every day, but it is very important to get all 5 food color groups in there (7 colors total as yellow/orange and blue/ purple are put into the same groups).

To encourage my daughter, I get her pumped up about eating a particular fruit or veggie to help make a rainbow in her tummy.  And you know all rainbows are magic right? Well, when you eat lots of different colors of fruits and veggies, it makes a magic rainbow in your tummy that helps your hair grow long, makes you brain really smart, makes your eyes see super good and it makes your body really strong and fast!   One of our favorite ways to make an instant rainbow in our tummys together is to make  strawberry lemonade with our juicer.  It's one of her favorite things to make, the kids love putting the fruits and veggies in and seeing the juice come out! And both my kids chug it, I can barely get any!

Strawberry Lemonade

1 large carrot or 2 small carrots

between half to one cup blueberries

1 1/2 cup strawberries

1 banana

1/3 cucumber

1 lemon

Now to help the kids visualize and keep track of the rainbow in their tummy each day, I made a fun little character that can be customized to resemble your child.  Here is what you'll need to make the rainbow in my tummy activity chart.

templates (right click and save images and then print so each one is a full page)

large sheet of drawing paper, butcher paper

pencil, pen

pencil crayons

glue

scissors

scrapbook/colored paper (optional)

7 small round magnets (got mine at hobby lobby)

felt (red, yellow, orange, white, green, blue, purple)

glue gun

Click on image to open the template images in new window, right click and save to your computer.  Print each image full size on a sheet of paper.

 Pick a hairstyle for your boy or girl or make your own

Trim the top and bottoms of the template pages and line up the legs to the torso and secure with a piece of tape.

Place image under a larger piece of drawing paper or butcher paper and trace the whole image.

Cut out selected hairstyle and either color in with pencil crayons or markers, or do what I did and trace onto a sheet of cardstock that matches your child's hair color and then cut out.

Use the template to give your child's character either a skirt or shorts and again, either color it in, or trace it onto scrapbook/colored paper and then cut out.

Glue the hair and skirt/shorts onto the character.  I also cut out some shoes.

If you want, you can color in the eyes and the T-shirt....or your child can color them.

Cut out circles of felt about the size of a quarter, 2 of each color. (I traced the bottom of my jumbo glue stick).  With your glue gun, apply some hot glue to the flat surface of your magnet and then press it down in the center of one of the felt circles.  Then put hot glue all the way around the edges of the circle. Place the matching felt circle on top and then pinch the seams together.

You can see below how I cut out the character from the big sheet of paper and hung on the fridge.  Your child can now move the magnets around and start with an empty tummy each day, adding magnets as they eat various colors!  And like I said earlier, there are 7 colors but 5 groups so this is what to aim for

GREEN, RED, WHITE, YELLOW/ORANGE, BLUE/PURPLE...they don't have to actually eat something blue and purple everyday, since they are in the same color group.

To help your child (and yourself) get familiar with a variety of foods from each food color group, visit these fun links and activity pages at Rainbow Foods Activities and Coloring Pages  (scroll down till you see the thumbnails of the free printables)

Bedtime Blessings

Bedtime Blessings

100 Bedtime Stories and Activities for Blessing Your Child

by John Trent

We've been doing the Book Bedtime Blessings with our 4.5 year old before bed and it has been so enjoyable and something we both really look forward to each  night.  The stories and activities are short and sweet and each activity ends with a related blessing for your child.  Tonight was maybe one of my favorites, the activity was for her to write a letter to God and here is what she dictated for me to write down

Dear God,

Angels protect us.  I'm Jordan and you can send me email God.  God, thank you for giving lots of dress up clothes and please, God, help me be brave.  I love you God thanks for dying on the cross.  God, thank you for my lipstick I got for Christmas. Thank you for my butterflies that hang on my tree and protect me. Thanks for my beautiful room. Please bless that I can have a life with you God.  Thanks you for my wonderful church dresses.  Thank you for art I can do.

No One Likes a Frowny Face...

Lately our 4.5 year old has really been making an effort to perfect her unhappy mad face, just she she can express herself more clearly at any given opportunity.  It's been getting to be a little much and we were trying to explain to her that if she keeps making ugly faces, her face will stay that way and she will make ugly faces at people even when she doesn't mean to, and no one will see the kind, beautiful person she truly is.  So to help remind her, we told her she was going to have a warning first and then a time out anytime she makes one of those ugly faces.  Then I made this special mirror with her, I was planning to make it anyways just for fun, but decided to tell her it was for her to practice her nice faces.  So yesterday we put it together...

I picked up a purple feather boa and the hand mirror from the dollar store. The glitter is from the dollar store too...it came in her stocking.  we just hot glued the boa to the edges and also hot glued the edges of the mirror and added the glitter.  So far, seems to be helping...She's been proudly practicing :)

Kids Defense - Keeping Kids Healthy

Homeopathy and Gemmotherapy

I have a couple of things I would really like to share with ya'll! (I lived in Dallas 2 years I can say it now! haha!  I can also say eh! Because I grew up in Canada....and although I'm also from Washington state, I will never say WaRshington....nope...that one just didn't rub off!).  Anyways...and while I'm off topic (yes, before I've even gotten on topic, just a quick question for you...Look at your computer screen....How many windows or internet tabs do you currently have open?  I think within 5 minutes of being on the computer I usually have at least 10 non-related tabs open on my internet browser.  Sometimes I'll have 3 seperate windows open, each having t a bunch of tabs open...my husband will get on the computer and be like "what the heck are you doing?!? How can you be looking at that many things at once?"  Well...I think I may have the answer to that.  Yesterday a friend on facebook posted a link to an adult adhd test so I thought it would be funny to find out..since I always joke I have add anyways.  Scoring above 70 is severe ADHD and I scored an 86...so that's my excuse for always having a gazillion windows and tabs open...Curious how you score?  Check out the Adult ADHD Test Here

Anyways...back to  kids health, I wanted to share with you some of the key things we have done this year to stay healthy that have seemed to have worked really well.  The kids have stayed healthy even when around others who have come down with the flu later that day after playing, coughs, colds, runny noses, etc...their immune systems have done a great job.  The only ailment this whole year was Jordan got a bit of a cough after playing outside in the snow but we were able to nip it in the bud with lithy tree, extra briar rose and doing a warm lemon compress on her chest so she could lay down and sleep without coughing.  (I soaked a linen hand towel in a bowl of strongly brewed lemon tea, wrung it out a little so it wasn't soaking, then placed it on her bare chest and then placed a rice heating pad on top to help drive it in.  It was amazing the difference it made, she wasn't able to recline without a coughing fit, but when she had the lemon compress on, she had no problem.  At bedtime I set it up inside her zip up sleeper pj's so it wouldn't move around and she was able to fall asleep with ease...later I came to check on her and removed it once she was sleeping.  I got the idea for this as well as many other great natural childcare tips from the book Natural Baby and Childcare by Dr. Lauren Feder, M.D.. I also kept her home from school for a day, even though she was on the mend, just to keep her from catching something else while her immune system was down a bit.

As part of our routine, and recommended by Dr. Bain from Frisco, TX I give the kids Dr. Carlson's Baby Vitamin D Drops daily.  I give my 4 year old 2 drops in her juice or water each morning, and was especially diligent once preschool started.

And several drops of Briar Rose by Boiron every couple of days during cold and flu season to keep the immune system strong.  If I notice any symptoms of oncoming illness or find out one of her friends she was playing with is sick, I will give her Briar Rose daily, or twice daily.

Lithy Tree is the other gemmotherapy remedy we have that I reserve for coughs and sore throats.  you can find all sorts of gemmotherapy drops through Dr. Feder's website.

We recently ran out of Briar Rose and I haven't had time to look up local healthfood stores to buy more or order more (I bought mine before the move) so I was at Whole Foods looking to see if they carried it, which they didn't.  However I saw something called Kids Defense herbal drops for around $12 and decided to grab some.

On Christmas Eve, by the time we got home from service, my husband was starting to feel all the symptoms of the flu.  That would make this the third year in a row he has had the flu ON Christmas.  I thought, well, the Kids Defense drops are to be given at onset of symptoms so I decided to try it out on Tyler.  I gave him a full dropper in some OJ and he then fell asleep while I wrapped everything and got it under the tree.  The next day he said he was feeling a little bit better but still felt like he had the start of the flu, so I gave him another full dropper in some OJ and then again later that day...we took that long afternoon nap that resulted in an overcooked turkey, but by that evening, he was amazed at how much better he was feeling.  Tyler is always the skeptical one and whenever I give him stuff like this he doesn't think it's going to do anything, but he admitted he thought it must have helped because he knew he had the flu and he always get really sick for a week, and he improved majorly and was almost back to feeling normal within a day and a half.  He said "I think that crap you gave me saved me." lol..that's Tyler.  Other times he has started to get sick I have put a big shot of Briar Rose and Lithy Tree in his juice without telling him just to see what happens, and within a day he'll be surprised at how much better he is feeling so quickly.  So anyways....I don't know what gemmotherapy is or how it works, but we use it along with Vit D and it does seem to work pretty darn good!

Other things that may help are

We don't eat a lot of processed/packaged foods.  Breakfast is usually GF Old Fashioned Rolled Oats with real maple syrup and cinnamon or scrambled eggs.  And some days I'll make gluten free pancakes, waffles or muffins.  Lunch is usually smoothies, sandwiches with homemade gluten free bread, homemade gluten free pizza, turkey hot dogs (no nitrates or sulfates), fruit, peanuts etc... my daughter loves muffin tin meals to eat a variety of things.  

We don't eat very much dairy, my son and I have none at all (and we never get sick) and my daughter only eats cheese and yogurt sparingly...and when I notice any onset of symptoms I also restrict her dairy intake...dairy makes us mucusy which  increases phlem and can worsen cold symptoms. (and info out there that denies the connection between milk and mucus are wrong.  My son was so mucusy and constantly congested until I went off dairy and as a benefit to me, I noticed I no longer had excess mucus either...I used to always notice a slight coating of mucus on my throat that I thought was normal but when it went away I was like, oh wow! so much nicer...  Go off dairy and you won't have any loogies to spit out!!!) Everyone in the house uses Coconut Milk.

We try to get exposure to natural sunlight and be active when we can.

We drink mostly water, some juice (we like fruitables for juice boxes or Treetop applejuice made in WA not China) and chocolate smoothies made with chocolate almond milk, peanut butter, banana and ice.

We always use the anti bacterial wipes at stores and fully wipe down our cart and when we leave the store we use either hand sanitizer or wipes to clean our hands as soon as we get in the car.  

We try to eat lots of fruits and veggies but I can't say we deserve any awards in that category, our kids are average eaters in that regard.  But if they want a treat, I usually tell them they have to eat something healthy first like an apple, banana or a carrot...then they can have the cookie.  And for my picky 20 month old, the applesauce and other fruit and veggie puree blends in the fun colorful squeeze pouches are a life saver!  That's the only way I can really get things into him! Also the fruitables juice boxes help get some extra fruits and veggies into them.

For more tips on Having a Healthy Family check out these posts

A Healthy Family

Nutrition

Healthy Cooking

And for a wealth of great information for your family's healthy, you can visit Dr. Feder's website Here.  Our old NP used to work with her and turned us on to her, she is our go to resourse with a balanced approach of conventional and natural family care.  

Gemmotherapy definition and more info on uses @ OrganicTherapy.org

Gemmotherapy
Gemmotherapy is one seminal origin point of modern Phytotherapy. Gemmotherapy uses ONLY the flower buds and/or young shoots from the mother plant. It could easily be called “Phyto-embryonic Therapy”.

Traditionally, Gemmotherapy has been used by knowledgeable nutritional practitioners and homeopaths to assist in the gentle drainage and detoxification processes of the human body. This form of plant-based nutritional therapy has long been popular in Europe. The use of buds in traditional herbal pharmacopoeia dates back to the middle Ages when Alchemy was the common means of treatment.

Search Gemmotherapy remedies by condition Here.

How a Lovey Taught Me Something

This is very random, but I was just rocking my fussy son in the rocking chair, my eyes tired and heavy and just reflecting on the great company we had just had over for lunch.  (A family we just met 2 days ago through craigslist when we bought an elliptical from them!!! crazy huh? They are an amazing family who is going to be moving to plant a church in another state-).  Anyways...that's not even the random thing I was going to say although that was super random.  where was I?  Oh yeah, so I was rocking him in the rocking chair calming him down and he was holding his special blankie.  I don't know why, but this thought came to me all at once out of the blue. But this is that back story... he had this wonderful, cute, soft, cozy blankie that I had been giving him repeatedly to be his security object because he didn't have one for a long time.  This blankie I kept giving him was just so soft and plush, and in my mind, ever since we received it as a gift when he was born, I "knew" it was going to be his special blankie, it was perfect....he just hadn't attached to it yet.  I kept on giving it to him and he was indifferent...then one day we were in his room looking for an outfit to wear and he was trying to get into the closet when suddenly he stopped, his eyes got big...he got excited and then pulled out this little yellow and white blanket that I had put away because it was just one of those  thin blankets you use to swaddle them when they are tiny.  Anyways, he pulled that out and from that moment on, it has been his special blankie that goes everywhere.  He won't sleep without it and he drags it around everywhere like little Linus....I couldn't even keep it away from him at the spray park this summer so he drug it through all the fountains and sprinklers...

So as I sat there rocking him, thinking about other things, I looked down at him cuddling his blankie and had this random epiphany.  Thinking about how he came to have that particular blankey be his lovey rather than the nice, plush perfect one I had thought would be his lovey, it's going to be the same way one day with his future spouse.  We are probably going to have some idea of the person we envision our children getting married to one day and when that day comes, we may be surprised when they just find the right one, and it's not what we had envisioned...but you know what?  Even though it's not the super cool, perfect extra soft blankey we would have picked...it's still a pretty darn cute one... and in his eyes, it's the perfect one.  So my realization (however obvious it may seem but now reinforced) is that I really won't be able to pick my kids future friends, career,and mate just like I couldn't pick out their lovey for them as babies....however...

There's always something we CAN do, even when when it comes to things out of our control...

BUT that doesn't mean there is nothing I can do to help my kids make the right life choices for themselves.  One thing I CAN do is pray for my children (yes, even starting now it's never to early) that they may be kept from the wrong mate and saved for the right one (II Corinthians 6.14-17)  and trust in God's plan for their lives, as He can work far better in their lives than I can.  I can pray for my children to always seek for wisdom and discernment from Him, and turn to Him for all decisions so s/he doesn't make poor choices, that  to Holy Spirit will influence his/her selection of friends and potential mates and all their relationships with others will glorify Him.

So that is my random thoughts for the day....how my son's blankey turned into a lesson to teach ME something I know I will need to remember down the road...it seems obvious but may not be so simple when the time comes to have to truly let go and respect their choices.

Thinking about this reminded me of this great book I have with beautiful illustrations of children, it's called For This Child I Prayed by Stormie Omartian Illustrated by Susan Rios

It is filled with beautiful prayers that I enjoy reading and praying for my children.  My daughter enjoys this book at bedtime, hearing all the wonderful prayers with her name in them, hearing me pray these things for her.  She always wants me to "do another one".  The first prayer in the book was really difficult for me to understand and do when I first became a parent...It wasn't until pretty recently that I have realized and conceded that yes, parenting a child in the way God would have me to is beyond my human abilities and I need His help, that I truly do want to be partners with Him and have access to his wisdom, discernment, revelation and guidance while also NEEDING his strength, patience and generous love flowing through me.  Entrusting Him with the lives of my children, believing that he has a plan for their life that is good, something far better than I could arrange.

"Whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive"

-Matthew 21:22

Orange Chicken Recipe and Other Stuff from Today...

 

I know I've been a bad blogger, but I've been a zombie pretty much with a teething baby I feel like I sleep in 15 minute intervals!  Anyways, Today was a great day starting off with MOPS…which always makes for a great day!  We learned about good lasting gifts we can give our children (a good topic at this time of year when we are all pretty much shopping for the perfect Christmas gift, and the best gift isn't even something you can find at the store!).  Today I decidedly was more firm and strict with J as she’s been acting up a bit lately and I've been getting super frustrated and needed to change my approach…we had a couple moments during the day, but in the end she made the right choices and listened to me without a TOTAL melt down.  Anyways, I made Orange chicken for dinner for the first time and it turned out great despite my husband’s prediction as I started adding the breaded chicken pieces to the hot oil “I have a feeling this is going to be a disaster…”  showed him not to doubt me! Haha!

Dinner was followed by Toy Story 3 on blu ray that we rented from the good old Red Box to have some family time enjoying my hubby’s black Friday/early Christmas present (blu ray player).  Anyways….As I was putting J to bed, I came in to give her a kiss as my hubby was saying good night…she wanted to kiss my cheek and after, as I pulled back she grabbed my neck and pulled me in close, hugged on tight and said in the most loving warm sweet voice “oh Mommy, you’re so nice to me!”  I can’t tell you how that just made me light up.  I don’t like being the bad guy, but obviously my extra firmness today didn’t seem to make her feel less loved at all….if anything..she felt more loved today because other than that, it was a normal day!  And she’s never done anything like that to me before, pulling me in for more cuddles and telling me I’m so nice…usually she is whining about something or trying to beg me to sit a few more minutes or read another book etc. 

 Had to snap this cute picture of family waiting for me to come watch the movie with them!

Here are the bullet points the speaker gave out at MOPS on good gifts we can give our children (and their children and generations to come) by the lovely and amusing Nell F. Bush, Ph.D. 

1. A Pleasant, Manageable Name (their badge of honor, give them a meaningful name that they can live up to) “A good name is better than fine perfume.” Ecclesiastes 7:1
2. A Positive Birth Story (kids are very literal and don’t get adult humor so don’t tell them about how funny they looked or how hard it was –they’ll hear “I was not cute, or I was disappointing or I was trouble and hurt my mom”…tell them how wonderful it was and only the positives.  You can add in the other details when they are teenagers and able to grasp the humor of it) “Behold, children are a gift of the Lord;” Psalm 127:3
3. Freedom to Love Grandparents (Children absorb our emotions, they may know your emotions before you are even aware, so we have to be careful not to taint our kids relationship with other family members through our own attitudes.  A sense of connection to extended family is an important part of a child’s identity and development) “Be kind to one another, tender hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.” Ephesians 4:32
4. A Place of Refuge & Comfort. (Instead of trying to solve all their problems or talk them out of their feelings, just give empathy and turn to the bible together.  Sit together and be a source of comfort.  Our job is to absorb the upset and comfort and nurture.  We have to remember to pause, comfort first and correct later when they are able to receive it.) “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who comforts us in all out troubles, so that we can comfort others with the comfort we ourselves have from God.” 1 Corinthians 1:3
5. Positive Role Model of Marriage.  (Always present a united front.  If they come to you about something first response should be “What did Dad say?” and then “Well, then listen to your Dad”,  Show respect in your marriage, build your spouse up in front of the kids, talk about how you love being married, respect each other’s parenting styles.  And when it comes to teaching about sex, teach them the ideal, that sex is for marriage…but if they ever make a mistake, let them know “we want the baby”  we will take care of the baby or we will find a family to take care of the baby, we’ll figure it out, just don’t do anything you would regret the rest of your life.)  “Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.” Ephesians 4:29
6. Positive Role Model of Parenting.  (Studies show adolescent girls really benefit from a firm father figure.  It keeps them out of trouble.  Have a simple predictable style, especially when they are little, have a very simple routine because kids crave that security of knowing what to expect.  Be at home as much as possible, don’t over-schedule with so many activities and commitments.  Provide them the opportunity for lots of open ended free play OUTSIDE.  Also lots of free play in their room with no distractions.) “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish with all wisdom.”  Col. 3:16
7. An Abiding, Unhidden Faith. (Pray together throughout the day, share your faith openly. “Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving.” Colossians 4:2

Discussion/Reflection

Name one “good gift” that your parents gave you as a child.

Is there a gift you would have liked to receive from your family, but didn’t?

What good gifts are you currently giving to your own children?

Discuss (think about) a gift that might be challenging for you to give.

And For the Orange Chicken Recipe.  I found it on Allrecipes (of course!) and figured it was a good one since it had over 700 reviews and was 4.5 stars!  It turned out DELICIOUS!  Next time I will put in less sugar though, it was pretty sweet and would still be plenty sweet with less.  I also tossed the chicken pieces on egg to help the flour batter stick. 

Asian Orange Chicken

do yourself a favor and just print off the recipe card here!

• Sauce:
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 2 tablespoons orange juice
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1/3 cup rice vinegar
• 2 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon grated orange zest
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon minced fresh ginger root
• 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
• 2 tablespoons chopped green onion
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
•  
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons water
•  
• Chicken:
• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 3 tablespoons olive oil

Directions

1. Pour 1 1/2 cups water, orange juice, lemon juice, rice vinegar, and soy sauce into a saucepan and set over medium-high heat. Stir in the orange zest, brown sugar, ginger, garlic, chopped onion, and red pepper flakes. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat, and cool 10 to 15 minutes.
2. Place the chicken pieces into a resealable plastic bag. When contents of saucepan have cooled, pour 1 cup of sauce into bag. Reserve the remaining sauce. Seal the bag, and refrigerate at least 2 hours.
3. In another resealable plastic bag, mix the flour, salt, and pepper. Add the marinated chicken pieces, seal the bag, and shake to coat.
4. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Place chicken into the skillet, and brown on both sides. Drain on a plate lined with paper towels, and cover with aluminum foil.
5. Wipe out the skillet, and add the sauce. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Mix together the cornstarch and 2 tablespoons water; stir into the sauce. Reduce heat to medium low, add the chicken pieces, and simmer, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.