Tuesday, February 18, 2014

Great Snacks for Winter Activities

Here are some great ideas for healthy snacks in the winter. I always find this stuff great when I bring the kids out, and they are begging for something to eat. If they are hungry, they will eat anything, especially something we nickname the power bar!

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/12-healthy-snacks-for-winter-activities-1.2542035

Saturday, February 1, 2014

The Experiment. One more month to go

Here it is February already. One more month left in our getting rid of youth entitlement experiment. It has been a long road, but a worthwhile one. Having them take more responsibility has helped everyone around our home. We have tackled bedrooms, meals, laundry, doing service, and getting ready for school on time, so our final challenge is the toilets. That is right, toilets. We saved the best until last. In a home with three young boys, you can image what our toilets look like some days. Hmmm..do we work on their aim, or have them learn to clean it up when they miss? HAHAHAHA!
We are going to start the month with some target shooting. Yep, we have to make it fun. We are going to put something in the toilet...doesn't really matter what it is...have them shoot to sink it, and celebrate a good hit. I know this sounds silly, but getting them excited about it, will save me all the trouble of cleaning around the base of the toilet everyday.
Then, I will demonstrate a missed shot, with yellow coloured water in a spray bottle, and have them figure out the best way to clean it up. After hands are washed, we will discuss the importance of keeping our bathroom clean, and the consequence will be one coin (harsh, I know). If I find pee at the back, or around the bottom of the toilet, one coin from every kid (because I won't know who did it, so they all lose). I am experimenting to find out if they will clean up someone else's mess, or if they will remind each other, or if they will always hit the target...we shall see.
Here we go, the final stage of our experiment. TOILETS