The Happiest Place on Earth

Contrary to what fans of Mickey may say, I think our local dog park must be the Happiest Place on Earth.  We discovered it last week when it was cold, but sunny.  Amanda and I needed an outing, and Farley needed to run.  We bundled up in our coats and hats and headed out. 

We parked in our normal parking space, next to the kid's park and walked and walked down a dirt road...even passing a private residence.  We went downhill and started climbing uphill.  I wasn't sure we were in the right place.  Just as I was about to turn around, we spied a dog running full speed across a beautiful field.  

The park is over an acre in size and is situated in the middle of farm land.  It feels like paradise.

We went again last week (on Farley's birthday).  I'm not sure who enjoyed it more...the kids or Farley.  They all had a blast running and playing.  If a dog can smile, I'm sure all of these guys had smiles on their faces.

As each new car drove up, the dogs lined the fence to see which friend was coming next.  

Most of the dogs arriving were sitting in the front seat of their car, barking and so eager to get out and play.

The kids played frisbee and ball with all the dogs, as well as chased them around the field.  

Not only were the dogs happy, but the humans were happy as well.  It was a little community of dog lovers.  They all greeted Farley, gave him a pat and asked what kind of dog he was.  One man fetched a tennis ball from the back seat of his car for Farley.

They asked about each other.  "How is your Mama?"  "We are so thankful that she has made it to rehab."

The dogs sniffed and ran and marked their territory.

It was a good afternoon.  We'll definitely be returning.

Chore Charts

At the beginning of the school year, Derrick and I decided that we wanted to encourage our kids to do their chores by offering incentives.  We thought it would be a great way to teach responsibility and give the kids a little spending money.  Plus, it would help put some structure to our random requests for help.  

But I was hesitant to pay them for chores.  I feared it would create a culture of demand, where the kids would only do a chore when they thought they would get paid.  In our house, there are some jobs that you do just because you are a member of the family.   

So I let the ideas simmer in my head for two months.  Every week the kids would ask when we were going to get started.  And every week my answer was, "Soon."  

Finally, when the first set of report cards came home, I was ready to unveil our new system.  

Derrick and I first set the amounts we wanted to give to each boy...$1 for our first grader and $2 for the third grader.  

Next, I made a list of chores that we wanted the boys to do on a daily basis.  Some of the chores are really quick and others take a bit more time, but they are all easy.  Feeding the dog is one of the favorite chores.  

We put stars in the squares to indicate that is a required chore for that day.  That just helps give them direction and focus.  Plus, it keeps them from fighting over the desired chores.

There are spaces at the bottom to add other chores for the week.  For instance, you can see above that Andrew helped empty the dishwasher on Thursday.  He received a check.  We also can add outdoor chores, like taking the plants inside before the first freeze.

At the end of the week, we count the checks.  Our first grader needs 24 checks to earn his full dollar.  The third grader will earn a dollar with 24 checks or $2 with 36 checks.  His extra chores tend to be a bit harder to earn the extra dollar.

Oh, and the one catch is that they do not receive any money until after Sunday Clean Up.  It makes me happy to start the week with a straight house.

We laminated the charts and posted them in the kitchen.  One big rule is that I'm the only one who is allowed to make check marks.

(Amanda is still on the stoplight chart.  Hers are tied to "special treats" at the end of the day.  If she moves to yellow, she only gets one special treat.  At red, she does not get any.  After that, she is on "ticket" which means some bigger consequence.  Every day, she starts on green.  I'm a fan of "new day, new beginnings.")

After four months with this system, I'd say it is working great!  The best part is getting positive responses when I ask the boys to help.  The other night, we were at a Cub Scout pack meeting.  The parents were asked to meet separately, but Amanda wanted to stay with the boys for the kid-friendly program.  I asked Scott to watch her while I was gone.  At first, he gave me a big groan and "no."  Then, when I told him he would get a check, his attitude immediately changed.  I love that we have found something that works for our family and the way we operate.

Fun Friday

I love Fridays.  Once Derrick is out the door and the boys are on the bus, Amanda and I have nowhere else to be.  Amanda always has a list of fun activities that she wants to do.

Today, Amanda...

Had her nails painted and hair cut in our kitchen beauty salon

Ate grilled cheese

Gave Laura a gymnastics lesson

Went to the beach with all her kids

Baked homemade brownies with me

 (Sometimes I think the only reason my kids want to bake with me is the reward of licking the spoon at the end.  Of course, sometimes that's the only reason I bake also...mmmmm, homemade cookie dough)

Soaked in a warm bubble bath

And napped in Mommy & Daddy's big, warm bed

The only thing that would have made the day better is if the boys had been home to join in on the fun.  But, it's 2:42 and I hear the bus pulling up outside.  Time to start Fun Friday with Scott & Andrew!  Maybe we'll play Legos or Clue or Monopoly.  Maybe we'll go outside and play baseball or basketball or ride bikes.  Maybe we'll take Farley to the dog park.  After all, today IS his birthday.  We'll definitely celebrate with a little peanut butter tonight. 

backyard "friends"

Look what Scott found today while exploring the woods behind our house.

Caving

I have so many "must see" destinations in my head.  I dream about traveling when I'm washing dishes or folding clothes.  But, caving is never in my dreams.  I have never seen excitement in squeezing through tight crawls or sleeping in a damp cave.  But I love my boys.

Guess where we went this weekend?

The Lost Sea Adventure Caves.  And it was much more fun than I ever imagined!  Derrick was supposed to go, but was so sick this week that I was nominated to go.

We entered at the top of a hill and descended 100+ steps to get to the room where we were going to sleep.  

Once we settled our sleeping bags, we set off on a 2 hour hike/tour through the cave.  There was a large underground lake that they stock with trout.  We toured the lake on a boat.

Mud was everywhere and the boys decided to coat themselves with "war paint."

The highlight for all of us were the crawls.  Our guide took us through four pretty tight crawls.  They were challenging and fun.  Of course, the kids simply scrambled through, while the adults took much longer.

We emerged from the caves on Sunday morning, after a restless night on the hard cave floor.  Mud covered everything we owned.  On the way home, we extended our adventure with a quick visit to the Chattanooga Choo-Choo and the model train museum.

Ahhhhhhhh

Isn't this what Christmas break is all about...a fire and a good book. The current choice is one of the Hardy Boys books.  Scott will probably finish it today or tomorrow.  We need to go to the library and stock up for Christmas break!!  

Presents!

As part if a new tradition, I decided to place the presents under the tree on the last day of school. The presents were there when they got home from school and it was an exciting way to start Christmas break.

Amanda immediately decided that she needed to wrap presents for her "kids". She took old bags and tissue paper and spent the better part of the evening wrapping. She even put tags in the bags with the kids' names. When she was done the bags went under the tree with the others and I have a feeling we will unwrap them on Christmas morning!

Her favorite imaginary friend, Anna, has the big bag on the left and Merry's is the glitter bag on the right. I'm as excited as the "kids" to see what is in them.

Of course I don't really expect them to sit untouched for four more days! I'm sure there will be more unwrapping and wrapping today. Who knows...we may celebrate Christmas every day between now and March!