Summer Chatty Thread

[BibbidiBobbidiBooX2]

A- You asked about our positive behavior plan. It works when we devote time and effort to it. We have two jars. One is empty, the other is full of those glass globs (like marbles but flatter). We call them "gems" with the kids. They get to put gems into the empty jar (that becomes full) when we catch them being good. Sometimes it is for using manners, sometimes it is for doing a direction the first time, sometimes it is for cleaning up. We also use it almost nightly for going to bed right away (they earn the gems if they don't come out of their room after being tucked in- a problem sometimes), and they earn it for staying in their bed all night (Jackson had a 6 month stretch where he would come to bed with us at about 2 in the morning!). I've also used it for fears- I gave them 20 gems each for letting the dental assistant clean their teeth. Jackson was soooo terrified about going there. When we fill the gem jar, they get a prize. We switch out between individual prizes and a team prize. This past time we took them to the movies (the free ones in the mornings on weekdays!) for earning the gem jar. Now this time, they are working to earn a small toy. We don't have separate jars. It's not a competition as I believe it promotes cooperation.

As for the hair thing, it may become an obsession! We fed Jackson bottles that way because he loved to gently play with hair, and to this day, he still plays with our hair. Like in the middle of the night when he sleeps in our bed! He will also sometimes go up to other kids and smell their hair. Weird!
Harper has really LONG hair, and he loves it. But she can't stand him touching it!

Just to clarify- I'm not a runner! I think I could do it because I'm in moderately good shape due to biking/spinning, but I'm just afraid to take the plunge. Maybe someday!

As for the will, we actually are doing a trust which makes it more complicated and therefore more expensive I think too. However, I think it's the only way to assure that the will couldn't be contested (trusts rarely are), and I'm fairly sure we'll avoid tax penalties on the money we leave to one another this way. It took us a long time to decide who got the kids. And the people we originally picked are not the ones that we ended up deciding on. We just didn't have the same values in terms of how we run our family.

It's supposed to be like 107 here tomorrow. I can't even believe it!