Here’s a grab bag of things that are working well around our house right now.
Teaching kids about money: Annie and Jacob have been getting an allowance since they turned six. They get $5 a month: $0.50 to tithe, $2 to spend, $1 for short-term savings, $1 to long-term savings, and $0.50 for gifts for others. We keep their money in envelopes in an accordion file. They take their tithe to church and long-term savings goes in their bank savings account when it gets up to $5 or so. Their short-term savings is set aside for a goal. Right now Annie wants a laundry room set for her dollhouse and Jacob is saving for a new cd player (he broke the one he got for Christmas after repeatedly dropping it on the floor, and I told him if he wanted another one he’d have to buy it himself). I encourage them to add their spending money to the short-term savings. I’m trying to show them that spending $1 on potato chips from the vending machine doesn’t leave them with anything to show for it. And I’m also trying to show them how much things actually cost. They have so many toys and clothes they don’t care if something gets lost, broken, or ruined. So we’re trying to instill a sense of responsibility and care for belongings around here.
The “church bag:” Annie and Jacob usually go to the worship service at church with us. Sophie and Nora often ask to go as well, though they have a class they can go to if they choose (we all go to Sunday School/community group after worship). They are expected to participate respectfully in the prayer and singing times, but I don’t expect them to listen intently to the sermon. (Although Jacob and Annie are starting to a bit, yay!). Thus the “church bag.” This is a book bag that hangs by our back door. It has a children’s Bible, Bible coloring book, and special twistables colored pencils for each child. They only get to use them during the sermon time, and they look forward to that each week.
Healthy snacks that keep my eating on track: Kind bars, Greek yogurt, kettle corn popcorn, and La Croix Curate. Yum yum yum yum yum! When I’m hungry or need a little treat, I reach for one of these, and save the ice cream and wine for the weekend.
Breakfast shortcuts: I really don’t like my kids to eat a lot of cereal, most of it is just not very nutritious. But my children also wake up SO HUNGRY and GROUCHY until they get something to eat, so they are not going to wait around while I cook a hot breakfast. They have a smoothie almost every day, typically spinach, banana, plain Greek yogurt, and milk. Sometimes I add frozen fruit, blueberries, or peanut butter to mix it up a little. Then once a week or so I bake a breakfast bread, muffin, cookie, or granola bar and freeze it in daily portions. So there’s a collection of breakfast items in the freezer, and I just pull out a bag the night before. I think right now my freezer has several bags of double-oat breakfast cookies, banana bread, applesauce muffins, blueberry muffins, and cinnamon raisin muffins. They do still eat cereal once or twice a week. Sometimes we do oatmeal, eggs, turkey sausage, or turkey bacon, too. Anyway, it’s basically working!
What's not is the way my kids have been speaking to each other, and sometimes to me, too! I've cracked down this week and handed out a lot of time outs. "If it's not helpful and encouraging, you don't need to say it." "We don't speak to each other in that unloving tone of voice." "You are not allowed to speak to Mama in that disrespectful way."
Any tips you want to share?
No comments:
Post a Comment