Can it be?

My boy is motivated! He is seeing his progress and is READING! We have completed 2 weeks worth of lessons out of the Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons. 17 Lessons to be precise. The boy is highly motivated and has wanted to do more than one lesson in a day. I gotta say, as I see the progress, I am highly motivated myself. I find myself excited to do more. I just can't believe how this program is working for us. One reason we have been able to do more than one lesson a day is that we have scrapped the handwriting portion of the program. Doing this really cuts minutes off the lesson. I figure we will focus on just the reading now and do a different handwriting program come fall. He is reading sentences! SENTENCES! It is awesome.

Robo Mom to the Rescue

Alternate Title: The Boy's Day of Reckoning

I just wasn't going to take it another day. I sent him, rather dragged him kicking and screaming to his room for a 4 minute time out. He threw stuff at the door and screamed and cried and pretty much let me know that he was going down in a blaze of glory. His timer went off and I went in to give him another time out for throwing stuff at the door. He flipped his chair upside down and looked at me with angry eyes. I walked out. The timer went off after another 4 minutes, I took his chair out of his room and set the timer again...4 minutes...again. He is angry. I am determined.

While this is going on, my little one happily colored at the table. I am thanking God for her at this moment. I talk to Adam, he sends me a link to a blog he thought could help me. I ask him to look up Bi-polar disorder. I was convinced he has this. He is so Jekyll and Hyde sometimes. I quickly scan the article he sent. She said one thing in that article that made sense to me and I took the advice. I decided that I had to be ROBO MOM. Absolutely emotionless. He was out of his mind and I had to stay the course. It helped. Making the decision that his words would not hurt me and that this was the best thing for him propelled me on through the day.

After this first episode. He pulled himself together. It was 9am. We headed upstairs. I could see a change in him already. He was being the kind, sweet boy I knew. He even suggested that he clean the playroom so we could have more fun in there...WHAT?! I was not going to complain. What a great idea!!!

After an hour and a half of cleaning and mostly engaged play, I gave the 5 minute warning. We would be heading downstairs so my baby girl could have some quiet time in her room. (God bless her! She loves to read books quietly in her room!) Bryson and I would work on his reading lessons. And down we went.

It didn't take long for him to "challenge me" with a slight hint of discontent. STRAIGHT TO HIS ROOM FOR YET ANOTHER TIME OUT. Homegirl wasn't playin! We went into yet another cycle of time outs and more time outs for misbehaving during the time outs. He was going to re-learn to have a happy heart if it was the last thing we did that day. I am not kidding when I say he was in time out most of the morning. Being emotionless was the best thing I did that day, besides pray, Pray, PRAY.

It all becomes a blur at this point...but I will say. I won the war. By the evening it was, Yes, Ma'am, and mother may I?

I couldn't decide what to tell the school for his absence, so I just told Bryson to tell his teacher the next day that his mommy just wanted him to stay home. Of course, they pressed and he told me that he said, "my mommy wanted me in time out." I called to talk to the teacher and let her in on our day of discipline. She chuckled and said, "well I knew there must have been a major shake down because he was a different boy today. So well behaved and full of "yes, Ma'ams" Music to my ears!

I will be on him like white on rice until further notice. So far, our house is much happier and I can see the gleam in my big boy's eyes again. I got a note home today that said, "Great behavior today and lots of Yes Ma'ams."

A Never Ending Job

In our house, we seem to have cycles of behavior. We can be rolling along and all is sunshine and rainbows, until...we have one bad day in a week. We brush it off as "everyone has a bad day now and again." One day a week turns into two and before we know it, we don't even like hanging out with our own son. Yes, you heard me. I don't like hanging out with my own son. Shocking, I know. You wouldn't like hanging out with him either, trust me. Simple tasks such as, "Go put on your sock and shoes." turns into SO MUCH MORE! Tantrums and screaming and throwing of items, hitting and furrowed brows followed up with "YOU ARE SUCH A MEAN MOMMY I AM NOT YOUR FRIEND ANYMORE!" Those words sting. I ain't gonna lie.

Let's back up shall we?

So my oldest boy (4 1/2) is sweet and kind and loving and has the cutest dimples south of the Mason Dixon. But, boy oh boy, he's got spunk!

Like I said, we were rolling along and all was wonderful with the world. Bryson was happy and content and loved working quietly in his room. I would send him to his room occasionally for quiet time and ask him to "read books in your room." He would come back and say, "well, I would really like to (insert a different quiet activity here.)" I would usually let him, "fine," I would say, "that is another quiet activity, have at it!" Or, I would say, "we are having cereal for breakfast," and he would come back with, "I really want oatmeal." I would say, "time to brush your teeth," and he would respond with, "but I am just going to finish this puzzle."

Do you see what was happening? I was letting him make appeals. Appeals are all well and good for the most part, except when the appeals start causing conflict. He was starting to appeal everything, EVERYTHING. Having the option to make an appeal comes with the understanding that sometimes my answer will be "NO, you need to do what I am asking right now." First time obedience. If he can handle obeying the first time and understanding that his appeal was rejected and continue on as normal, he can continue on making appeals.

That was not happening in our home. He was starting to think he was boss. "UM, not so fast there tiger!"

His teacher had been telling me about time outs at school. EVERYDAY. He was throwing tantrums. EVERYDAY. Something had to give. I was tired. Adam was tired. A change had to be made.

And then it happened. He lost it one day this week 15 minutes before he needed to leave for school. All out crazy tantrum. Lunch was packed, he was completely dressed. All because I asked him to brush his teeth. WHEW. I decided right there and then that TODAY WAS THE DAY. I called his ride to school and told her to skip our house today. Today was going to be "DAY 'O DISCIPLINE." I just wouldn't have been able to accomplish what I wanted with him in 15 minutes and I sure didn't want to wait til after school.

Tune in tomorrow, to hear how this day went down...

7 days in...

Look at me, I am checking in; I am surprising myself!

Bryson has completed 7 days of reading lessons. So far so good. He has been excited and up for the challenge and is encouraged to know that if we stick to the program, we should be finished with the book (and reading) by his 5th birthday.

I am learning a lot each day as we complete each lesson.
1. Sitting still and on his bottom is not high on Bryson's priority list.
2. Bryson wants to skip ahead... a lot....
3. If there is so much a speck of anything other than this reading book on the table, a competition begins and the speck will win every time.
4. I need to wear protective gear. His arms and legs can flail up at any moment in time causing injuries to my eyes, legs or stomach. (My eye is still throbbing from the whollup I got today. See item 1.)
5. The lessons so far really do only take 15 minutes.
6. I can see progress.
7. I have hope.

So there you have it...one week down about 13 more to go.

ABC Book

I'd like to say it was easy as ABC easy as 123...but that would be cheesy. Or would it? Probably? I am a dork...moving on...

After a spending a summer working with Bryson on his ABCs and 123s, we have completed what we set out to finish. I have to admit, I had high hopes at the beginning, but I also know myself all to well. I am a starter of many things, but a finisher of none (or not much.)I am happy to say that I actually followed through and got it done. Here is our finished product. I am quite pleased with it. I hope that it is a book that he and Mabry can share and enjoy for a long time.

Click here to view this photo book larger

"Of Course I Am!!"

Is how Bryson responds to any statement that he is a great big brother. I have been so proud of my first born in these 4 weeks that Mabry has been home. He is just so gentle and sweet and caring and kind and loving. . .it is almost sappy over here! He treats Mabry like a celebrity. Always wanting to know where she is and when he finds her he is kissing her, patting her, and telling her, "You are doing a great job not cryin' Mabry!" What a little encourager. When she does cry, I can expect to hear, "What's Mabry cryin' 'bout, Mommy?" at least a dozen times until she stops. It is fun being the mommy of 2. . .(so far. . .I realize things will get harder and you will be sure to hear about it here!) As of right now, I am loving that Mabry sleeps at least 21 hours a day. FABULOUS, I say!

"What Mommy?"

That has been THE question the past 2 weeks that has near made me crazy(er). Followed by "say it louder," and "I can't hear you." Bryson says this after just about everything Adam or I say. It has been slightly maddening. I have been wondering: Could it be a ball of wax in the ears (I have been heating oil and dripping in his ears in hopes of a HUGE something to fall out . . .NADA) What about fluid? (I called the dr. and he said there was nothing they could really do if it was fluid except to monitor it. . .he suggested waiting a week or two to see if anything changes. NOTHING has changed.) Bryson continues to ask "WHAT" after everything and he has also been rubbing his nose quite a bit. I figured they must be related. I finally gave in and set up an appointment. We went today and sure enough, it is FLUID. . .both ears filled to the brim with deafening fluid. This provided a MAJOR insight to all, well, some of the misbehavior that has been going down at our house (It has been bad here lately folks, I am not going to lie, bringing mommy to tears more than once, bad.) He simply cannot hear through all that junk in his ears. We will be putting him on Zurtec (sp) along with some Singulair to clear him up. With this, I hope to put an end all the ignoring that has been going on. I thought Bryson was just ignoring me when I called him. . .NOPE. . .he just couldn't hear. Poor, Bryson. . .Poor Mommy!

On a side note: Last night, I was prepping him for the upcoming drs. visit. Telling him what to expect so he doesn't freak out. . .the scale freaked him out last time setting him on a scream fest the rest of the visit. NOT FUN. As I was telling him about the scale, and the lady who would look in his ears, eyes, nose, and throat. . .Bryson says to me. "I do NOT like it when the put a hole in my leg." Would you believe he remembered getting shots there so long ago, and then referred to it as putting holes in his leg? I had to laugh at that and then assured him. . .no holes tomorrow, I promise.

You Might Call it LOVE

You know when you are getting towards the end of pregnancy when you can't reach your own toes. Well, if this isn't the picture of LOVE, I don't know what is. Here are my 2 boys taking off my polish that has been on my toes since DECEMBER. My toes were in sad shape. Bryson thought it was really neat to help daddy help mommy. Thanks boys!

Please Advise

As you know, we are moving in 9 days (NINE DAYS, and I will be out of this CAVE FOREVER! ahem, I just had to get that out. . .I feel better!) We have been potty training for a little over 2 weeks (It is going very well, certainly more success than failure at this point.), and I need your advice.

Bryson is 2 years 7 months old and is still in his crib. . .he LOVES his crib. He has never attempted to scale the sides or get out in anyway (now that I think about it. . .he tries to climb INTO it more than he wants to climb out.) He doesn't want to get out of it most mornings and many nap times he will wake up after 3.5 hours and not want to get out. He is 2 going on teenager. What can I say, the boy loves him some sleep! (Not one complaint from here!)

However, we will be moving and I do NOT want to set up his crib again in the new house in his room. He will be giving it to baby girl soon enough. (I won't set it up in her room until he is sleeping soundly in his new big boy bed. . .I do know better than that.)

So here is where I need help. . .Do I

A) let Bryson "help" daddy take down the crib THIS weekend. Get him all excited about a new Big Boy Bed (which will simply be a mattress on the floor with some really cool airplane sheets) and allow him to get used to this BIG change in a familiar place for a week. . .

OR. . .

B) talk up the Big Boy Bed and new room all week and hope for the best the night we move in. . .still allowing him to "help" daddy take down the crib the day we move making EVERYTHING new. Big Boy Bed AND New Room. . .

HELP!

Oh Happy Day

If today wasn't one for the books. . . Bryson and I started the day at the park. Typically, that would have been just fun enough. But today. . .the Garbage Men were late! They usually come long before I even open an eye lid. Bryson and I took front row seats in the lawn with a nice cool water bottle for the show. Oh what fun. Bryson waved and blew kisses to the men, who totally played along. They waved back and even honked the horn for him. AND if that wasn't enough. . .there was a cement mixer truck just at the end of our street (!!!) Oh my. . .we couldn't have ordered it up any better. Without any hesitation, Bryson pulled me to the ground and sat in my lap to enjoy the "show." 3 men in hats and boots, 2 men with wheelbarrows, one man working the switch. Straight out of the story books!