Things have finally gotten back to a normal flow this week. It seems like it really shouldn't take 3 weeks to return to normal after just a week of holiday, but that is what happens every time. School work is getting done in a timely manner, and the house is starting to clean up. Anyway, we started a new chore chart this week and it is working wonderfully. It is a list of things that I usually ask Rusty and Zeke to help with. The way the chart works is that none of the chores are actually asigned to either boy, so anyone can do a chore and get credit for it. The thing with this chart is that I designed it to try and encourage the boys to see something that needs to be done and do it without being asked. So, if any of the things on the list go undone long enough that I have to ask for it to be done then -- they still have to do it but get no credit on the chore chart. So far it has been absolutely amazing. The most amazing part of it is that I have not even associated a reward for any of it yet but they are still plowing ahead trying to rack up stamps for completed chores. I guess eventually I will need to figure out what system of reward I plan to use.
The puppies are now a week old and everyone is doing fine. We have gotten past the critical first 3 days and mommy is having no problem feeding everyone. Even "Red" seems to be finally getting the hang of it after a slow start. Sandi is getting a little less anxious about the boys visits to pet the puppies, however we still try to limit most visits to when she is out using the bathroom and getting a little exercise outside. Today I gave Sandi a nice warm bath and cleaned her up. She looks much better. She was looking a bit worn out and dirty but now she looks fresh and fluffy. All of the puppies are starting to get little personalities. We are anxiously waiting for them to open their eyes. Sometime in the next week they should open their eyes. I've included one week pictures of the puppies and one of mommy and the family. Sandi is a little wet still from her bath. The puppies in order are "Red", "Star", "Dot", "Midget", "Chubby". You can tell by the pictures that Star is still the smallest and Chubby is most definitely still the largest.
1 comment:
Hey, that's funny--I was just thinking that last week was the first week really back to a good routine for us also! We kept having doctor appointments, commissary trips, etc. to throw us off, but we've finally moved past all of those things.
I love your chore chart idea, esp. how it tries to get the boys to notice things that need to be done on their own. That is totally my goal too, so I will have to think about how to implement this. What sorts of chores are on your list?
Post a Comment