Training Daughters

I admit (OPENLY) that I do not have a clue how to raise a daughter. Growing up a daughter, with a sister, you would think I would have picked up a few things from my mom, but I guess I did not pay attention. Raising boys.....now THAT is something I can do. I read an amazing article the other day. I even shared it with Charlotte.....if you click here, you can read it too. I was majorly convicted during the first part of the article, but the last parts, actually made me think I might just be able to do this after all!

I thought back to when I was 12 and 13.....I had household duties which included, cleaning up the kitchen, vacuuming and dusting, keeping my room clean, and even doing the families laundry (wonder if that is why I detest laundry?). Charlotte has been given some duties over the last year. She has been in charge of her room for quite a while....she has to do her own laundry....she is asked to put Zach's laundry away....she is to wipe down the kid's bathroom daily and give it a good cleaning once a week, she empties the dishwasher, and she is to clean up the kitchen after dinner 4-5 nights a week. Does that sound like a lot? It really isn't. Her laundry is done once a week, as is Zach's. The kitchen is not a total mess....I clean as I cook (for the most part) so it is a matter of loading the dishwasher and wiping the counters and stove top. The kids bathroom takes about 4 minutes to wipe down and about 20 minutes to deep clean. All these jobs contained training. I worked with her and set standards of work. She met them in every task....until recently. Recently she half way makes her bed....there are dirty clothes on her floor AFTER she says her room is clean....the kids bathroom stinks......Zach's clothes have been a wrinkled mess, as are hers.......the counters and stove top never get wiped down after dinner and the sink is disgusting (you all know how I feel about a clean sink!) and I can not count how many times lately I have pulled a dirty spoon, fork, or knife out of the drawer. So.....what do I do? Do I criticize her? Do I make her go back and re-do the job? Do I follow her around making sure she does it all correctly? I really do not have the time, nor energy for any of that. Here is what I did....I pulled all of her jobs, except one....her bedroom. I explained to her there is a "ladder" to chores. You are trained in an area and when that area is mastered you move on. She seemed relieved that she no longer had chores. bwahahahah!!!!! Little did she know the ramifications to that!

As the days went by, my kitchen sparkled again.........laundry is folded nicely an put away.....the kids bathroom smells like a flower garden....and I can get a spoon out without picking a dried noodle off of it!

I did my (her) chores happily, singing and smiling through it all. It was not long before Charlotte began asking, "Mom, can I empty the dishwasher for you?", "Mom, do you want me to clean the kitchen? You can just relax tonight.", "Mom, I can load these dishes up for you." I would smile and say "No, thank you Charlotte. I noticed you are still learning how to clean your room. Just focus on that one job." She would reply, "My room is clean." I could easily come back with, "Sorry, Charlotte, but I saw pieces of paper all over your floor, and your laundry was "near" the hamper, but not "in" the hamper, and your bed looks like your still in it. You need to practice that job before you can move back up the ladder." Her face would drop and I would continue on with my own chores. Speaking of chores....I LOVE THIS STUFF!!!! It cleans great and smells wonderful! I feel like the Biggest Loser show....throwing a commercial into the middle of the post without you knowing! OK, back to Charlotte. The kicker came when she asked to make dinner....something she LOVES to do. "Sorry, honey, but that is way up the ladder.....you were there once and with some effort, you can make it again." All of a sudden her room was clean daily.....she has been allowed to move up a rung to unloading the dishwasher again. I explained that a dirty item would result in her stepping back a rung. So far, so good. Training daughters....it is no fun and I am not good at it!

Boys....let's talk boys for a minute. Zach is a master builder of Legos.He is also working hard to keep his room clean and his bed made. Since we moved all his toys downstairs, it has made it easier for him. We have also been working on "staying in bed at night" and let me say, he has done great! This kid was climbing out of his crib at 18 months and has been getting out of bed at night ever since. We put his bedtime back to 8 pm and told him when he could stay in bed 7 days in a row, he could have his "age appropriate" bedtime back. It worked....easy. Boys are a breeze!

Training kitten's is not hard either...."Go lay down, Sassy."Sassy is doing well....she always uses her litter box. She has not gotten on the counters, and she is willing to play whenever you want. She has a sinus infection and got a shot of antibiotics yesterday. She is eating well and is very playful, but her nose is stuffy and she sneezes alot. Dr. Frost thinks the shot will do the trick!I have spent most afternoons watching the Olympics and quilting.I am ready to turn the corner to the 3rd side of the quilt....my original goal was to be done with the body and starting the borders by Feb. 1st. Well that did not work out. Still, I will continue to work hard and cross this quilt off my list soon!

Of course, my chores will get done first!!! Gotta be that example! If you have a daughter, then you must read Mrs. Fuentes' article....again, you can find it by clicking here.Have a blessed day!!

Groundhogs Day

It is official.....SIX more weeks of winter. What a treat *said with a hint of sarcasm*. As I type this, it is snowing outside. There is probably an inch or so of fresh snow on the ground this morning and I am not sure how much more we will be getting. Good thing I saw Punksitony Phil on the news this morning or I would not have known what day it is.I still do not have a 2010 calendar and have had to use the little January square at the bottom of my December 2009 page. Now that is gone and I have taped a piece of paper to write dates on. I forget to pick one up every time. I need to grab one today while I am out.

Yesterday Charlotte had her first "at home" sewing lesson. She had went last Tuesday, and will go again today, to Hancock Fabrics for some formal machine lessons. She did quite well on my old White.No thread or bobbin in, but she followed lines on pieces of paper.Ewww. Her nails look dirty, but really they are painted that way. She and Anya did manicures yesterday! Pink and black. To be 12 again! The ovals were a challenge, and by the end she had greatly improved, but look at these sewing lines on the squares....she really did GREAT!This morning, before she goes to Hancocks, she will do this sheet.....I think I would have a hard time with this one.Our goal is that she will be wearing the new skirt she made to church on Sunday! A very easy 2 piece pattern with an elastic waist band.

Zach had a rough day yesterday. He had to make up some math pages he had "skipped" and he was not happy about it.He did get it all done and out of 104 problems, he only got 2 wrong. What a guy!!

His room got a complete cleaning yesterday too. I cleaned out drawers and closet, bagging up clothes that no longer fit and some that had seen better days. Zach will always pull the most ragged article of clothing rather than a nicer choice....now he does not have the raggedy choice!
We removed the headboard Sweetheart had made. It was just a junk collector. When he is older and has more control over his "collections" he can get it back. For now it is about keeping things as simple as possible for him....he HATES to clean his room. On the quilting front, I have nothing to show....how many pics of the pink and brown can you take??? They all look the same at this point, but be aware that I AM working on it and plan to have it completed in the near future!
How could I leave you without a Sassy picture??? I think she is going to be long haired! Heaven help me!

Help, I'm Trapped In Here!!!!

It's been a while since I posted. I always realize that when my mom asks me if I posted on the blog. Since finishing up the big project, I have had some trouble getting back into my routines. Instead of picking up my needle, I picked up a novel.

GREAT book and I have the next two ready to begin. I did, however, get my quilting groove back in the last couple of days. (I think the book helped in that department!) I have been hand quilting the Pink and Brown and turned a corner on the edge.....The Hidden Star piecing has picked up again. I decided to change the size and layout, so I needed to cut 2 more blocks to add to the 40 I already had planned. Now it will lay 6x7 blocks instead of the 5x8 I had planned for the super single water bed my son had back when I cut this quilt!Very soon, I will be helping a friend cut out her first quilt....a Jacob's Ladder. One of my favorite blocks, as you can do so much with the layout and create a totally different look with one single block.

Zach has done some creating too. He put this 3-D dinosaur puzzle together with NO help at all!!!He has carried it with him everywhere he goes since putting it together! Thank you, Miss Cindy!!!!
I have also been working on my fitness routines. Ugly Betty the treadmill and I have been together alot the past week. I have dropped 4 pounds in 5 days, so it was worth it. Have you ever seen the movie, The Nutty Professor with Eddie Murphy?There is a scene where he falls asleep and dreams he gets fatter and fatter until he is like this HUGE creature and everyone runs in fear of him.It is a terrifying dream for him. I had one similar last night. I was not as tall as a skyscraper, but I kept getting fatter and fatter and I was yelling for someone to help me and that I was trapped inside all that fat! That is about how I feel! I am lost in here....I need to get out, but no one else is going to rescue me....I have to do the hard work. I plan to up my treadmill time to 2-3 times a day instead of once....I only can do 30 minutes right now before my legs scream at me to stop! That is so sad!

Well, I don't want to end this post on a fat note, but I have nothing else to share....I am going to spend the afternoon piecing the Hidden Star blocks and the evening quilting. Lest you think I have let my chores go, I have already spent my morning doing 4 loads of laundry and blessing my house with a mop and a dust rag! Now it is time for fun!!

Honey Crisp and Flannel Sheets!

It is officially Autumn and boy can you feel it in that crisp, cool, air! We have Honey Crisp apples from Lane's Country Market in the bowl, and flannel sheets on the bed! Yep, it is fall.I even have beautiful new fall themed towels and pot holders, thanks to Joann!!!! Aren't they pretty! I was saving them for Thanksgiving, but yesterday, I just could not help myself and I put them out!
Another wonderful thing to do in the fall, is to curl up with a quilt! Mine happened to be in a hoop with a needle and thread attached to it, but that is the BEST kind!!!I am soooooo close to the end and I really pushed myself this past weekend to get it done. Sadly, I did not make it. I have 1 more basket and 2 more setting triangles and then the 4 corners. Two days work if I can get my fingers to cooperate. Yesterday morning this is what they looked like....
Both my index finger and middle finger have a nice callous (perfect for hand quilting), but my index finger was pretty sore. I decided to rest it for the day and only used my middle finger. Here is what it all looked like at bedtime....
I pretty much dug a hole in my middle finger. Today I will start a callous on my ring finger. I only use my ring finger to quilt(this is the hand under the quilt) when my index and middle finger are too sore. Usually only near Christmas when I am meeting a deadline. Just one day will have my fingers healed nicely, but I can not waste a full day at this stage. No need to share any tricks on preventing this....I have heard them all and I am one of those quilters that NEEDS to feel that needle with her skin. It gives me control over the stitch and is very worth it all.

I also finished another little top on my Christmas gift list. Now I have 4 ready for the hoop. I am going through thread like crazy and was thrilled to find my favorite hand quilting thread at the new Acorn Quilts. The owner kept her word and had my thread and needles in stock. I bought a cone of YLI holding 1200 yds for only $8. That should last me a while!!

I am starting a new diet today. I know...I hate that word too, but what else can you call it? A life style change? That would mean changing my life style....no, it is a diet.I won't bore you with it all, but I want to lose some weight before surgery. I have decided to have it in early January. My mother in love is having a, much needed, hip replacement on Oct. 20 (prayers are appreciated) and Rachel may be having a procedure done soon also. Being available to help them is important. I am more than comfortable and since I host Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, and Christmas Day, I believe after the holidays seems more logical. Then I can get babied for as long as I can drag it out!!!!

The girls have crochet class this morning from 10-12 and Zach and I will work on catching him up from last weeks sick days. We so appreciate your prayers and good thoughts for Zachary. He has made a full recovery, though he gave that virus to his Daddy. I am praying it stops there and does not continue on.

Well, I am off to the showers and then it is time to wake the kids. Have a wonderful Monday...a new week is always a fresh feeling!

Blessings~

My Last 24 Hours

My little Zachary has been very sick. Yesterday, as I mentioned, he was coughing and just plain miserable. I headed to the drug store to stock up....Mucinex for kids (the wonder drug for coughs), Vick's vapor rub, Motrin, cough drops, chicken noodle soup, orange juice, and I grabbed some "On Sale" chocolate on the way out!!

I came home to find Zach doing much worse. He seemed to be struggling to breath. Like it was a fight, almost, plus he had a fever. Sweetheart felt he just had a cold and his nose was stuffy. Give him the medicine and he will be fine. So I did....plus I grabbed the Symphony bar I bought. The stress was building. After the candy was gone, I made my decision. I called the doctor, who was booked, of course, but told me to go to immediate care with Zach. Off we went....my neighbor, Cindy, in tow. Thank goodness, cause what happened next was awful. Zach had a low (92) pulsox (oxygen level) and the doctor agreed he was struggling to breath. I knew I was not over-reacting (though I have been known to do that). He needed a breathing treatment. They got it going and when it was almost done, Zach began to feel "shaky". I assured him it was the medicine, but he went from calm and almost sedate, to frantic. He was pulling at the mask and yelling "GET THIS OFF OF ME". Cindy helped me hold him while I opened the door and called the nurse. I told her I thought he was having a bad reaction to the medication. As soon as she came in the room and I got those words out, my little Zachary passed out!! That was the scariest moment! Oh the fear I felt....was he reacting to the meds?....was his little heart in trouble?....would he come out of this???? All those questions and more went through my mind in those few seconds, that seemed like hours. Several doctors and nurses came rushing in and Zach came around pretty quickly. He evidently panicked and hyperventilated, causing him to faint. His pulsox came up to 97 by the time we left.... a nasal swab to check for flu, and 2 chest x-rays later. It was either the flu (Swine Fluid, as Zach calls it), or bronchitis with possible pneumonia. Antibiotics, and an inhaler were picked up and we went home. I immediately grabbed my Hershey with Almonds!!!
Zach needed to use the inhaler every 4 hours, as he continued to have trouble. I put his mattress in my room and "watched" him sleep most of the night. He slept good. His breathing seemed stable and his wheezing was gone. He did not cough more than once or twice and not enough to even wake him up. I fell asleep about 4 am. At 5:30 he woke up coughing a very wet cough. This is good....his cough had been very dry and non-productive. He was also having trouble breathing again. Cough meds and a puff of inhaler, and he was fine within seconds.....except for the HORRIBLE bruising around the corner of his mouth!!!! What the heck was that???? I looked at it and could not figure it out. He said it did not hurt and had no idea what he had done. I stripped him down and check the rest of his body....no bruises or petechiae, which can happen with a virus, and would need immediate attention. I had rubbed it a bit and it seemed to lighten up....was it circulation?....lack of oxygen, which turns the area around the mouth dark??? I was baffled, but knew it was not good. After a while it seemed to go away. Zach laid back down and fell back asleep. I called my mother (the head of the HEC medical group, as Sweetheart calls us....H. E. C. are the initials of my mother, sister and my own last names....get it?) and my mom felt I needed to call the doctor as soon as they came in. I agreed. She told me to go check him again....I did. He was laying on that side of his face so I rolled him over and it was BACK! Now I knew we were in trouble. He seemed to be breathing so well....I had him propped up on several pillows....and how could he be having such a lack of oxygen to turn dark purple around his mouth?? Maybe I needed to just take him to the ER, or call an ambulance even. As I was discussing it with my mom, I looked down at Zach laying on his pillow and it hit me!!!!!That is the pillow he was laying on. His favorite one! He had that side of his mouth on a dark triangle and had been drooling!!!! Yes, the fabric had bled onto his skin making it look like a dark bruised area around the corner of his mouth!!! I was WAY too relieved to feel stupid! Whew!! Thank You Jesus, and by the way, WHAT was I suppose to learn from all that?????

I went downstairs and grabbed my coffee and a Butterfinger bar!!!

Today is better. Immediate Care called and Zach does NOT have the flu. He is still coughing, but it is wet. He is using the inhaler more like every 6 hours now. He has, however, had a rough morning. He did not get his ADHD meds (they have side effects similar to the inhaler and I did not want to double up), and the inhaler makes him even MORE hyper. He has been a handful to say the least. I am still waiting for him to crash. Not looking like it, though I feel ready to myself. I made him his favorite lunch, grilled cheese, and I grabbed an Almond Joy!

What does the rest of the day hold??? I have no idea, but I DO have a Reeses Peanut Butter Cup in the cupboard, just in case!!

Be Blessed!!!

Bren

A Quickie & A Sickie

I have a few minutes for a quick post. The days here are flying by. I am working on the Basket Case, quilting all the setting triangles as I go. I have 4 more baskets and 3 more setting triangles to do, and after the four corner sections the quilting will be done!! In the meantime I am preparing other Christmas gifts for the hoop. I can show you this one, because it is a dud!Yeah.....I know. You would think after quilting for 16+ years, I would have a clue!!!! Nope, not so much. I did complete 3 others that turned out beautiful. Here is a "peek" at one of them. These pieces are SOOOOO tiny.I said it would be a "peek"!!

I am back to making meals....I did not cook much those 2 weeks I was on restriction.Sweetheart was so wonderful during that time, along with my mother, and church family, who all made sure we were taken care of. It feels good to be able to "do" my life again. Thank you for all your warm regards concerning my upcoming surgery. I have a temporary fix for now and look forward to just getting it all over with. I need to decide if I want to wait til after the holidays, which I am leaning towards.

For now, there is only room for one sickie in the house.....Mr. Zach-Attack is just miserable! Cough, cough, cough.....and he is so dramatic about it!!! I heard him say, (to no one, as he was alone in the room), "When is this going to end?!"

A pair of jammies, hot from the dryer, a warm quilt, a dose of cough medicine, a bottle of OJ, a box of kleenex and the movie Chicken Little, and he is set for the morning!!!

I am off to homeschool the girls.

Blessings!!!!!