Rewards Chart/Allowance

For a while now we have been trying to keep the boys on track helping using a simple rewards chart. We all slacked off on it so it has been a bit of a bust. Recently Logan (7 - almost 8 :-P) has been asking for a Nintendo DS, boys will be boys, right? We told him it was expensive ($100) and we weren't going to buy it for him but if he saved up his money he could buy it for himself. That got him really excited! We agreed that if he earned $100 to buy it then we would pay the tax so he didn't have to worry about that. This meant that we had to help him to make sure he had ways to earn the monee, not very many places are open to hiring a 7 year old to work! So this began getting back on track. For the past few weeks daddy has been home and really making sure things get done and the boys have been earning their allowances. We weren't really keeping up with the chart though, so today I revamped it a bit and hung it downstairs where it is easily seen by us all. Hopefully this will get everyone on track to pay attention to who is doing their chores and earning their allowance every week.

 They have basic chores for now, making their beds, cleaning up the toy room and all of their toys, folding and putting away their laundry and Logan and CJ (4) do an additional chore, usually unloading the dishwasher. They earn 25cents for every day and if they do all of their chores every day of the week they get a bonus (an extra 25cents) so they can get a total of $2 a week. Jameson (19months) doesn't really keep up with it but he does help out so he does get some change to toss into his piggy bank too :)

SLACKER!

Well, I haven't been slacking really, just slacking on my blogging. I have a good reason though! Life has just kicked me on the butt and knocked me over. I am working part time and I have HOURS of observation logs to catch up on since I, stupidly, missed that part of the instructions for my school work. Between work and trying to catch up with school I already feel overwhelmed and add on the looming TWO certification exams I have to take & student teaching, which is starting  in just 2 1/2 I feel like running off to Hawaii and pretending the world doesn't exist for a few days (if only I could!).  I think it is about time to take an Internet fast (or Facebook at least) and kick it into high gear! I need to get this house in order and get some work and studying done like, yesterday. I am so thankful that not only is my husband supportive of me and helping me through, but he is also pushing me through and making sure I know that I can do it. He is really going to have to step up to the plate when is start student teaching. I will be gone most of the day and then he has to go to work when I get home, it's going to be 12 weeks of tag teaming. We aren't going to see much of eachother until November but in the end it will all be worth it! Now to keep my head up and get my butt in gear.

Planting a pineapple

I recently discovered that you can twist off the top of a pineapple, any old pineapple you pick up at the grocery store, and that is where the roots are. So the I thought, hey, maybe you could plant and grow pineapples! Now, I haven't quite gotten that far but for now at least I've got some pretty plants! Here is what you do: 1. Go to your local grocery store and buy a pineapple 2. Twist off the top (it is actually pretty easy) 3. Cut up and enjoy your pineapple :) 4. Take the top and pull off the bottom few rows of leaves 5. You should the see some stringy roots! 6. Place in a cup filled with water with the roots submerged for about a week (you will notice the roots starting to grow!) 7. Plant in a good sized pot with soil and water frequently 8. Watch it grow! The leaves will grow up from the middle and it is ok for the lower leaves to get brown as long as the middle is green and growing you have been successful! Now mind you, I do NOT have much of a green thumb, heck, I can and do kill just about anything that is green! However, this was easy peasy! But also remember I am NO expert and this is only from a one time trial run that I started about a month ago. :)

Homemade Banana "Ice Cream"!

So this isn't really baking or cooking so I wasn't sure where to post so here it goes right here!

A friend of mine had posted on facebook a video to make homemade banana ice cream with just ONE ingredient! Turns out that there is actually TWO ingredients, but it is pretty amazing none the less!

So for myself and my boys today I took 4 super ripe bananas (the riper the better for sweetness) and sliced them up and froze them overnight. Then I slowly added the slices to my food processor and chopped them up until they started to get creamy (you will likely have to stop and scoop around the edges a couple of times). Then I added 2 tablespoons of vanilla and processed it until it was all smooth. So after about 10 minutes I had some delicious "ice cream" that we topped with a little chocolate syrup and some whipped cream!

This is going to be a staple in this house this summer FOR SURE!

The NEW Quest

Well as much as I love being a stay at home mommy, it has been the best four and a half year years of my life, this era is coming to an end. I suppose it doesn't have to just yet but we really could use some extra money and I was offered a part time job at a daycare with perfect hours to suit our needs. So now I begin the quest of being a better mommy that works. Now, this won't be the first time I have been a working mom, when I was a single mom I had to work so this isn't totally new territory, but now I have FOUR kids instead of just one I will be loosing time with (not to mention I am rarely going to see my husband!) but it is inevitable that I will be working and away from them as I have to start student teaching in the fall anyways and then get a full time job next year in the fall too. At least next year in the fall I will have two kids in school so I wouldn't be seeing them much anyways I suppose. I am excited and nervous as I begin this adventure and new chapter in my life. I am not sure just yet how I am going to juggle working, house keeping, spending quality time with my boys over summer break, and staying sane... I guess I will have to figure it out day by day. But then again, isn't that how I get through everything anyway? Well, wish me luck! I start my new job on Wednesday and entrust my boys and my house to my husband, praying the house is in one piece and not a total disaster most days when I get home ;)

Ever growing green onion

We love green onions around here. They are so good on so many things! A friend of mine had mentioned to me once that if you take the bottom of a green onion after you use it and put it in water that it will grow back. Of course I was skeptical, as was my husband when I told him as well. So of course we had to start our science experiment. To our excitement after a couple days we had more green onion! In the past few months I have only bout new green onions I think one time and it was because the water got kind of slimy and I had to throw out what I had. So a note to myself and others doing this... Keep the bottom of the onion and the water clean and you'll almost never have to buy green onions again! Plus they look super pretty sitting up in my kitchen :)

Daily Goals

If you have *liked* me on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/myquesttobeabettermommy) you have probably seen a few days (and pictures) where I have set a daily goal for myself. Granted, I haven't done this EVERY day but I have found it to be a great tool on days when I need a little motivation and I know I'll have time to get things done. It's really easy and it holds me accountable for getting a task done because I have put it out there for everyone to see! First it was my closet... oy vey! That thing had just been amassing clothes and trash and whatever else I felt the desire to toss on there since we moved in 6 months ago! It was long over due for a good overhauling! Check out my FB page for the pictures and feel free to use my page as a place to hold yourself accountable to a daily goal too! You can even do more than just one goal and post each goal as you go through and show the world how truly awesome you are!