Cinderella... um, Cinderfella

It's Wednesday .... so we get to share what is working for us:) You can also click over to We are That Family to see other Works For Me Wednesday ideas!

The topic of discipline has come up more and more in conversations lately. Maybe because I feel like I'm in another "season of training".

We have been using our Penny Jars to encourage good manners and "punish" when manners have been forgotten. While I was saddened that Anna had to have this conversation with her Sunday School teacher, it was a little funny. The teacher asked Anna how I had Christopher sit during school and Anna told her, "Mommy puts three pennies in front of us and if we listen and do a good job we can put them in our jars." LOL... she said it worked like a charm the next Sunday!!

But sometimes pennies aren't enough!! We needed to get creative in our corrections. So in an effort to find a way to serve the family when a stronger correction is needed we've decided to give the kids a washcloth and let them clean the kitchen floor! And unfortunately we've had one who sometimes stays a little busy in the kitchen....

Now introducing our Cinder-fella

Let me share how we do it:)
*Kid given the washcloth - wet of course (but no soap... don't want soap in eyes or anything)
*When they are quietly working (AKA the whining stops), we set a timer for 5 minutes
*After the timer goes off, we talk to them about why they've had this task and how they could have responded to make the situation better
*They return to whatever they were working or supposed to be working on

OK.. I'll admit it isn't perfect! But it gives us another simple option!!

Our Fun-loving Crew

Gotta love their silly faces:)

Joining the Gratitude Community

For almost as long as I have been blogging I have enjoyed Holy Experience and have been wanting to join in on the Gratitude Community. Thanking God for the big and small ways He blesses my family and I. This blogging community fits well into my desire to live out Ephesians 5:20 ...

And give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

So here goes ...

1. Our Heavenly Father who offers us His perfect love and complete Salvation!! And gently guides us to be more like Him when we seek to know Him more!!

2. My gracious and loving husband- who is very much my "perfect mate"

3. Anna - my sweet first born who keeps us straight and loves to learn

4. Christopher - my delightful, full of curiousity and energy boy who keeps me on my toes

5. Lydia - my snuggly yet independent little girl who thinks her smile can get her out of all sorts of trouble

6. Our godly extended family- we know we are soo blessed to have 2 sets of grandparents who love the Lord, eachother, and their grandchildren (and children), and aunts and uncles that also serve the Lord!

7. Our quiet little town

8. Our sweet church family- who have modeled service, generousity, faithfulness and graciousness to us and our family. We have learned soo much by being apart of our church family!

9. Our daily bread.... we are soo blessed that we have what we need

10. Our health.... in the midst of flu season, living with food allergies and a momma in her first trimester... I am soo thankful that we have stayed healthy these last few months!! And our prayers go out to our friends and family who are fighting sicknesses and /or recovering from major health situations!

11. And my new sweet blessing growing inside my womb.... I praise God for this awesome gift and I DO NOT take it lightly that we have given Baby by the Lord.

Oh.... I could go on... there are still many blessings that I have not listed:) But every Monday (or Sunday night) I will be taking the time to truely Count My Blessings.

Saturday Sentences - Teach your babies

Last night Lydia carried around Anna's baby all night:) As we were cleaning up for bed, she picks up a pocket Bible. She put the Bible and the baby on the bed and told me, "I goin' to read this and tell me baby about baby Jesus. 'dis Bible has Jesus in it."

Awe... my sweet angel trying to teach her baby:) I was soo touched!

Then Chris jumps into the conversation. "Oh, your baby will be too scared. That Bible had Goliath it in, too!"

LOL... my all-boy boy!! He loves the giant Goliath... and he's sensitive to scary things, at least enough to warn Lydia:)

Reminded me of these verses:

Deuteronomy 11:18-21 (New Living Translation)

“So commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these words of mine. Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders. Teach them to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up. Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates, so that as long as the sky remains above the earth, you and your children may flourish in the land the Lord swore to give your ancestors.

Dear Lord, help me follow Your (and Lydia's) example to teach the kids at all times of the day about You. They are listening and their little hearts are ready.

Simple Country Entertainment

When we moved to our small little town - with a population smaller than my graduating high school class- it was tough! It definitely took some time to get used to... the quiet neighborhood and the distance from stores.

Now that the kids are older and active, I am soo thankful for this area. Sure, we still have drive for a lot, but there is a lot we get to enjoy because of our small,friendly, farming community. Yesterday was one of those days where we enjoyed the simple, local "attractions"...

Country Air Show (aka - planes spraying cotton)












Tractor Riding (aka - lawnmower riding)
In the summer lawn mowers become the 2nd form of transportation around town. We had one brave church member yesterday... brave because he not only let Chris ride with him, but also let him drive it!!!

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

I love the fact that my kids enjoy simple things... they shout when they see a cat wandering by or a squirrel eating pecans on the swing set. And I know that over %50 of their time outside is spent riding bikes.... probably less for Christopher, since he spends a lot of time digging in dirt... today he is "working" in my garden...

cool!!! He just pulled out a gigantic weed... hopefully NOT the root system to my tomato plants:)

We are Hooked on Simple Past times in our quiet town:) Check out some fun Hooked On Fridays!