The 5:49 AM Wakeup Call

Midnight...

Mom is given a request.

Has the Mom lost her memory?

Daughter truly thinks so. 

When the dawn comes

The memory just might be there.

Thus, a cute sign... helps her out!

(Think Cats)

D#3: "Mom, will you wake me up at 5:49 AM? I have to finish my homework."

Right....she's 8 years old, going to bed at 10:30 PM and she's going to get up at 5:49 AM? I've been surprised before, but I'll be really surprised if this really happens. 

Mom: "Honey, that's pretty early. Are you sure?"

D#3: "Yes, Mom. I need to catch up on my work from being sick."

Mom: "OK, I'll try to remember."

I always use that disclaimer so if I don't wake them up, they will recall that I warned them of my inability to remember due to Mom-Overload.

As I was going to bed, I discovered the following:

In my Bathroom

On my Dresser

 She didn't want to rely on my memory! She was really serious about this!

This morning, I found these:

On my Desk

On the kitchen cupboard

At 6:00 AM, I made my way to her bedroom. I was a little late 'cause I was sleeping at 5:49. This is what I found...

I tried to wake up Sleeping Beauty...Nothing! She wouldn't budge. I decided to take a video to prove that I indeed did try to wake her up as requested.

An hour later I tried again. I told her I took a video of me waking her up. She watched it and we laughed when we heard the root-toot-toots in the video. She got up at 6:49AM. Only one hour later!

Thoughts:

• When your child is serious about something, try to accommodate. Even if she doesn't respond, at least she'll know you made the effort for her.
• The signs worked! She is brilliant!!
• There is something so peaceful about a sleeping child. It's just wrong to wake her!
• We really need to go to bed earlier!
• So happy that she cares enough about her school work to get up early and work on it.

Thanks for the memory-jogging tool, sweetie. Now, how do I remember all the other things I need to do today?

More to Come...but until then, Stick-to-it!

The Great Hunger-Determiner

Bananas: Not really my favorite food.

But they're a great hunger determiner!

Last night reminded me of one parenting frustration - hungry kids at bedtime. I made a HUGE meal last night: homemade refried bean burritos with chicken and all the fix-ins, with corn, watermelon, pineapple, and chips, salsa and guacamole. There was PLENTY of food, and finishing up at 6:45 PM, you would think that one would be satisfied for the night.

9:15 PM rolls around and what do you know? Little Miss Muffet is STARVING. What??? How can you be hungry after that dinner? I try to tell her we had dinner already and it's bedtime. Some times that appeases. Not this time! She continues whining and fussing. I really was not in the mood. She already brushed her teeth, and once you bring out the food for one, they all want to eat. Serious bedtime buster!

Being sensitive to hunger, especially at bedtime, I pulled out my "have a banana" trick.

It goes like this:

Child: "Mom, I'm STARVING."
Mom: "Well, if you really need to eat, you can have a banana."
Child: "No, I don't want a banana."
Mom: "Well, you must not be very hungry then."
Child: "I want a sandwich."
Mom: "You can have a banana or go get in bed."
Child: "I don't want a banana."
Mom: "OK - go get in bed then."
Child: "No, I want a banana."

Bananas are a great filler food, quick to eat, no mess, no preparation. If she's really hungry, a banana will do. If she's not that hungry and she's avoiding bedtime, stalling, or "kind of hungry", the banana will not sound too appealing and bedtime will be the choice. This tactic has worked for years to determine, "Are you really hungry or just giving me fits at bedtime?"

The only catch is you have to have bananas in the house. No bananas? I use applesauce or a piece of bread as a replacement. If you let her make her own choice, basically a free for all, you'll have the "Hungry at Bedtime" battle every night!

Back to last night - she quickly ate the banana and got in bed. I should have had her brush her teeth again, but I was already in bed and my kids know that rule. More on that another day!

Bananas...the great hunger-determiner. Hey, Chiquita, what about that for a slogan??

More to Come...but until then, Stick-to-it!

Learning from a "Mean Mama"

In our home, we get many requests by our teenagers to do things with their friends, especially on the weekend. We try to accommodate as much as possible; they do so much to help out at home. It is not uncommon for our teenagers to be babysitting or running errands or doing chores, etc. Just because they're busy teenagers doesn't mean that they get out of household responsibilities, for they're part of our home and family, too. But I digress...

Back to requests with friends. I've had many conversations with other mothers about a curfew. How do you handle the curfew issue? When is your child's curfew? What is your punishment for breaking curfew? Etc. Etc. We found an answer to our family's needs after talking with a friend of mine (She's one of those "mean Mama's") who is about five years ahead of us. They don't believe in a "curfew" as the world generally defines it. They don't tell their children, "Your curfew is 11PM every night - do whatever you want but you have to be home by 11." No, no. They define the curfew each time the child sets foot out the door. They hear about the event and ask, "When are you going to be home?" If their timing is reasonable, they go for it. If not, they discuss it and come to an agreement. 

I love this and we've implemented it in our home. Here are some examples:

It's prom night. My child wants to go to dinner, go to the dance and have ice cream at so and so's home until 1 AM. Sure...it's a very special occasion, there is structure and purpose. Great - see you at 1 AM, but, you better be home at 1:00!!

Speaking of Prom Night...

It's a Saturday night. Some friends want to go to a movie and out for a hamburger. They leave at 6:30 PM. Movie and a hamburger is a three to four hour event, depending on details. So, having a curfew that day of Midnight or 1 AM is ridiculous. Too much time for trouble and possible no good. Be home at 10:30? Perfect!


Last night, my oldest son helped out with the little people while Mom and all the older kids were gone. He had some plans with friends that he put off to help his Dad. At 9:00 he left and asked if he could be home at 11:30. Sure - thanks for all of your help and hard work! Have Fun!!!

Give us the details of your event and come up with a realistic time to be home. Approve it with Mom and Dad and be home on time. Have Fun! It's a great plan. We know where they are, they know when to be home, we feel comfortable with the time frame and the plans...they feel like they're making the decision about when is realistic to be home.

Definition of a "Mean Mama": I'll save that for another day. But if you're not home on time, I'm out looking for you...

More to Come...but until then, Stick-to-it!