Behavior chart.

We have always considered ourselves lucky because our children are very well behaved in public. At least as well as kids their age can be.
At home, however the behavior is less than exemplary. The boys spend pretty much 99% of the time fighting and getting them to clean up the playroom is more of a chore for us than for them, etc, etc...
So Eileen and I decided to start a behavior chart for Matthew that you can download for free by clicking here.
At the end of each day if he reached his goal(s) he gets to put a magnet in the corresponding box(es).
By the end of the week he needs at least 15 boxes filled to get a reward.
The reward does not have to be the same every week, it could be extra computer time, TV time, a baseball or football card, a play date...
we will see how long it takes for the novelty to wear off but so far he has made a real effort to improve his behavior. So now we are going to work on a simplified one for John.
To make it more fun I made the chart magnetic and here is how you can do it yourself.

Using ModPodge, glue the chart on a 12x12 sheet of galvanized steel that you can find at any home improvement store. Make sure not to use aluminum.
Let it dry and apply 2 to 3 coats of ModPodge over it.
For the magnets I used some stickers that I found in the boys sticker box, stuck them on a sheet of magnetic paper and I simply cut around them.
I stuck it to the side of the fridge and here it is.

Give Thanks Blocks

Time to get ready for Thanksgiving, and here is an easy project: "Give Thanks" blocks.Here is what you will need:

One piece of 3 by 3 lumber about 36 inch long.
Acrylic paint. (Fall colors; I used orange, green, red and golden brown.)
Gold acrylic paint or a gold paint pen.
Letter stencils.
Sand paper.

Cut your piece of lumber in 3inch pieces and sand the edges. You can skip this step by buying some blocks at your local craft store but how much fun would that be.
Paint the blocks in different colors and let them dry.
Using the gold paint pen, write the letters that spell "GIVE THANKS" on the blocks.
If like me you are not good enough free handed, use the stencil and golden paint.
Let everything dry and display the blocks on a shelf or mantel.
Ours look great on the piano.

Trick or Treat!!

This year's Halloween was great. The kids are really able to enjoy it now, even Grace, although she does not really know what is going on, but she loves following her big brothers.

What was so nice about this Halloween is that (almost) all the cousins were trick-or-treating together and they had a blast. They are all very close in age and they get along very well. I hope their friendship will last a long time.There is something about watching your little ones all dressed up in their costumes and walk up to a stranger's door to ask for candy. Then they run to you to show you what they got, and you can't wait to put them to bed and start binging on their KitKats and Milky Ways. And since the boys are great fans of Charlie Brown, they were relieved to see that no rocks were given as treats!The day was capped by a fantastic dinner at Grandma and Grandpa's house; could not have been better.
With Halloween come and gone, it is now time to get ready for the holiday season, starting with Thanksgiving.

Recycling some old boxes.

The other day, Matthew said he wanted to use an old shoe box to store some toys.
So I told him that we should make it look nicer.
I grabbed the comics page from the newspaper and glued it on the box with Mod Podge.
I applied four coats of Mod Podge leaving plenty of time to dry between each coat.
And we went from a boring old shoebox to a fun box that will look good in the play room.
When I was done with that project I had the idea to recycle a smaller box that I could use to hold a pipe cleaner flower arrangement. I wrapped it with an old sheet music using the same technique as for the shoebox.
Once it was done, I arranged a bunch of pipe cleaner roses in it and I left it on Eileen's night stand.
It's the little things...

I need some Zs!

According to Wikipedia, sleep deprivation is characterized by having too little sleep; it can be either chronic or acute. Long-term sleep deprivation has caused death in lab animals. Thank god I am not a lab animal. A chronic sleep-restricted state can cause fatigue, daytime sleepiness, clumsiness and weight loss or weight gain. I wish the weight loss thing worked though.

Google "sleep deprivation" and you will get about 4,610,000 results!? I do not have to read all this material to know why I only get about 4 hours of sleep a night (on a good night).
Here is why: my days are too long hence my nights are too short. I still get the usual stupid comment "but you don't work during the day! How can you be tired?" blah, blah, blah.
As a little reminder, taking care of three kids ages 18 months, 3 and 5 IS work. And when most people's day is over I leave my shift as stay at home dad to go work my shift as restaurant manager where I will also deal with tantrums!! You should refer to "the fabulous life".

All jokes aside, lack of sleep can affect you big time. I am usually extremely patient, however lately I will admit that I 've had a short fuse. Tiredness can cause some loss of memory too. Some nights I look for my car for a good ten minutes before remembering that I parked it in a different parking lot. I am pretty sure that I'm not the only one in this situation. And unfortunately there is nothing we can really do about it. We do have to make ends meet somehow and if it means being a little overtired then so be it. I thought for half a second about selling the house, downsizing (if it is at all possible) and move the family under the TZ bridge but it did not sound so good. At least I get to spend some good quality time with my kids and I get to see them grow. So yes, sometimes on my way to the mailbox I forget that I am going to get the mail and end up wandering aimlessly in the driveway but I don't care I have 3 good reassons to be tired.

Halloween memory game.

Here is an inexpensive and fun craft project. And since we live on a very tight budget we like inexpensive.

The list:

11/2 inch wooden discs

Halloween themed rub-on decals (or stickers)

Mod podge (or another sealant)

1 tin container

tissue paper

Start by wiping the discs with a lightly wet cloth to make sure they are free of dust.

Slowly rub the decals onto the discs. This step can be tedious so do not rush it.

Once this is done, you can apply the sealant. That will help preventing scratches.

Apply a few coats of sealant and and allow plenty of time to dry.

I found a container at the craft store that is just a little wider than the discs, so I decided to line it with some tissue paper. And there you have it.

The great thing about this project is that you can make it for any occasion and it makes a very nice hand made gift.
While I was waiting for the last coat of mod podge to dry I took a plastic golf ball from the kids toy box. I cut a small opening and glued it on top of a battery operated tea light. Using some small pieces of black stickers I glued on a face and made a tiny Golf-O-lantern!

Can-O-Lantern.

Here is a a good alternative to the traditional Jack-o-lantern.Start by collecting some empty cans. You can use empty paint cans or I opted for some half gallon sized tomato sauce and juice cans.With a marker, draw some spooky faces on the cans. Remember that the more details on your faces, the harder it will be to cut out so keep it simple.Using a pair of utility snips cut out the faces. Remember to wear gloves, you are working with sharp objects. Or make sure you have plenty of band aid in stock and that your tetanus shots are up to date. I go for the gloves.Once all your faces are cut it is time to move to the paint booth.
Use some (outdoor) orange paint and spray your cans. One coat should be enough.

Once all the cans are dry line the them up along your driveway or display them in your yard with some tea lights inside. I use battery operated tea lights. I do not want to be known as the idiot who burnt down his house with his Halloween decorations. Plus they have a timer so I do not have to turn them on and off everyday.