Chatting and (Baby) Stepping, (Baby) Stepping and Chatting.

[Scout19075]

A place to have a chat, drink and relax from Stepping (or not). All chatters are welcome, Stepping or otherwise.

Come on in and enjoy the company!

Morning everyone.

I am not sure what we are up to today. Dh is golfing in another competition this morning. Dd is waiting to see if we can go up to see her pony. Ds is playing lego and dd and I are watching the men's gymnastics just now while I bead

What is everyone else doing today?

Toddler's Medal Count Tracker is made & up.

As of end of sports day Saturday, 28 July 2012:

Team GB: 0 medals
Team USA: 5 medals (1 gold, 2 silver, 2 bronze)

Team GB need to get a wiggle on.

Toddler was enthralled by the swimming yesterday. And at the start of the cycling road race kept saying "Torch! Watch torch!" I think he remembers the motorcycles and cyclists that accompanied the torch through town.

Don't know what we're up to today -- rumor has it it might rain today.

Toddler has fallen asleep on my lap watching the swimming and rowing. I can't feel my arm and elbow.

Are you still there Scout? We are enjoying the sports on tv too. We watched Zara Phillips and were stunned. I would soooo love to be able to do that. We watched some men's gymnastics taped from yesterday and were amazed there too. The swimming seems to be the favourite just now though. Hannah Miley is from very, very close to where we live. I thought dh was going to do himself a mischief cheering her on last night. We have watched some sort of rowing too. One of our friends rows in a team so ds was convinced he would be there (we have been to watch him before) and kept asking which boat he was in.

bessie you are right. We are going to be watching a lot more tv than normal

2.5 nap and while awake TS doesn't want to move.

I hope he is ok and isn't brewing something horrid.

I think he's just tired -- he fights naps and isn't sleeping right. I fell asleep, too.

He's loving the sports on TV. Way too much television for a toddler but the Summer Olympics come but every four years.

I should add he goes and plays, too, but will stop to watch. We spent most of yesterday out at the playground or the shops so he's not glued 24/7.

DD1 told me today that she going to race the lady in the red hat (Hannah Miley I think) and the lady on the bike, and she is going to win

We did some impressive legoing, baked muffins, fimoed, beaded and watched a lot of Olympic sport

I love your dd's ambition bessie. You never know - it might be her in 2024!

what's fimoed?

I love the fact that she believes she can go faster on her little blue bike - and if she belives it, I believe it!

Just curious -- do you (anyone/everyone) expect your children to help out/do jobs with or without reward?

Would it be a step too far/much if I did a daily "jobs chart" for Toddler but that also included personal hygiene things like "brush teeth" and then let him tick the circles or squares next to each thing? I thought of maybe putting a little picture list of hygiene on the mirror to help him remember what he's supposed to do rather than me always saying "don't forget your...." (I encourage him to look in the mirror when brushing teeth/washing face so he can see what he's doing/make faces.)

No rewards here! DD1 (3.9) brushes her teeth (I "finish them off") and washes her face day & night. She also puts her & DD2's dirty laundry in the basket after bath time, and helps me out with random cleaning around the house.

I thought about doing a chart thing as a part of the bedtime routine, but want to avoid going down the reward route as much as possible! (been there, done that, bought a million small toys & stickers when toilet training)

I do give out "special" star stickers when she does something good without me asking - like putting everyone's shoes away in the cupboard, or telling me that DD2 is "trying to eat the fire"

I wasn't thinking the hygiene/bedtime routine would be a reward chart, just a pictorial reminder of what to do.

Do you think it's possible to do a pictorial reminder of jobs without it being a reward chart?

If you never mention a reward, then he won't think of it!

I used reward charts (very successfully) to persuede DD1 to move from the potty to the loo, but think now that if I did a chart about anything else she would expect a "present"

Toddler stayed in his bed until 5:30 then proceeded to sleep lightly in my bed for another hour. Hurrah!

here in zoo county the zoolets are on sleep strike i think

they are staying awake til after 9 and are up between 5 and 5-30

they are very irritable and im losing the will to live!

ive struggled terribly with the heat and now its cooler i still feel exhausted

dp took them to see ice age yesterday and instead of having "me time" i slept

the place is a bombsite and they are fighting upstairs

suggestions anyone?

im off to cbt in a bit but will pop back in later

hope everyones having a good day

bessie fimo is the plasticine that you can bake hard in the oven.

I expect my dcs to do lots of jobs around the house without expecting rewards. That's just life and being part of the family team. I used to have a pictorial chart with a toothbrush, clothes, facecloth etc on it to remind them what to do.

If I am pushing things on to the next level then I do use sticker charts, or rewards but they don't continue indefinitely. After a while they get into the habit of doing it and forget the reward. If you use them too much, for everything, then they expect a reward for everything.

zoo can you get them outside to run it off or is it too wet?

Could you assign them all jobs to get the house cleaned up eg write all the jobs on paper slips and the person who does the most slips gets to choose the dvd or something like that?

Can you just run away and leave them to it?

We have been up at the stables all morning. I find it tiring but I absolutely love it. The more we are there the more I feel relaxed there and enjoy it.

Toddler's asleep on me again.

Great excuse for a quiet seat Scout.

Our friend from up the street is here again. I find myself glued to the seat by the door so I can eavesdrop in fear of more inappropriate eductation of my dcs. They are having a great laugh and, touch wood, it has all been innocent so far.

FX

He woke up in time for diving. He kept counting the divers off -- "One, two, three JUMP!" By the time he said "jump" the divers were practically out of the pool. But he loved it. All I have to do is say "watching swimming" and he's on my lap and enthralled.

I've done very little today. I had high hopes.

I have shined my sink.

This is monumental.

It has been weeks days since I did it properly.

It took a while