Certifiation- Chore Chart Revamp

I was looking for a little motivation getting the kids to help out around the homestead. I wanted something a little more lasting and fulfilling that a chore chart. This is where my idea was born. Certification. Besides it being fun to hear the three year old say, it's worked.

Sometimes I found myself asking the kids to do something they really had no idea how to. Hence, the certifying. I take time to explain and demonstrate how I expect a certain task to be performed. After proving their proficiency and willingness to perform the task, they are deemed 'certified' and earn a certificate. {To help them understand a little more about certification, I showed them my CPR certificate and talked about what I had to do to earn it. Additionally, I explained that since I'm certified I have promised to help others if or when then need my assistance. If I fail to help others, I could lose my certificate. . . in a nutshell}

At first I wanted to design some cute printable certificates, because everything better when it's cute, right? But after realizing the diversity and scope of certification, we opted on hand drawn ones. I cut cardstock to fit in the pockets of a baseball card page. My five year old couldn't be happier drawing and writing his own certificate.

They can certify in anything. Trust me, they'll get creative:
teeth brushing
peacemaking
saran wrapping
hypothesis making
Chances are they'll even start making up chores. I like that the certification program is 100% customizable to meet the needs of your individual family.

I hope you're still with me because here's the best part: they're actually building their resume. That's right a resume, you're never too young to have one. What kid doesn't like to feel qualified, contributing, and successful? You can have fun with raises, promotions, and perks too.

Now instead of rows filled with shiny gold stars, they've got a visible reminder of their capabilities right at their fingertips. A record of their responsibility, not to mention bragging rights at show and tell for sure. Sure, it doesn't make kids perfect but it makes chores funner.

Calving

We're in the thick of calving season. Calves have been dropping right and left. We have about 70 on the ground now. The weather conditions have been favorable so far. Lately, the kids and I have enjoyed riding out through the cows, looking at the new babies. Dalanie loves all the cute babies and always wants to say a prayer for them. It's fun to watch the calves play around like typical kids. The cows are typical moms: calling them for dinner, mooing for them not to run off, and tidying them up.

We were especially lucky to watch a birth. There's just something about the miracle of birth that demands reverence. Hudson could recognize how special it was, Dalanie on the other hand just saw it at face value- gross.
There is just something about maternal instincts and motherhood that deserve respect in the animal kingdom and human race. It was a wonderful opportunity to talk with the kids about our Heavenly Father and his creations. I remember being pregnant with my first child during calving season some six years ago. Anticipating his upcoming birth, I was sensitive to the struggles of those "first time calvers." Now I'm more seasoned, but the miracle of it all leaves me in awe and humbled.

Butting Heads

One of my aunts once told me that "we often butt heads with our kids over what is actually their greatest strengths."
This couldn't be more true of my little Dalanie. She is both determined and persistent. The other night after insisting that she could pour her own milk from the 1/3 of a gallon remaining- she was quickly thrown a dish rag to clean up her waterfall of milk.
She is also a wonderful helper. . . to a fault sometimes. Like when I'm soaking the dishwasher with LemiShine and she comes running to tell me she put soap in it and started it! Or when I enter the bathroom to see the toilet and surrounding area dusted in a nice coating of Comet. I'll have to admit, my first thought was not "She'll be a great roommate and immaculate housekeeper." No, instead I grrr internally and think of all the work she just created for me.
Next time I'm butting heads with my kids I'll try seeing things differently.

Getting Out

We finally climbed out of our cave and decided to enjoy the winter weather. We snowmobiled into the cabin and went snowshoeing and sledding. It was great retreat to the cabin with a roaring fire to warm kids up.
First blue skies in quite awhile.
Ruby entertained from atop the counter. What a ham.
Dalanie's favorite part of the day was eating popcorn and drinking hot chocolate by the fire.
Hudson suffered his first sledding injury, a bloody nose.

Reigning Dance Champion

We have been known to hold dance-offs at our house. I think you'll agree, we've got a winner here.

We Survived

It was anything but pretty around here this past week. We have all had Influenza to one degree or another. (And to think we faithfully washed hands, used Lysol and hand sanitizer.) No wonder Hudson's class has been a cesspool of illness.

Tuns out I was the weakest link and did not suffer so graciously. Needless to say, I was the guinea pig that had a worthless dr. visit. And then an urgent care visit the following day. They tested me for influenza and gave me an IV for fluids.

The swabbing for the culture was brutal, like up your nose to your brain. So glad it was me, not any of my kids. I'm pretty sure they never would have forgiven me. Once we had the results, it was a blanket prescription for the household. Tamiflu for everyone.

Apparently we're still contagious as long as we have symptoms. Nice. Because we need a few more days of being cooped up in the house alone.

See

The first of a new year brings hopes and dreams for the future year. Dreams of becoming better and improving ourselves. I rarely write down resolutions, just silently hope my wishes will come true and that I'll find myself a better person in a year from now. This year, I hopped on the bandwagon and started thinking of a word for my mantra.

At first I thought of look because we most often find what we are looking for. But look didn't sound very content. It seemed unsatisfied and always searching. Then I realized that I didn't need to look at all, I have everything I need and want right now. I just need to SEE. My word for 2011- SEE.

So despite the chilly temperatures and my grumbly attitude, I bundled up the kids and went outside. It's amazing what I saw.

Three beautiful children that are my world.They love and adore each other . . . most of the time.A beautiful place to live and raise a family. Where there is plenty of room to roam, teach values, and grow dreams.Yes! There is so much for me to see.

Handmade Holidays

This year I tried to focus more on heartfelt and handmade gifts. And since it had been awhile since I had been creative, I remembered just how much I enjoyed the process.

I decided to make stamped necklaces for my mom, sisters, and Hudson's school teacher. I enjoyed personalizing each one. You can get the stamps quite inexpensively at Harbor Freight and I ordered the discs online.My dad and nephews were recipients of some fun face plates. I followed this tutorial and they worked up pretty fast. My dad received a set of four Papa Plates so the grandkids can use them when they visit.
In other news, our Christmas cactus bloomed this year. We were given a start as a little neighbor gift two years ago. It goes on my list as "best gift" for sure.
I'm still having a hard time convincing myself that it's time to take down my Christmas card display. It's got to be one of my favorite "decorations."

Hillman Christmas: Island Park

We spent the remainder of the holiday week up in Island Park with Brent's side of the family. Fifteen new inches of snow fell the day we got there. With the snow and it being dark, getting to the cabin was a little interesting but we finally made it. Once we were there, there was plenty of time for having fun.

Some of the highlights included the magic show, Family Feud, the food, the sledding, the snowshoeing, and the snowmobiling.

Parish Christmas: Amazing Race

After opening gifts and hanging out in our pajamas all morning, we headed to Burley for the Wilkins' family Christmas party and some time with my side of the family.

My parent's had planned an Amazing Race style adventure for all of the girls and their spouses. They kept the grandkids and sent us overnight, in their Suburban, and footed the bill. We had to perform acts of service to get our next clues. The challenges took us to AMI, the Twin Sisters, Pappa Kelsey's, the River of Life Rescue Mission, Cafe Ole, Gardens-A-Glow, the Boise Temple, Winco Foods, and Ginny and Pappa's. There wasn't much time for messing around, but we did get to spend some quality time together in the Suburban.Here are a few things we learned along the way:
-Ty makes a great bus driver. He handles pressure well, especially the drive-by eating decisions.
-eight hungry people can eat on $50 when Nik does the negotiating
-Chris has got your back at the homeless shelter. Don't let his size fool you.
-Tameka likes parrots
-$20 a carload is definitely better than $8/person

The sisters and their spouses.

Christmas

Our magic camera caught Santa putting presents under the tree. Most of our wishes came true.
Dalanie was a bit disappointed. . . at first.

I spent rest of the morning sewing up doll clothes for her naked baby. Her new eyeshadow helped camouflage the black eye she got earlier in the week from falling out of a shopping cart.
Hudson was excited for everyone and very happy and content with his remote control helicopter and Legos.Ruby couldn't have asked for a better Christmas. She had her bottle and the rocking chair all to herself.