Nate Prays...

It's bedtime, time to Thank God for a good day;

Nate: Thank you Lord for these Thankful jungles and the rain forest. Thank you for Santa Claus and alllllll those beautiful presents. Amen

Home, Sticky Home

I was mopping the floor to the tunes of Ralph and the boys playing "No Little Boys on My Couch" this evening. The shriek of little boy laughter and the negotiations went something like this:

Dad: There is only one thing better than one little boy in jail, it's two little boys in jail! Ha ha (evil laughter) (Dad keeps a boy captured under his legs)
Nate: Daddy, you get to drink a baby bottle!
Boys: Shrieks of laughter
Dad: Ah-ha! ((He captures another boy) There's one thing better than a little boy in jail- that's two little boys in jail! And now I have two little boys in jail! There is only one thing better than two little boys in jail.....Where O where is Eli???

Because I had so much free time while the boys were in "jail", I mopped really, really well. Then I noticed the baseboards. Yes, yes, I've noticed them hundreds of times before, but tonight I had a strange amount of energy (as did Ralph) to tackle them. I got on my hands and knees and chased a google of little fingerprints and splash marks throughout the dining room and kitchen. I thought about all those sentimental little poems about fingerprints on the wall, and how someday they would disappear, and it made the work easier somehow.

My house is sometimes sticky, sometimes messy, my house is oftentimes loud. But all for good reason, my house is a home for three little sweet boys who get to run around freely all day, I get to keep them here with me for just a little while, and it's worth all the silliness and fingerprints.

...and if you don't know what a google is, you really should get a six year old.

Glubble: Kid-Safe Internet (Don't miss this one!!)

I know it's Monday. I just can't wait, I can't. I will post this for Works for Me Wednesday, though.

Our family uses the internet for video games. (Boys have to "earn" game time) I refuse to buy a gaming system...yet, and when I've purchased games to use on the computer they've been...well, conquered. The internet has billions of fun and educational games for the kids.

Problem? It's the internet, people, and many of us live in fear of the day that our child (or we) click on the wrong link and get an eye-full that destroys innocence in an instant. So I'm very pleased to announce that my tech savvy husband discovered Glubble tonight.

Glubble is a kids only safe (he checked it out really well) internet program. We use Firefox as a web browser, and Glubble is through Firefox, but I think if you're using Internet Explorer or whatever, it's worth the change. "Everyone should be using Firefox anyway." says the expert husband. :) I don't know why it's better, but I think he could give you a few hundred reasons. Hey, he does this stuff for a living- I don't argue.

So back to Firefox. From there, you can create a profile for your kiddos & install Glubble. Then, when they sit down to play they can ONLY access the sites you've permitted. Better yet, they have a very large selection you can choose from , Clifford the Big Red Dog, National Geo, Playhouse Disney, Lego...and on. Even better, go through and choose the sites you want them to visit and disable any you don't need or don't want them to see, (Barbie? Not in this house of boys) and add any sites that you want to. It's ingenious. You can even create multiple profiles for all your kids and have different games available.

Kids have no access (parents have to sign in to change settings) to settings, aren't even able to click on any advertisements on the webpages. Excellent!

Can you tell I'm thrilled?

If you're interested in setting this up, my husband knows just how to get 'r done. Let me know.

New Weeks Resolution: Listen

I've read before that it takes 28 days to make a habit.

Usually when I think of habits, I think of trying to break a bad one. I rarely set out to make a good one. I recently read a book by Sonya Shafer that got me thinking about helping your kids to create good habits for life. You can download it for free, if you like here. Look for the link entitled Education is (free e-book).

Setting out to create good habits is how we can make all our "resolutions" in life come to pass.

So now I'm thinking about my habits; This week I'm setting out to listen better. Talking to my sister-in-law last week got me thinking. She was telling me how she has taken time in the evening to sit with her daughter and just listen. I loved the idea, purposing to hang out with your kiddos and just listen to learn about what's going on with them. I listen in passing so much, but need to sit down with the kids more and just listen.

I'm with my boys most all day, most every day. We have interactions throughout the day. But I see the beginnings of independence more and more the older they get. My six year old's new answer to most questions is the illusive "I dunno." We're aiming to ask more specific questions, but somehow I think I have my work cut out for me- to pry into that little brain from time to time to learn more about his take on life and how he's feeling about things.

I read once with boys that if you want them to talk freely, it's best to sit with them when their hands are busy and wait for their thoughts to flow. I'm going to practice that this week. If you all have more ideas or input....how help kids feel comfortable sharing with parents freely, please share! I'll post your ideas. :)

Mama Mush

Oh, I'm just so smitten by this cute boy. Eli has declared that he shall be naked all day today. Brr. Our cool spring days aren't calling for naked boys---yet.

Girls' Night Out

A small group of friends went to Red Dog last night for a last minute Girls Night Out. It was a ball, first we hit the local Goodwill where I scored a number of books and two pairs of jeans. I needed the jeans SOOO bad, glad to have the time to shop! Then we went to dinner and talked into the wee hours. Photos courtesy of Cathy (everyone had cameras but me.)

Another, larger, more celebratory girls' night out is due soon...to celebrate several birthdays....Rosemary, Kristin, Julie (&1/2), Kerry...am I missing any? Let's pick a date. All friends are invited.

The One-Eyed Babysitter

When my munchkins were wee ones and I was pregnant or had a new baby, I didn't hesitate to let the kiddos watch tv. Meanwhile I snoozed on the couch with one eye open, happy to recruit help from the one-eyed-babysitter. But I quickly realized that my sweet little boys became addicts to the instant entertainment.

While weaning them from the TV, I got so tired of hearing, "Can we watch TVEEE?" "Can we watch now?" First thing out of their mouths in the morning..."Can I watch TV?" I got so sick of competing with this box for my boys' affection. So this has been the solution that Works for Me, and has for years now:

TV Days We have 2 days a week that the kids get to watch tv. We've chosen Wednesday and Saturdays for TV Days. The kids get to watch a few shows on each of these days. All other days are not tv days, and it's worked wonderfully. It wasn't long before my kids got used to hearing "It's not TV day today" and snuggled back into bed with me for long conversations about the day ahead or any other things on their little minds. I've loved it.

The Exception Sick days are also great days for TV, of course. I want my kids to rest and relax those days. We also "use" the TV for evenings when we're having company (that didn't bring other child-entertainers) and we want to have a conversation over dessert and coffee. This also works should my husband and I need to recruit that one-eyed babysitter for our own drawn out conversation on occasion. We love keeping the TV as a tool. Being a homeschool family, we have to have rules about these indulgent matters. Try it out, should you like....Works for Me!

Sunday Hike in June (&roll call)

Okay all you peepers, I'm hosting a roll call! If you're checking out the blog, leave a comment so I can meet you and check out your blog!




We hit the Deschutes River straight after church yesterday, a picnic, a beautiful hike and lots of rock-throwing at the river keeps the Perko clan content. Naps for everyone. Check out the incredible scenery.