No time-out?

I'm so happy today that both Ethan and Noah finally got no time out at Karate!  There are only 2 more sessions left and today they finally learned to listen to the instructor.  What was the difference?  I gave them a practical incentive to motivate them to be good.  I let them choose a snack from the vending machine before class and told them they would get it as reward if they don't get time-out.  It didn't really work before when I tried to offer them snacks I brought, I think being able to put coins into the machine and "get" the reward yourself makes the difference!  The instructor commented they got A+ for being good at listening!  I do hope that they keep it up for the last 2 sessions.

I really appreciate the way the Karate uses games like "Simon Says", "Red light, Green light" to help the kids improve their listening skills.  I was watching from the door and saw that Ethan and Noah did pretty well with the games.  I believe that playing games is a really good way to develop certain skills such as listening. Sometimes it's more effective, in my opinion, then just telling them to pay attention verbally.

Another valuable lesson I learned is that, do not put Ethan and Noah in the same sports class, they just keep distracting each other and get too rowdy.  I always thought that they can bond more when they participate in the same sports, but I think they would thrive more individually if they join different class.  They would be able to focus more on learning rather than on each other.

Sick weeks = catch up work

What do you do with school when your kids are still sick for the third week?  Do you panic or do you take it easy?  We had already started the school year 2 weeks late due to a family trip to Hong Kong, and now holidays are approaching and we're still doing week 7's worth of work!  I admit that I was getting somewhat worried and panicky.  However, if I look at the whole picture, we would really be 2 weeks behind at the end of school year.  Being a homeschooler, we often do unit studies and reviews during the summer anyways, so what is another 2 weeks?

It's also been good to do catch-ups and reviews instead of teaching new stuff this past couple weeks.  I was able to work on the boys' characters more than academic things.  Ethan was having a bad attachment problem to his birthday present (Bey Blade).  He had to learn that toys are not important, even if they are gifts from mommy and daddy.  We took it away for one day, then he tried to play with it during probation period so we ended up confiscated it for 2 days.  It was really upsetting for him.  Today he got his Bey Blade back and he was more careful with not being too obsessed with it, waiting for school time to be over to play with it.  So we shall observe further to see if this obsession continues.

Obedience reaps Rewards!

Today was a fun day for the boys.  They get to shop for their obedience reward at Target's $1 bin.

 I have been training the boys for a while now to come right away when I call, without having to count 1-2-3. Before I would oppose this training method, thinking they just need more time to come.  However, after having to repeat counting numerous times and still they don't come, I understand the major flaw in this method. When you count to 3 (sometimes more), you give them at least 3 chances to disobey you.

So I now train and expect the kids to come right away when I call them, and  to do things I ask right away. My friend Karen passed on this 5 Finger Rule to obedience from a book: 1. Yes, mommy 2. I'm coming 3. Right away 4. All the way 5. In a Happy Way.  This rule helps kids to obey right away without grumbling.

To help the boys do this, Karen had also suggested to make an Obedience Chart for each kid, even for my 2 year old daughter!  Each kid gets 3 chances to earn a sticker for the day if they obey the 5 Finger Rule.  When they earn all the stickers, then they get $1 to buy anything they want from a store.  I was so surprised to see how much it's been working!  Both Ethan and Noah are much more aware and tuned-in when I call them, and they would also know right away if they had missed the chance.  Even little Bethany is able to earn 11 stickers so far by coming right away when I call...not so much on doing what I ask her yet.  Look at their happy faces when they get their reward!  Praise God!

Noah earned himself a R2D2
candy dispenser.

Ethan earned himself a yo-yo

The bible REALLY has 66 books!

During today's lesson, the boys learned about basic facts of the Bible - It's divided into Old and New Testament with 66 books total.  Thanks to the "My Father's World" curriculum, it suggests a really great way to help them visualize just how many books there are in each testament.

The stack on the left has 39 books (Old Testament) and the right has 27 books (New Testament).  Ethan and Noah were surprised to see that these many books are actually in the bible!  The boys also could visually see that the Old Testament has more books than the New Testament.  I love these demonstrations! 

Let's start blogging!

I'm so happy the blog is finally up!  It's been tough trying to get all the settings and configurations just the way I want it - I am a perfectionist.

Let's start by saying Happy Birthday to my oldest, Ethan.  He just turned 6 a couple days ago!  I can only praise God for the past 6 years of raising him.  From the beginning of freaking out about his eczema to now focusing on growing his character, God has been my strength and comfort.

An area of biggest growth in Ethan.  Ethan has a very strong sense of right and wrong, he used to carry out his own form of judgment upon others even at the age of 4.  However, those judgments were also combined with anger and frustration, which resulted in hurting others.  We believed it is a blessing for him to have this innate character and given the right guidance and nurture, it would become something great.  It took a long time for us to work with him on this and he's been growing more mature in this area.  He can now use words to communicate and work out issues rather than getting into physical fights, most of the time.

Dear Lord, I thank you for blessing me with such a sweet and thoughtful boy.  Thank you for giving me the privilege to raise Ethan to be a man of God.  May your words penetrate deep into his heart, so that he may walk in your ways and not his own.  In Jesus' name.  Amen.