The winner by a nose.......
Friday, July 18, 2008
Sweet Lydia! And what a relief, since returning the painting book would've meant less in-car entertainment during our 5 hour drive to vacation today (hence, more mommy duty!). So I was really rooting for her -- desperately seeking out any hint of sweetness to reward!
The Jury is Out
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Day One of Lydia's Behavior Modifcation Chart System has come to a close with no definative verdict. Sweet or Not-Sweet? THAT is the question.
Yes, we have been battling some oh-so-unbecoming behavior lately (um, for the past 4 years) and I'm at my wit's end. Today began my first stab at "positive parenting". Timeouts, spankings, loss of privileges, loss of toys, no candy, no movies, or donating her new favorite shoes to Goodwill (yes, I really did that!) have little or no effect lasting longer than 5 minutes. So I decided there was nothing to lose by trying to focus on Lydia's positive actions for a change. Actually, Lydia's on probation right now: she's "earning" the right to keep her brand-spanking new Littlest Pet Shop painting book which I've told her I'm returning to the store because she *gasp* STUCK HER TONGUE OUT AT ME! The chart works like this: She earns a sticker for doing sweet things. She earns a black "X" for doing not-sweet things. Day 1 has come to a close and we have a tie. So the chart will continue tomorrow -- her last chance to earn more stickers than X's. If we have a repeat tie, the paint book goes back to Target.
Will Miss Lydia get to paint or will her brushes run dry? Stay tuned.
Look how far we've come?
Thursday, July 10, 2008
It is our 1-year anniversary of flying out to Brookfield, WI for Brandon to interview at Milwaukee Power Tools. Last night, Brandon and I were remembering that fact and honestly I had to tell him I'm still up in the air: is it an anniversary celebration or whatever the opposite of that would be? Thankfully, I do recall that the 1-1/2 year mark was the turning point in Prague. That's when things really started looking up and taking off for me... just in time to enjoy it for a year before moving back to the States.
In this past year Marcus has learned to walk, talk and has grown into just a sweet little boy. Lydia is blossoming socially and will even answer stranger's questions in the grocery store (in contrast to her gutteral grunts and avoidance of all eye contact a year ago). She's been overheard approaching little kids at the playground and asking their name and age and providing the same to them. She's also learning to read (when SHE wants to) . She is officially 4 going on 14 and is going to keep me on my toes for a lifetime. We have become members of the local mega-church and are still seeking where we best fit serving there. Brandon is thoroughly enjoying his job and keeps getting more and more responsibility. I have recently joined a newcomer's club that has made all the difference for me and just yesterday I agreed to co-lead a MOPS group next year. Me? Leader?!?!? We're still actively searching, praying, hoping for some good, Christian couple friends to live life with. They've GOT to be hiding out there somewhere!
All in all, I have to admit that blogging has been a struggle for me. (I know, shocker!) Maybe I've allowed myself to become too busy. Maybe I have trouble seeing the adventure in life Stateside. Maybe it just reminds me too much of what I still miss about life in Prague. Perhaps selecting a more appropriate title would help me transition this blog to Wisconsin. I'll take suggestions so send them over... If your title is chosen, you'll be sure to receive recognition via the blog!
The best news is that Sunny is coming to visit for the weekend. She's flying up from Atlanta, GA as I write. She gets the credit of walking and talking with me through some of my most difficult moments in Prague as Brandon and I were deciding where to go next. She's about to begin her degree in counseling so this is her last hoorah before life kicks in. We can't wait to spend time with her (it'll be so strange since the only context we know her in is Prague)... Lydia has already "claimed" Sunny for playtime every time she wakes up. There should be some good blog fodder in the next few days...........
In this past year Marcus has learned to walk, talk and has grown into just a sweet little boy. Lydia is blossoming socially and will even answer stranger's questions in the grocery store (in contrast to her gutteral grunts and avoidance of all eye contact a year ago). She's been overheard approaching little kids at the playground and asking their name and age and providing the same to them. She's also learning to read (when SHE wants to) . She is officially 4 going on 14 and is going to keep me on my toes for a lifetime. We have become members of the local mega-church and are still seeking where we best fit serving there. Brandon is thoroughly enjoying his job and keeps getting more and more responsibility. I have recently joined a newcomer's club that has made all the difference for me and just yesterday I agreed to co-lead a MOPS group next year. Me? Leader?!?!? We're still actively searching, praying, hoping for some good, Christian couple friends to live life with. They've GOT to be hiding out there somewhere!
All in all, I have to admit that blogging has been a struggle for me. (I know, shocker!) Maybe I've allowed myself to become too busy. Maybe I have trouble seeing the adventure in life Stateside. Maybe it just reminds me too much of what I still miss about life in Prague. Perhaps selecting a more appropriate title would help me transition this blog to Wisconsin. I'll take suggestions so send them over... If your title is chosen, you'll be sure to receive recognition via the blog!
The best news is that Sunny is coming to visit for the weekend. She's flying up from Atlanta, GA as I write. She gets the credit of walking and talking with me through some of my most difficult moments in Prague as Brandon and I were deciding where to go next. She's about to begin her degree in counseling so this is her last hoorah before life kicks in. We can't wait to spend time with her (it'll be so strange since the only context we know her in is Prague)... Lydia has already "claimed" Sunny for playtime every time she wakes up. There should be some good blog fodder in the next few days...........
