I love this man because....he has a special look just for me.

There is this look he gives me.  It's reserved only for me.  I catch him giving me the look at the most unexpected moments.  Recently, it happened in the kitchen.  And with that look, I know that he is still passionately in love with me, that I am the woman that catches his eye, that to him I am lovely, beautiful, and irresistible.  That look takes my breath away every time I see it. 

Awesome Kid Quotes #11

I had been telling Eden that I wanted the hat he won at surf camp.  He asked me why I wanted it so much.  I said, "Because I think it's cool."
Asher responded with, "Mom, you're too pretty for cool."

Escape Adulthood: Challenge #11

Do something your parents would never let you do as a child.

Captain Crunch....never in my childhood home....NEVER!  If we wanted sweet cereal (Captain Crunch, Lucky Charms, etc.), we had to sleep over at a friend's house.  Oh, and trust me, when I had the opportunity to eat sweet cereal at a friend's house, I ate my fill.  I had no shame in eating 2 or 3 bowls.  My friends probably felt sorry for me, the way I gobbled that stuff up.

So, for this challenge, I bought one box of Captain Crunch and we ate it for...wait for it...DINNER!!  Oh my goodness, that was so against all of the healthy eating habits my parents instilled in me as a child.

Sidenote #1: My husband found this box of Captain Crunch (even though I had it hidden) and ate half of it for dinner one night when the kids and I weren't home.  Can you tell that his parents had the same crereal rules as mine?

Sidenote #2: I totally hold the same values now about healthy eating habits as my parents did when I was a kid.  I'm truly grateful for what they taught me, and I am teaching those same habits to my kids.  However, a little splurge now and then is fun, fun, fun.

Challenge ideas take from "The Escape Plan" written by Kim and Jason Kotecki

Awesome Kid Quotes #10

Eden (on the phone with me after his first day of surf camp):
"Mom, I caught my first wave today.  It was a great feeling."

Escape Adulthood: Challenge #10

Create a memory today with someone you care about that will mean a lot ten years from now.

My boys and I spent the day at the beach together.  Just me and them.  This is a HUGE deal because they so often have to share me with their sisters who, because they are younger, usually get more attention from me.  We had a wonderful time.  We rode bikes to the pier, played in the water together, and sat on the towels and talked. It's rare for them to get my undivided attention like this.  It was so fun.  During one of our conversations that day, we were reflecting on all of the things we had done this summer.  I asked them what their favorite things was.  Asher leaned into me and said, "Spending time with you."

I have to say...I agree with him. 

 

Challenge ideas take from "The Escape Plan" written by Kim and Jason Kotecki

Awesome Kid Quotes #9

When Asher was in kindergarten, I received a call from his teacher.  She informed me that he and some other students were saying the phrase, "Kick his a**."  She said that upon further questioning, he admitted to saying that he was going to, "Kick the devil's a**."  She told me that she had to work really hard not to burst out laughing after that comment.  She explained to him that, yes, the devil is a bad guy, but maybe we shouldn't be having these kinds of conversations at school.

Wow!  I do not know where he comes up with this stuff!!

Escape Adulthood: Challenge #9

Do one thing today to support a cause or issue you really care about.

Positive, Nurturing Behavior Management

This is the issue I really care about.  I am passionate about behavior management.  To be honest, I am unlike many teachers I know.  I LIKE getting the students with behavior problems in my class.  Nothing is more exciting to me than to build a relationship with that challenging student, get to know him/her, and find a plan that works.  I love discovering the great qualities in that child and finding an incentive that causes the child to exhibit more of their great qualities over their difficult traits.  I have had the privilege of being part of this process for many students over the years.  Nothing is more amazing to me than to witness a child's behavior to change from negative attention seeking to positive, confident, and self-sufficient. 

Much of what I do in my classroom comes from the book Transforming the Difficult Child: The Nurtured Heart Approach by Howard Glasser, MA and Jennifer Easley, MA.  After I read this book, I completely changed how I ran my classroom, and my home.  It is amazing, and the techniques definitely produce results.  What's really great is that I can use it with ALL of my students and it allows all of them (both challenging students and "well behaved" students) to feel encouraged, respected, noticed, and built up. 

So, for this challenge, I wrote a thank you note to the authors and sent a donation to The Children's Success Foundation which is devoted to introducing the nurtured heart approach into schools.

Challenge ideas take from "The Escape Plan" written by Kim and Jason Kotecki