Board Meetings

I assure you, there is nothing in this house as formal as a board meeting complete with CEOs and suits ... however, this is the new name for our behavior board. Actually, I have to give the "board meeting" credit to Chuck ... it was his idea. It was a great name! :) 

So, what exactly is this board? Well, it's a giant cork board that has been designed with each of the kids in mind. We've built in the board into our nighttime routine, and I have to say, that at the end of our first week I am pretty darn impressed with our idea. And yes, we are patting our backs! :) 

Here's how it works ... each of the kids designed a nameplate for themselves. Their name appears in the middle and then they used ribbon, stickers and markers to make it their own. I was amazed at how much each of their personalities were reflected in these 1/2 page sheets. The nameplates alone are pretty adorable. Next to the nameplate are five tasks each of the kids are focusing on right now. Here's what the kids have: 

Gavin: 

1. Make bed

2. Set the dinner table

3. Pick up toys

4. Complete homework

5. Good behavior at home

Chloe:

1. Make bed

2. Pick up toys

3. Good behavior at home

4. Good behavior at school

5. Good listening skills & not repeating questions

Zack

1. Make bed

2. Pick up toys

3. Good behavior at home

4. Good behavior at school

5. Eat fruits & veggies

If they complete the task for the day then they get a mark next to it and a blank spot means they failed to complete the task. If all five tasks are met then they get a star for the day .. and Chuck and I make a HUGE deal about it. At the end of the month, if behavior was mostly good for all three of them, we'll plan an outing as a family. And, as Gavin was quick to point out, if someone gets five stars (in other words PERFECT behavior for a whole week) they should be allowed to buy toys. Chuck and I agreed with that ... completely! If someone gets five stars then we'll take them to the store and they can pick out any toy. Can you imagine a week of perfect behavior!? :) 

And now it's time to hand out some props. Can you take a guess at who received our first star? It was our princess ... Miss Chloe! :) Yup, on Wednesday she had an awesome day and got all five points. Very impressive! Tonight (Saturday) Gavin received his perfect mark and got a star too! Now, if only Zack would eat his dang fruits and veggies he'd be earning a star as well. Grrrr ... I'm beginning to hate fruits and veggies too ... but for a much different reason, of course. But, I digress ... 

The board sits at the base of the stairs so the kids see it each morning when they come down. We were hoping it would serve as a reminder that we're keeping track, and to this point it's been great. A few times we've had to remind them they may lose a point on the board, and mostly they've checked themselves and changed their attitude. I think my favorite part is that for the last few days the kids have come downstairs in the morning VERY EXCITED about the fact that their beds are made. You have to admit, if you're going to be awakened early the morning, it's nice to hear that they managed to do one of their chores BEFORE waking you up! :) 

Other notes ... 

Today we spent the day at the Dickson's with Art and Cathy there too. (That means we had Grammy & Papa and Nana & Papa ... don't you love the names! :) )It was a sort of end of summer celebration for us. The kids played in the pool and sandbox ... we had some adult beverages and enjoyed some fabulous company. The kids were great! 

Chuck and I return to work on Monday ... I know, I know, the violins are playing ... but truth is, I think both of us are excited to get back on a regularly scheduled routine. The summer is nice, but I think most teachers start to feel lost when there isn't a bell ringing every 50 minutes or so! 

In other news, Gavin lost a tooth this morning! It's number three to come out in the last six months or so. At $1 a tooth the tooth fairy certainly doesn't seem to impacted by the current recession. 

And, we're still waiting on posting wedding pics. I promise that I'm trying, but yesterday it took the computer three hours ... THREE HOURS ... to download one pic. The worst part, it never even got downloaded. I gave up after three hours and decided it would have to wait. I also tried to post a picture of the board, and it appears the the blog is not currently accepting pictures. *sigh* 

Much love, 

-- M