Wednesday, April 2, 2008

new habits are hard...

Okay.. so it's all about the new here this year.. that is actually my Ali Edwards challenge word for the year.. so much new stuff going on for us as a family, it worked.

well, lately, there are new habits being made around the house..
before vacation, we weren't eating great dinners and eating out tons, mostly because of the pregnancy and my major loss of appetite.. Well, while on vacation, Miranda grew quite accustomed to chicken nuggets, pizza, peanut butter and grilled cheese, for a foreign country, yes, this might fly, HOME.. never.. so we made some new changes.. Last week was wash with all the family stuff and it just didn't work.. this week.. NEW changes.. I plan and make dinner every night, hungry or not, tired or not. I make something good and healthy for dinner and include veggies. something else that had been left to the side for a while. I am usually at the market everyday, but I have made dinner every night this week, tried 2 new recipes, Chicken piccatta which was a MAJOR hit for Fuzzy and tonight, homemade mac and cheese.. which, fall down from shock, Miranda LOVED.. I am just about to do cartwheels over her eating it, anything NEW is a major.. just excited and happy it's working.

I am also really trying VERY hard to load the dishwasher and wash pans EVERY night after dinner, something easy to let go, but it really doesn't take long.. tonight it too 4 minutes, seriously, I looked at the clock on the stove before and after I started.. sorta exciting.. I also washed the counters and table down and took less than 10 minutes..

another new project that I started is to help make the mornings easier since I started back to work... I pack lunches, at least as much as I can.. I make sure Miranda tells me what she wants in her lunch and I pack for DH too.. I make sandwiches in the morning and put the cold stuff in then too, but it saves time.. I totally could have skipped it tonight -- but didn't.. new habits are really really hard to make.. but I think this and the others will pay off in the long run.

I also make sure that Miranda picks out her shirt for the next day while she is getting pjs on. I know all these choices for her might seem nuts, but they make things easier. Plus, when she picks out clothes that no longer fit, I can clean out her closet. I also iron for myself and put out clothes for dh. 15 minutes that make things so much smoother in the morning.

The last new thing is that Miranda is being paid for her morning chores.. this is getting up, dressed, eat breakfast and brush teeth.. if she is done all if it by the time DH has breakfast, he can brush her hair if I didn't already do it and she gets paid a quarter.. I know.. paying a kid for this stuff seems wrong .. but it makes life easier.. for everyone.. plus, eventually, the money system can be faded out.. so far, the system is working.. Fuzzy thinks so too.. so good when a plan comes together.. :)

it's not always easy to make new habits, but I think if I just keep trying, and I mean really trying, it might work out.. I will pose this question to whomever reads my blog.. what tips do you have for making things just a little bit easier.. suggestions are always welcome..

If I only knew better, I would be finishing my layout of the day.. wait.. I do know better, so I am finishing THAT layout, starting a load of laundry and maybe doing another one.. :)

:) Monique

3 comments:

Duenan9926 said...

you are on a roll! Good luck! Keep it up!

Anonymous said...

Personally, I'm all for paying kids! My boys get $5 a week for doing their chores, which includes keeping their rooms and bathroom neat, getting ready on time in the morning, homework with no problems, etc. They can also earn a monthly bonus for good behavior at home and school. The "bonus" is 25 cents a day and gets paid at the end of the month. Another way they earn money is by squishing the aluminum cans and putting them in a special can that we redeem about every 3 months or so. So if they work hard, they can gather quite a bit of money! However, they also know that if they want a special toy or treat, that they use THEIR money to buy it.

Barbi

Anonymous said...

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