Wordless Wednesday: Look for Trains

I remember reading in the paper once, that scientists had discovered the 'steam-train gene'. The article went on to say the the gene was most prevalent in older men and young boys. I think that the article may have been tongue -in-cheek.....But I'm not sure!

Either way, my little engineer was definitively born with the steam-train gene. This was the day, on our holiday to the NSW North Coast, that he finally got to meet his beloved Thomas (sort of!).

(I just love the expressions in this photo :)

Buster fulfills a life-long dream....sort-of!

I wonder how my little engineer is doing today..... his first day of preschool.

For Wordless Wednesday, I'm linking with My Little Drummer Boys, Sakura Haruka and Tina's Wordless Wednesday

Reward Charts: Making School Work Matter

When I sat down to decide upon my goals of 2012, one of my major aims was to ensure that I put the highest priority on the children’s schoolwork. Last year, in the crazy chaos of sports training, competition, music, appointments and play dates, schoolwork often got left to the last moment, was done in a rush, or not done at all.

I must admit that I have not always practiced the girls reading and times tables the way that I should.

I was pretty much able to convince myself that the school work didn’t matter because they are still quite young (they were in grades 1 and 2), and they would get enough practice at school.

But school work does matter. I believe that the children’s education is the most important thing in their lives. Not their sport or their social lives. I really want them to understand that even though they excel and enjoy their sports, school work is the most important thing. Even though they are still young, I think it is important to introduce good early study habits.

School resumes this Wednesday for my children so I thought this would be a great time to really make school work matter. To do this I have decided to introduce some structure into the girls routine in the form of a reward chart.

Initially I struggled a little with the concept of a reward chart because I believe that motivation to complete tasks is best coming from an internal source, intrinsic motivation. rather than coming from rewards or bribes. In reality though, we all do work with the expectation of a reward…just instead of stickers, it is a deposit into our bank accounts!

However, a good reward chart does more than just offer an incentive to complete tasks. The reward chart also sets out the expectations I have for the children, so that the kids and I are both clear on exactly what they need to do. It is also a way of giving them a sense of satisfaction for doing their set tasks. In addition, it teaches the children valuable lessons about goal setting.

I also really like the reward chart system because it lets the kids know that I have recognized they have done a good job in completing their tasks. It acts as positive reinforcement for a job well done.

I have found some really great reward charts on the site goalforit. This site enables you to construct your own reward chart with everything from the  background, right to the list of tasks. The charts are very visually appealing and the cute picture on the icons make it easy for the kids to understand.

This is an example chart from the goalforit site

Some of the many icons you can choose from

I sat with each of my children at the computer and we designed their individual reward chart. Flash chose the surfer girl, Muscles the pink panda and Buster chose aliens.

We then talked about what tasks, such as homework, packing their school bags, doing their sports training and buster doing his speech therapy, to add to the reward chart and why they were important. I let them have input into the tasks and we came to an easy agreement (heavily guided by me!). I think this process gave them some ownership and responsibility for the reward chart. The process was also a lot of fun!

The goalforit site has the option of completing the chart on line and attaching a points system to each task which earns rewards in term of ‘moolah’. For the charts designed for tweens and teenagers there is also the option to set a SMS message to be sent to the kid’s mobile phone to remind them to complete a task....like clean their room!!....imagine that!

I took the option of printing the reward chart and my children are extremely excited just to have stickers. I have told them for every 50 stickers (about 1 week) they can choose an app or song for their iPods….they are extremely excited!! ($1.99 is a small price to pay…. but they think it is’ huge’ to get a new game :) )

The kids are so enthusiastic about starting their reward charts with the commencement of school on Wednesday. Now that I have set this reward chart process up, I believe it will be much easier to keep the momentum going, so that completion of the daily tasks becomes a habit.

I am linking this post to the Me and YOU making IT matter meme at A Parenting Life. This is a great meme that encourages and supports you to choose one thing every week to really make matter. Click over to A Parenting Life to see the inspirational posts about making  things matter. You never know, you may be inspired into making something important really matter to you, and start making some positive changes in your life.

And because it is technically Tuesday (12.02am!), I am linking this post with the crazy vlogger, Jess at Diary of a SAHM for #IBOT . Come over and see what has been blogged about on Tuedsay!

Youth Sport Weekend: Relay Fun (with linky)

My Children mostly participate in individual sports. Even at the young ages of 8 and 7, my daughters seem to place quite a bit of pressure on themselves to perform well. There is a real focus on individual technique, performance and achieving personal bests.

I truly believe that stepping up to the challenge of individual sport has many benefits for building confidence and character. However, The fun and enjoyment from their individual sports often seems to come from their results: swimming a good time, rather than actually enjoying the process of competing in the sport itself.  I wonder if perhaps they are missing out on some of the  fun, friendships, camaraderie, and team building that can be obtained from team sports.

Today, the girls swam in the Speedo Sprints Relay Carnival. The atmosphere at the pool was simply amazing and infectious. When the older kids swam their relay events the noise level in the pool was absolutely off the scale! It was hard not to smile and cheer at the fingernail biting closeness of some of the relay’s. The joy on the kids faces was priceless. Listening to our club members cheer for my little girls brought tears to my eyes!

Although swimming is not a team sport, I think relay events are the next best thing. The spirit of  camaraderie was there for all to see. The best part of the event was that the kids really seemed to be having fun!

Interestingly, many of the competitors swam personal best times as part of their relay teams. I wonder if taking some of the individual pressure and expectation off, or the added motivation to perform well for your team was responsible.

I think that in youth sport, it is important not to measure success just by winning or doing personal bests. In the relay competition today, the relay teams my girls were in did not receive any medals. However. The day was a resounding success as the girls were able to really have fun, enjoy swimming and enjoy competing with their friends.

 The relay carnival was so important today because ultimately I aim to make my children’s youth sports experience fun and fulfilling. In making sport enjoyable and fun, I believe I am giving them every chance to participate in an active lifestyle for life.

 I’d just like to add that my oldest daughter, Flash (8) participated in the Speedo Sprints Heats as well. This was a individual competition to select swimmers to represent the ACT at a NSW state swimming competition; The Speedo Sprint Finals, next month at Sydney Olympic park (SOPAC). I am quite excited to say that Flash was selected to be part of the ACT team. She is just so thrilled and proud of the opportunity to represent the ACT and swim at SOPAC. She also can’t wait to get her team uniform!  I will let you know how it goes!

If your children have participated in a youth sport this weekend, please consider adding your blog post to the link at the bottom of the page. My aim for ‘Youth Sport Weekend’ is to build a community of supportive parents to encourage and motivate each other to involve their children in a youth sport or active lifestyle.

Special Chicken Soup (Hand Written)

I first came across this wonderful warming and rejuvenating soup one very, very miserable day.

All 5 members of the sporty family had been struck down with gastro…..all at the same time. I discovered it takes amazing strength of will to look after and clean up after a child, when you just need want to lie down and suffer.

Our kind neighbors knocked on the door and delivered a pot of amazing chicken soup. The soup and the kindness that delivered it was a life saver….It was our “Fresh Horses to Ride” .

My neighbor has since given me the recipe and it has become a staple in our house. Particularly on cold, rainy nights, or when somebody is feeling a little poorly.

In support and solidarity with one simply amazing and inspirational blogger; Edenland (and because I know what it’s like to be swinging in the breeze!). I have decided to join with the Fresh Horse Brigade (or perhaps the Fresh Horse Stampede) and  I have hand written the recipe.

Please forgive my many spelling mistakes, I am a simply awful speller. I fail miserably in the style department as I’ve never learnt how to do lovely cursive writing.  I was never the sort of girl that dotted my 'i' with a heart. I couldn’t even find nice stationary and had to use a piece of copy paper. I guess I just am what I am….

I hope you enjoy the recipe anyway.....

Funnily enough...most of my recipes are written by me, just like this!

There are many more hand written blog posts here, at the Fresh Horses Brigade.

Flowers in the Rain

Like many parts of Australia, we have had unrelenting rain for the last 3 days. At this point, the ground seems saturated and the water is just running off the earth in torrents. Regions in North West NSW are being evacuated and are facing major flooding.

These photos were taken this afternoon in our mostly Australian Native Garden

Pandora Climber

Pendulum rain drop

Grevillia

Wax Flower

Leptospermin

Rose from our neighbors garden

Rain drops...the spider web makes this raindrop resemble a cut diamond!

Our driveway

Flowers on Saturday, Weekend Flowers and Macro Flower Saturday and for the first time at
Floral Friday Fotos

Come and have a look at some breathtaking flower photogrphy from all over the world!

Friday Fences: Wattamolla

Last week's Friday Fences post was all about the fence...This week, it's more what you can see through the fence!

The Royal National Park in Southern Sydney is Australia's oldest National Park and the second oldest in the world (after Yellowstone in the USA). It is hard to believe that there is such a beautiful place right in Australia's biggest city! Wattamolla beach is one of our families favorite places. It is full of history too because GrumpyDaddy's family also visited there many times when he was growing up.

To get to the beach, there is a lovely walk along the edge of the lagoon.

There is the option of swimming in the lagoon, or braving the surf!!

The fence and warning signs are supposed to act as a deterrent to stop people from jumping into the lagoon from the top of the waterfall. If you look at the top right, you will see that these measures were not enough to deter everyone.

We  last visited Watamala after my kids first taste at' high patform ocean diving' at Watson's bay. As the bigger kids were jumping into the lagoon, I could see my children watching them; the wheels turning in their  little heads, begging the question...".maybe we could".....

........"not a chance!!".....

For Friday Fences I'm linking up to Life According to Jan and Jer for Friday Fences. Come accross and see some beautiful photography from all over the world!

Augmented Communication.......Reluctantly!

Yesterday was just one of THOSE days. …..

Buster, my 4 year-old son,  had a long noisy tantrum in the school supply shop. For some reason, it seems all Canberra schools have opted to have their book packs supplied by one small store, which was packed to overflowing. The cue was snaking out the door…There wasn’t even enough room in the isles for two people top pass each other. …and there was Buster, on the floor, screaming , sobbing, shouting, because He wasn’t getting the same school supplies as the girls (although his book-pack was waiting at the counter).

………Not being one to give up easily, I then went off to the shoe shop for tantrum number 2! It wasn’t just an ordinary shoe shop though, I was buying the girls shoes for upcoming athletics competitions…he tried some plain runners on, but they didn’t have a pair of shoes in the shop that fit buster. He even refused to give back the shop’s socks! The young athletic staff and clientele of the sports footwear establishment, couldn’t get us out of there fast enough!

Because I had promised Buster I would buy him a pair of shoes at a different shoe shop, off  we went, But I didn’t buy him shoes. No, I bought him an iPod touch!

This is where we get to the real reason behind my difficult day. You see at speech pathology on Tuesday, Buster attempted to relate the story of his racing debut to his therapist, complete with a determined theatrical re-enactment!......

……….She couldn’t understand a single word and promptly decided that Buster required augmented communication.

She disappeared into her office and brought back a flip book with big exaggerated stick-figure-like pictures for Buster. All I could think of was that little kid in the movie ‘Witness’, mutely pointing to pictures of his mum and dad. I just didn’t want that for my son. I didn’t want him to be that kid with the flip book tired around his neck at preschool, pointing to me.

The speech therapist also recommended an iPad or an iPod touch and a program called Tap-2-talk.

I am intensely worried about augmented communication. I don’t want him to become reliant on it at the expense of his own communication. And I don’t want him signaled out as the different kid on his first day at preschool.

However, I also don’t want buster to get frustrated with his inability to communicate (or the inability of strangers to understand him). I don’t want him spiraling off into a tantrum like he did at the shops out of frustration. I don’t want him to shut down and stop trying,  just giving up.

I desperately want him to remain the enthusiastic, charming, funny, loving little boy that his family knows…

After talking to a parent of a child who has autism and a teacher, both recommended purchasing an iPod.

So there I was, reluctantly buying my son an iPod touch. I wasn’t feeling reluctant because I was spending money we don’t really have (an iPad at 3x price is way out of the question).

I wasn’t feeling reluctant because only days previously I firmly believed a 4 year old had no business owning such a piece of technology.  

I wasn’t feeling reluctant because he’d spent the morning having tantrums (well, maybe a little reluctant).

I was reluctant because I needed to admit to myself that my son has a big problem that, will not be fixed before he starts preschool next week. I had to admit that Buster required augmented communication.

So today, after accepting the obvious, I am going to focus on the things I am thankful for. I am thankful that buster is receiving therapy and is making slow progress, but progress nonetheless.

I am thankful I was able to buy buster an iPod touch (or alt least the credit card could). I know that many family’s couldn’t. He is already learning to use tap-2-talk with the help of his enthusiastic big sister. I hope the iPod touch will give him confidence and the ability to communicate at preschool if he needs it.

Finally I am thankful for my little man. His bubbly personality, his enthusiasm, his unrelenting desire to be a big kid, his excitement at getting his own iPod touch. His relationship with his sisters and his family, his look to me for approval, the way he says mummeee….I truly wouldn’t swap him for the world!

For Thankful Thursday, I am linking up with the wonderful Kate at Kate says stuff . Come and see what other inspirational bloggers are thankful for!