September 5, 2021 - Sunday (335/365)


Day 335 of my 365 Photo Journal

We spent the morning at home, just taking it easy and relaxing a bit. Later in the afternoon, I took Jonas and Clemi to see Jungle Cruise at the movie theater, which was VERY action packed and fun. Clemi was too scared though and said she didn't like the movie. 

Ben and I have been struggling with how to handle some of our kids' more frustrating behaviors, like disobeying us, acting ungrateful, huffing and puffing when we tell them they have to do something, and fighting with each other. Today, we decided to have a little family meeting and talk to them about how we're feeling. We talked about how much we really want them to be happy, but we need them to respect us and listen to us in turn. I have no idea if the idea really got across. Jonas seemed to grasp everything pretty well, but Clemi seemed to just be waiting for her turn to complain about how sad she's been lately. And yes, that is a problem (not one I know how to fix), but it wasn't exactly the point. We also came up with some new repercussions for their bad behaviors, which I unfortunately already had to dole out to Clemi today...ALL OF THEM! I couldn't believe it. We have this long talk and within a few hours, Clemi outright ignores a request I make to her and hurts Ruby twice! I think if Ben and I can stay consistent though, it'll really pay off and help get the kids to realize we're serious about this. 

I'm posting some photos from a few days ago when we played out front. I love the chalk outlines the girls were doing. :)




 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

May 3, 2025 - Saturday

Image
What a day! It literally rained from start to finish, but we packed as much into it as we possibly could! We had a great time visiting and hanging out. We had a fire and lots of great meals *brushes shoulder off*. The kids played well together and, as far as I know, there wasn't any drama! It was a bit exhausting, but I'm so glad that this retreat went well. Last year's was a bit of a bomb, with all the childcare drama happening behind the scenes. I feel like last year's retreat was a pre-cursor to our deciding to move away. Not that they actually had anything to do with one another, but they happened in such close succession that they seem related in retrospect. I drank a bit too much tonight and had a really fun time singing songs, while Tony played the guitar. Man, I wish I had talent with instruments!
Read more

November 9, 2025 - Sunday

Image
This is my favorite picture from the whole shoot!! I love it.  We went to CT this morning and I actually got to sit in on the teaching! Woo! It feels like that doesn't happen very often. We hung out in the cafe with friends for a little bit, then went to Chipotle for lunch on the way home.  We spent most of the day just relaxing! I started a photo book for our Maine vaca in September, and tried to get caught up with some other stuff, but it was mostly just a chill day. Jonas and Clem went to group and we stayed home, chillin'. Ben and I got in the hot tub with Ruby and Ollie for a little while, which was fun. It was snowing while we were in there!  
Read more

November 24, 2025 - Monday

Image
Today was a very rough day for me. It's not like everything went wrong, I just really struggled to manage my emotions. I had to run out, first thing, to get my pick-up order because there were things in it that we needed for breakfast. Then, somehow, we didn't get school started until almost 9:30. I started with Ruby and Ollie, as usual, and decided to check in with Ollie while I was reading. Okay, related side note, Ruby can't stand it when I ask Ollie questions and not her. But the thing is, Ruby remembers EVERYTHING she hears. She learns super well by just plain old listening. If I ask her questions, she answers them correctly and I never get to gauge whether or not Ollie is learning. She also always blurts out answers because she's so afraid I won't give her an opportunity to show us all how much she is learning. And I get it! She wants praise and to show me that she's a good student and she's learning. I understand. But, because of her constant eagernes...
Read more