Revolutionary Reward System For My Family

I was perusing the pictures of Pinterest a few nights ago and came across a phrase that just got my mind reeling. It was a phrase I’ve wanted to hear in my home for years… I just never realized it. Instead my mind had been focused on the phrases I didn’t want to hear. You know what I’m talking about, the ones you can’t seem to get away from: “No!” “Do I have to?” “Oh man!” “Ugh! I hate doing that!” “Again?” “I don’t want to!” “No thanks!” You get the idea. The phrase that I could tell would fix all of the negative phrases, the phrase I saw on Pinterest, was, “I’d love to!” It was simple, but beautiful and dare I say, revolutionary.

Don’t get me wrong, my kids are good helpers--they always have been. Eventually they do what I ask them to do, even if it takes a little (or a lot) of prodding on my part. They are still young (10, 8, 2, & 6 months), so they are still teachable. And this lesson just needed to be taught. I usually talk to my hubby about systems for changing behavior before I implement them to make sure we’re on the same page (believe me, we’ve had a lot over the years). But this idea was so straightforward and wonderful that I implemented it right there and then.

I pulled out a dollar store plastic Halloween jar with a lid that I’d been storing on the topmost shelf of my pantry for years, some black construction paper, tape, scissors and chalk. I wet the chalk to make the color show up better and wrote the phrase twice: “I’d Love To!” Then I taped the sign on either side of the jar (covering the cartoon ghosts on the side of the jar), leaving a space so the kids can see how full the jar is. I only had a few puff balls on hand, but decided that if the jar worked I’d buy more from the Dollar Store. After all of that work I got this:

Now, the Pinterest link didn’t work, so I had to think up my own system, but it didn’t take long. Basically after being asked to do something if my kids respond immediately with, “I’d love to!” they get a puff ball in the jar. When we fill the entire jar with puff balls I will make them their favorite treat (their choice this time--No Bake Cheesecake with Golden Oreo Cookie Crust). I figure it will take at least a week to fill the entire jar.

Now, my boy can find the loophole to every system I come up with, so we had to set some

Ground Rules

1. They have to smile when they say, “I’d love to!” No frowny faces or grouchy voices.

2. “I’d love to!” has to be the first thing out of their mouth--no complaints at all.

3. They only get the puff ball after completing the task they’ve agreed to do.

4. They can’t volunteer the “I’d love to.” They have to be asked to do something and respond with “I’d love to.” None of this, “I’d love to play with the Guinea Pigs” stuff.

5. The puff ball is earned if I only have to ask once.

Things I’ve learned

1. It’s a whole lot easier to get an “I’d love to” when I ask politely.

2. It’s a lot easier to ask politely if I know I’m going to get a happy and polite response like, “I’d love to!”

3. If my children ask me politely to help them, I can answer, “I’d love to!” and get a puff ball in the jar. Thus earning a piece of the treat for myself, while helping everyone get to the goal faster. If I ever learned anything from Mary Kay it was how to work win-win. So it helps motivate my kids to speak to me politely in the first place.

4. “I love that dinner” has been added as a way to earn puff balls. Seriously, not having to worry about, “That’s the worst dinner ever!” makes the jar even better! Not only that, my kids are the ones who implemented this change.

5. The kids are looking for ways for me to ask them to do things so they can say, “I’d love to!” How cool is that?

6. Just like any type of disciplinary system I need to be consistent and notice whenever the kids say, “I’d love to!” Really though, it’s hard not to notice since those words were not a part of my kid’s vocabulary. It’s surprising every time and, may I add, lovely.

7. It is helpful for me to point out when the kids could have used the “I’d love to!” jar and encourage them to use it next time.

We’re on Day 2 of this system, but up to this point my home is a better place all around! I love talking to my kids again and I no longer cringe every time I ask for help. It is teaching us all a better way of communicating with each other. I love it!

Packing Tape Solution

Okay, this is a bit of a random post, but I thought of this great idea the other day while I was helping at my children's elementary school. I was using some packing tape to repair some damaged folders and I kept losing my place on the tape. I didn't want to fold over the end of the tape, because I was continually using it and I didn't want to have to waste the tape. If I kept my place with the scissors, they'd just get sticky and hard to use. It was becoming quite bothersome, so I decided to keep my place with a paperclip. End result? No more frustration!

Chocolate Chip Meltaway Cookies (Egg-Free)

I'm not sure the exact title of these cookies, but it seems only fitting. I got this recipe from a cornstarch website and it has been awesome. These are succulent to all who try them, allergies or no. This is the recipe I've used for two years in replacement of regular Chocolate Chip cookies. The end result is not even close to a real Chocolate Chip cookie, but is uniquely delicious. I remove them right at the 10 minute mark to keep the cookie soft and extra luscious, although they are a little more brittle at this stage so make sure to cool completely. If you cook for longer, they have a slight crunch to them, but immediately melt away as you eat.

Chocolate Chip Meltaway Cookies

Ingredients:

1 c. flour

1/2 c. corn starch

1/2 c. powdered sugar

3/4 c. (1 1/2 sticks) butter

1 tsp pure vanilla extract (or vanilla bean paste)

1/2 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

Combine flour, corn starch and powdered sugar in a medium bowl and set aside.

Beat butter in a large bowl with mixer at medium speed until smooth. Add flour mixture and vanilla; beat well until blended. Fold in chocolate chips with a spoon. (If necessary, refrigerate dough 30 min. to 1 hr. or until easy to handle.)

Preheat oven to 350 F. Shape dough into 1-in dough balls. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheet; flatten slightly with a floured fork.

Bake 10-12 min. or when edges are lightly browned. Remove; cool completely on wire racks. Store in a tightly covered container. Can be frozen. 

Oreo Truffles

  These are commonly referred to as "Oreo Balls," but the writer in me will not allow the title stand. I need something that sounds as delicious as these sweet balls of goodness are. Therefore, I give you:  Oreo Truffles. These are perfect gift for anyone you know that has nut or egg allergies. With three ingredients, they are so easy to make. Warning: these can be addictive.

Oreo Truffles

Ingredients:

1-21 oz. pkg. Regular Oreos (with filling), crushed or processed in food processor

1- 8oz. block of cream cheese*, softened

Melted Chocolate for dipping (any variety)

*or Neufchatel Cheese (for a lower fat option)

Directions:

Combine Oreo crumbs and cream cheese in food mixer until mixed completely.

Roll with your hands into small balls and placed on waxed paper. If dough is too sticky, place in refrigerator for 30 minutes to an hour and then roll into balls. 

Dip balls in chocolate and allow excess chocolate to drip off. 

Allow truffles to dry on waxed paper. Transfer to an airtight container and store in refrigerator or freezer.

Delicious cold, frozen or room temperature.

Perfect Egg-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

      Inspired to do some baking magic, I attempted for a fourth time to create the perfect Egg-free Chocolate Chip Cookie. It was divine inspiration--no doubt. My seven year old son is allergic to nuts, eggs, and pet dander (not that you can cook with that). Anyway, it is difficult to find sweet treats that do not contain eggs. I have a couple I really enjoy (and will post recipes of those as well), but this one I figured out on my own and the results were amazing! I'm not a fantastic photographer, so there are yet to be pictures posted. But I will remedy that situation soon. Here is the recipe:

Perfect Egg-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:  

2 1/4 c unbleached flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 c butter (no substitutes)

3/4 c granulated sugar

3/4 c packed brown sugar

1-2 tsp pure vanilla extract

2 c chocolate chips

Egg Substitute:

1 tsp unflavored gelatin

3 Tbsp cold water

2 Tbsp plus 1 tsp boiling water

Directions:

Begin by making Egg substitute: combine gelatin with cold water, constantly stirring. Add hot water and stir together. Check throughout the mixing process so the gelatin doesn't set completely.

Combine flour, baking soda and salt in a small bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla in a large mixer bowl until creamy. Add egg substitute and beat well. Gradually add flour mixture. Stir in chocolate chips. Drop by the spoonful onto an ungreased baking sheet.  

Bake at 350 for 10-13 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheets, then remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Butterfly Nursery

I started the redecorating of Heather's room first. I wish I would have taken before shots, but here are my unprofessional after shots. In this room I had a lot of help. Another wonderful neighbor of mine, Melissa, helped me with the name in vinyl. I used a stencil from JoAnn to trace the butterfly bodies. I cut out, painted and pinned the butterflies to the wall. Straight pins hold the butterfly wings off the wall to make them appear more 3-D. 

In the corner I made a mobile out of circles of scrapbook paper, held together by jump rings. I decorated the mobile with smaller cutouts of butterflies.

My talented sister, Andrea, made the curtains. She added dark brown ribbon bows to accent the fabric loops.

After 9 years I decided to re-cover my highly stained and dirty $80 glider chair and footrest from Toys R Us. With the help of my fantastic mother and sister we were able to finish the job.

Angry Birds Themed Bedroom

      I have been working on redecorating my daughter's attic space bedroom. She's 8 years old and loves Angry Birds apparently. I don't see her play it often, but when I asked her how she wanted her room decorated that was her first request. I put it off for months... mostly because I was busy, but I seriously thought she'd change her mind. Of course she didn't. So my next problem was overcoming the problem that she's a girly girl (though she won't admit it) and the fact that Angry Birds is in no way girly. So I had to really put two things together (without drawing bows on the bird's heads) and hope they'd come together well. Another obstacle to overcome was the knowledge that Angry Birds won't always be in style, so maybe in 5 years she'll be sick of it.
Here are the before pictures:

I repainted the space a beautiful custom shade of blue in three tiers, brushing the lines between each tier to give it a feathery blend between the lines. Then I started work on the birds themselves. Each bird, between free hand drawing on a piece of paper, outlining the stencil and redrawing on the wall to actual painting took me about 3 hours. Take note I am discovering new talents and trying new things--I have NEVER drawn Angry Birds in my life or painted murals on a wall before. I do not claim to be a majorly talented artist, so keep that in mind. Here is what the paintings look like:

Thanks to the input of my daughter and my husband we have a fairly interesting mural, that only took two months to finish (thanks to my baby and other projects)! Thank goodness this painting will last longer than a few months. If she gets bored with it in the next year or two she's just going to have to deal with it. Next project please!