Mrs. Larson, her great teacher of one year!
Before the recital...nervous, but ready.
Sydney with Grandma and Grandpa Mathews. Grandma and Grandpa Cazier were there too but had to leave early for a funeral.(June 5, 2002 Anderson age 6)
Mom “Grandpa Mathews called and wants to know if you and Cayden want to make some money this summer.”
Anderson “Sure, we could do that. It’s made out of paper. I just don’t know if we have the right color.”
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December 2006 Sydney age 5
OK, so Sydney was driving me absolutely nuts with her out of nowhere oddball questions! I decided to take a different approach (I was completely ignoring her or shrugging the questions off with an "I dunno"). I began to write her questions down but sad to say many of them were still answered with "I dunno". But really...is there any other way to answer some of these!?
What happens to the sun when it gets really windy?
When were you last married?
Why do we wear underwear?
Would you still choke on a toy if you chewed it up first?
Does that long stick thing in your body hold up your brain?
If people are frozen can they still move their eyes?
If Anderson died with his cap on would we leave it on or take it off?
(Plunking on the lower keys at the end of the piano) Are these keys to play bad music?
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(Cayden age 4 or 5)
When Cayden was little he was crying and when I asked him what was wrong he said that he didn't know what he was going to be when he grew up. I told him that was fine, he had a long time to think about it.
Cayden: No..Alex already knows what she is going to be.
Amy;: She does? What is she going to be?
Cayden: (still sobbing) A shark!
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(January 15, 2002 Cayden age 4)
As he was throwing up with the flu…
“When I threw up my flu shot came out.”
After nearly 14 years of trying charts, lists, and all kinds of bribery I think we have finally found a cleaning system that works for the Cazier family. We have used the new "chart" for several months now and the "newness" has not worn off. I have to give full credit to John since he was the mastermind behind the idea.
Each Monday a new piece of paper is taped up in the kitchen with the words "KEEPIN' IT CLEAN" at the top. Below these hopeful words are the following:
Anderson $10.00 Cayden $10.00 Sydney $10.00
Each of the kids has the opportunity to earn $10.00 each and every week of the month. "Holy Cow," you say? Yes, that is a lot of money. But we have yet to pay out $30 in one week...far from it. Every time mom or dad has to "pick up" after one of the kids they lose a dollar. For example, if I go into the New Room and gather up Anderson's socks, baseball hat and an X-Box Controller--Cha Ching...he just lost $3.00 and is down to $7.00 just like that.
The only rules are:
1. The item has to be picked up and put away by mom or dad to be deducted off the list. We can't say, "Sydney pick up your coat" and then charge her $1.00.
2. Books do not count. If you leave your book on the couch to read later that is perfectly fine, but Sydney isn't allowed to leave an entire stack of Little Critters on the floor...Novels only.
3. If your bed isn't made and your room needs tidying mom will charge a $1.00 cleaning fee.
4. Arguing will only cause mom or dad to deduct another dollar.
5. No adding money onto your list if you find something of mom's or dad's lying around.
I love this system. Not only do my kids have the chance to make some money but on the way to church every Sunday we figure out how much tithing they need to pay for the week.
The house stays clean.
The kids make money.
The kids pay tithing every week.
There is no whining! I just deduct a dollar and jot down the item that cost them their precious money. I don't care if they don't pick it up, I put it away and it saves me $1.00...a dollar that they want!
All it takes is a quick reminder in the morning, "Do you want to pay mom $1.00 to clean your room today?" or "Better take a quick peek around the house to see if Mom's gonna make some cash today." Just watch them scramble.
I LOVE IT!
Exactly 2 seconds after this photo was taken Branson was bucked off the Little Red Pony.Dinner time means crazy time. Homework, Piano practice, basketball practice and tennis practice, fussy time for toddlers (and moms) and everyone is hungry. Trying to make dinner between 4:00 and 5:00 is pretty near impossible. My first thought was that I would make dinner earlier in the day, that didn't last long. I have finally found two things that work for me.
So Washington State has been working towards banning the sales of any dishwasher detergent that is not completely environmentally safe. They started a test run in the Spokane area and only Green detergents can be sold. The complaint is that non of them work and the dishes are coming out with gunky food and crud still glued to them. Well Branson has come up with the perfect detergent. Made of all natural materials and quick dissolving we introduce you to......
