Gum, it's not just for soccer anymore and Letter Overload

Since the gum worked so well with soccer, we decided to try it with reading.  Doodle is very self-conscious and sensitive, so when we are reading when she comes to a word she doesn't know, she starts to tear up.  The new bribe rule is that if she reads her decodable books without crying, she gets a piece of gum.  Works like a charm.  Soon I'll be asking for cures for gum in the hair, gum on the clothes, etc.

In other news, the magical unicorn seems to be working.  Moo wears it to school everyday and we're up to 12 days in a row without crying.

As for the Newbie, she's doing great.  She's now obsessed with the mouse in Goodnight Moon.  She scours the pages looking for the "teeny tiny mousy" or TTM.  And she says it in the cutest little voice.  It's the Newbie's new nickname:  Teeny Tiny Mousy, or TTM for short.  I'm currently scrapping the Elmo idea for Halloween and am in search of a "Teeny Tiny Mousy" costume in a size 18-24 months.  I'd appreciate leads.  I'm not having much luck.

Our TTM  is also obsessed with this DVD. We bought this one and "Meet the Sight Words" for the Doodle since she is such a visual learner.  We put the "Meet the Letters" DVD on the other day and she (TTM) is literally obsessed.  While I see the educational value and know that the DVD is better than other cartoons, it is SO boring it makes me want to stick a fork in my eye. Repeatedly. The DVD consists of animated letters, uppercase and lowercase doing an activity while saying their name, "A......A......A."  Seriously, when you get to Z your head is ready to explode.  Also, all the letters are doing an activity that matches their letter; i.e. D is dancing, N is napping,  H is a house, etc.  G, well, G is in a baby pool with a snorkel.  If any of you have any ideas, I'm open to hearing them.  It drives me nuts and it drove Mary Poppins nuts, too to wonder what in the heck that wacko G was supposed to be doing--and we've watched this DVD so many times we had plenty of time to ponder the G.  By the end of Doodle's time with the DVD we were/are quite hostile towards G.

We do no TV or screen time at least two weeknights a week and last night was one of those nights.  TTM lost it.  "Letters.  Letters please.  Letters please MOMMA.  I WANT LETTERS TV NOW!"  It was ugly.  Full blown temper tantrum.

In a desperate attempt to save my sanity and Hoosier Girl's sanity, we bought "Meet the Colors" and "Meet the Numbers." No dice.  TTM's only obsessed with the letters.  On the up side, she is really learning her letters.

So that's it.  Our lives in a nutshell-- gum, unicorns and letters.  I'm sure you're all jealous.

Motivation, No. Gum, Yes!!

(photo credit: popsop.com)

The Doodle lacks a certain motivation, a "fire in the belly" if you will.  For example, she likes soccer.  She likes to practice soccer.  She LOVES her red soccer shoes.  She goes willingly to her soccer games. She knows defense and offense and that the goalie can use her hands inside the box.  She can see where the ball is going and is among the pack of kids around the ball.  However, in the games that I watched, I never saw her actually kick the ball.  What's worse is that she galloped or even pranced to it, not always going at full speed.  The Doodle twirled her hair.  She ran to the ball and would then chill out like, "What ball? I wasn't really going to kick it, I was just getting close to it."  This drove me NUTS.  She was a bit afraid, but mostly she didn't seem to want to do it.  This year especially, she was one of the taller kids, so she really didn't have much to fear.

I am not competitive in a mean spirited sort of way, but I am a fairly motivated person.  I played competitive sports--well, volleyball and tennis and competitive badminton, if that counts (and in my mind it does).  When I want something, there are no limits to the lists and planning and effort I will put in to get what I want.  Doodle and I are alike, very much so, except for this one fact. Oh, that and the fact that she's way more girly than I am.  If there is something else I cannot stand, it is a wimpy girly-girl.  I was so fired up about this soccer thing and trying not to show it.

At first, I solved the problem by avoiding the games when I could.  We had the "give it your best" talk and the "support your team" talk.  Nothing.  Then I was talking to some folks at work.  "Bribery," they said.  "Nothing big, like a DS game, but something small, like candy or gum."  Hmmm, I thought.  Gum.  Doodle loves gum.

So two weeks ago, I told her that I would give her a stick of gum every time she touched a ball and a whole pack of gum if she scored a goal.  I even bought the gigantic size of her favorite gum at Cost*o.  I was ready.  Then, we had a rain out.

Last Saturday though, was the first outing with the gum.  I began to feel guilty.  Why I am I bribing her to do something she should want to do?  I did ask her if she liked soccer and she said "yes"(emphatically).  What to do?

Well, TEN sticks of gum later, she had a great game.  Doodle did so well her coach had her on middle forward on offense most of the time.  I've been trying to emphasize how much fun soccer is when you touch the ball.

For now, it worked.  I'm going to have to figure out if I'm comfortable with the bribe.  After the game, Moo asked if she could try soccer next year.  Was it the fun or the gum?

Why? Why?

Last night, the Newbie put three un-popped popcorn kernels up her nose. One in one nostril, two in the other. I was not prepared for this.

That is all.

Dinner Conversation, Glitter Edition

Me: Moo, I'm surprised you want to be Cleopatra this year for Halloween. Why did you make that choice?

Moo: Well, she has a beautiful dress and a sparkly necklace and jewelry.

Me: I'm just surprised that you don't want to be Darth Vader again.

Moo: He just doesn't have enough glitter. He's just not sparkly enough.

Me: We could put some sparkly glitter on his electronic pad in the front....

Moo: He just doesn't wear enough jewelry. He needs more jewels and sparkle.

Me: Oh.

Some chewing, some thrown food from the Newbie.....

Me: For one year, could we all dress up for Halloween as a family? With a theme?

Dan: That would make your mom very happy, guys. She loves a theme. Maybe we could all be characters from Clone Wars.

Doodle: I know, we can wrap the Newbie in toilet paper, and sprinkle her in green glitter like dirt! She can be a mummy and Moo and I can both be Cleopatra.

Me: That's not exactly what I had in mind.

The power of the magical unicorn

One of my favorite things about my job is that there are many professional women who are also moms. They have given me amazing advice about various kid issues and negotiating the mine field that is stay at home moms vs. working moms in elementary school.

Moobear is having a hard time now at school. Despite the fact that her first week was amazing, last week and this week she cries every morning. She tells me that she misses me at school. And that she only has 2 friends at recess and she wants 5. Sigh. I expected this from Doodle, but not my outgoing Moo.

I spoke with one of the moms at my firm on Friday, and she told me that I needed an "imp." She had a tiny pin, the "imp," that her great grandfather brought back from India during the war. She made up the legend of the imp such that it kept her great grandfather safe during the war. It, follows, then that if the imp could keep her great grandfather safe during the war, it could also help her son get through giving a speech at school.

I decided that we would have a magical unicorn. I was obsessed with unicorns as a child. I had unicorn posters and even a giant stuffed unicorn. I even received a gold unicorn pendant as a gift from my godmother, Auntie Angie.

I searched on Friday, and found a similar, if not the same, pendant. I ordered Moo her own, but today sent her off with my pendant around her neck. I lied told her that I received the unicorn as a gift when I started a new school and that it helped me with my fear. "This unicorn has magical powers. It will help you get through the day. See, it has a star on it to show how magical this is. It is very special to me, so don't lose it."

It is special to me, that much is true. I couldn't believe at the time that my Aunt had found such a beautiful pendant. I probably received it when I was 12 or 13 and I've kept it all these years. I even wear it from time to time.

I guess I'll know at the end of the day if it worked or not. If not, we'll be the mom and the sobbing daughter at drop-off wearing matching unicorn pendants.