Swimming Lessons 2012

We have been taking swimming lessons at the Houston Swim Club for several years now. We usually go for an initial two week everyday session and have sometimes continued for awhile after that. We do not go through the summer or year round. We just take some lessons to give us a jump start before summer. I know my children would progress much faster if we went year round, but it has been exciting to see them improve from year to year. Lauren is a strong swimmer now and is just continuing to work up through the levels and different strokes. Each year it seems that I am either pregnant, bringing a new baby or putting a new swimmer in the water. This year Abbie Joy is our new swimmer. She was very excited to join the ranks of the big kids in our family . We have a problem though. She told me tonight, "Would I please tell her teacher that she does not know how to blow bubbles?" This was pretty funny coming from a three year old. She had thought it through and decided that Mama should just have a chat with him. When I explained that none of her classmates knew how to blow bubbles but they were there to learn.......the teacher would teach them....etc........she started crying. She cried and worried and worked herself up about it at bedtime of course. We finally just turned to the Lord and asked Him to give her courage. I have a feeling we may struggle a little over the next few days. Apparently she was not completely comfortable with the lesson today and what was expected of her. I feel confident about a positive outcome, however, because she has the same teacher that has been teaching our children year after year. He does a fantastic job. I have watched him year after year deal with crying children with kind and caring leadership. He is fully in control and yet builds relationship and earns their trust. I am so thankful the Lord allowed Abbie Joy to get this teacher. The Lord knew she was going to be fearful. I think by the end of her two week session she will be very enthusiastic and pleased with her progress.

More on Chore Packs

As I shared in the last post we are busily working on training the children to do daily responsibilities. We are using the chore pack system as explained in the book, "Managers of Their Chores." The chore packs are filled with sequenced task cards that direct the children to do everything from getting dressed, brushing teeth, etc. to household chores. This last week Lauren learned to clean out and organize our fridge. It was wonderful to see her training Abbie Joy to work beside her. She had her little sister carrying things to the counter as she emptied the fridge. I was also encouraged to see Lauren's good sense in how she organized our food categories. After the girls finished the fridge they all found their places on the floor to work puzzles. I love sister pictures where all four girls are together. Lest all of this look too simple let me assure you that we are working VERY hard at this system. I am having to encourage the children along and show/inspect them in how chores are done properly. Honestly it is sometimes easier to do things myself, but I'm thinking about the long road ahead and how great it will be to have children who know how to work hard!!! This will pay off when they are older and have families of their own. We are laboring hard through this process, but I think it is worth the effort.

Working on our Chores

Our family has been working on implementing a new chore system. It is from the book "Managers of Their Chores."
The book shows you how to set up individual chore packs for each child to help them move through their daily responsibilities. This past week was our first week with our new chore packs, and I know it will be an ongoing process of training the children and tweaking things as we go. It helps us, however, to have some kind of a plan in place. It is good for the children to learn to be more self sufficient in moving through their day. It has also been encouraging to see Annagrace and Lauren helping Abbie Joy learn to use her chore pack. Here are pictures of the children with their packs and learning to do some household responsibilities.

Sister Dresses

One thing we are focusing on around our home is following routines and training the older ones to help the younger ones. Even Annagrace got practice at this the other morning. I asked her to help Abbie Joy put on her dress. They went upstairs together, and to my delight they both came back dressed. I think Annagrace was happy that she had been able to help Abbie Joy. When a family reaches our size and everyone is home all day everyday learning teamwork is a must. I did way too much for Lauren and Gabriel just because I could. There simply is not enough of me to do everything anymore. I think it is healthy for everyone to learn to work and help one another. Annagrace and Abbie Joy are growing up in a different environment than Lauren and Gabriel for that very reason. They both love to help and to be praised for their work. Sometimes it is easier to try to do it all myself, but in the long run it is much more efficient to teach everyone to work hard and have a servants heart towards their family. Some days are better than others, but we are working very hard at this.