My mom once told me that when we were growing up we were never allowed to have snacks in the car. She said some days she could have really used the snacks to keep us entertained. However, after spending three hours cleaning out, vacuuming out, scrubbing the carpet and wiping the van down I understand why my dad did not want snacks in the car.
As many fruit loops as Maddie eats I think I swept up an equal amount. I found sucker sticks and wrappers. You name if the kids eat it I found a wrapper or residue of it in the van. By the end of my three hour discovery adventure, I had two of the 4 gallon trash bags full of junk, paper towels and Clorox wipes.
I have learned from Maddie's therapist that if I feed fruit loops through a pipe cleaner and twist it into a circle I accomplish two things. One this is good therapy for Maddie as far as her learning how to manipulate her mouth around the fruit loops she has to eat them off. Two, the only fruit loops that spill on to the floor are the ones that fall as she bites them off, less spillage. Needless to say the extra few minutes it takes me at the table to feed the cereal through the pipe cleaners, priceless.
Katie and Jack are another story. I have to be smarter then they are and some days this is no small task. They get suckers as prizes from the treasure box, I need to remember to confiscate them. Otherwise even if I tell them no as I am driving down the road I see from the rear view mirror eating that same sucker. When we are going to be gone for a few hours running errands I have to make sure they are well fed before we leave. If a snack is required I need to make sure it is one they really enjoy so that I only have to worry about what they did with the wrapper.
Something I have been pushing with Katie and Jack is making them take whatever they put in the car back out when we get home. If they refuse I threaten to throw it in the garbage. Yes they come back running back really fast if they think it is going in the garbage. Some days it just gets so exhausting, I feel like I am always threatening them with something to get them to cooperate.
Each day is different and I never know what they will dream up to test me. I was once accused of being too strict and militaristic with my children because we have no TV nights. We do reading, art or all play together. I have also discovered that Katie is one of the few kindergartners that can read. Don't get me wrong she is not reading novels, but the books she is sent home with, for homework, that is her grade level she can read.
Even better is that Katie is reading to Jack. Jack will sit next to us while we are working on the books. He is such a sponge. He is shouting out the answers before she does. Sometimes I have to tell him to be quiet because she gets upset. Even Maddie has gotten in the action. Earlier today I was reading to Katie and Jack. Maddie came up to me and started screaming until I pulled her up on my lap and read to her too.
I was pretty exhausted when I was finished with the van and really didn't want to read to them. I just wanted to veg out for a while. However, watching Katie read later tonight before bed was well worth taking the time to read to them earlier.
TTFN~
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