By day 3 we have found some things that work and some that don't. Having the neighbor kids who are still on summer break ring the doorbell every half hour to see if my kids can play doesn't work. Telling them that if they ring the doorbell again my kids will not be outside today does work. Hanging a sign in the window to answer the dreaded question before the doorbell is rung the first time works even better. Here are some more things that don't work:
- Forgetting it's a school night and letting the kids stay up until 10 pm to watch a really good movie.
- Looking at the clock at 6:30 pm and realizing that I haven't even thought about dinner.
- Leaving the girls unsupervised in the bathroom to put on their own powder.
And some things that do work:
- Letting each girl teach her younger sister's spelling/sight word lesson. (The older sister gets more benefit I think from relearning skills and gaining leadership ability).
- Having each girl bring her blankie to the carpet when I am reading aloud. Each has her own space and stays put.
- Giving my easily-distracted kindergartner a sticker each time she accomplishes a task.
- Letting my phone calls go to voice mail and returning the messages during independent study.
- Praying constantly!
