Time outs, doggie slippers, and check marks

As I sit here and type this today I am thinking I probably am pushing my luck. I think my window of opportunity for writing today passed several minutes ago. The youngest are fighting over a doggie slipper that has been in the give away box on countless occasions but for some reason always find their way back into the girls closet. They are at least 5 sizes too big for Abbey and Shaina would never wear them. This morning Lyla dog decided they would make nice chew toys and now Abbey and Noah are convinced they are a secret treasure that needs to be fought to the death over. Well as they are both sitting in time out it is debatable whether any of this is going to be a determent in the long term battle.
Noah is getting the hang of the time out thing. Even putting himself there once in awhile. The problem that I find with the whole situation is the cock-eyed grin that comes right before he knows that is where he is headed. He does sit there and he knows the whole apology routine after, it even seems to stop the behavior for a time..... but it is that grin that keeps me wondering.... just exactly what does this kid have up his sleeve. I am certain that I am in for the ride of my life with this one!
I have instituted a new chore routine. The kids get check marks for chores done. 2 checks if it is done without asking, 1 check if I have to remind them and no checks if I have to remind them more than once. At the end of the week whoever has received 80% or more of their check marks will get to have a special treat, like a trip to the mountains, or ice cream cone or a walk with just them and mom or dad or a trip to the park ect. It is going pretty well. but Abbey has decided this morning it is better for mom to dress her than get the check mark... I am thinking it will be a tough go the first time everyone gets the "treat" and she doesn't. It is done just so I don't have to tell people what to do all the time. I have used this example with the kids, if I have to tell every kid once it is time for bed I have to say it 4 times... pretty boring for me, if I have to tell every kid twice it is time for bed now I am up to 8 times the other night I had told Isaiah something 4 times on the 5th time he listened this worked perfectly for me to sell the chore system.... If I have to tell 4 kids 5 times each to do something how many times am I saying it... 20times. If I ask you to do 5 things everyday,(which we all know it is more like 20 things) how many times am I asking kids to do things... ummm 100 TIMES! Well if each time it takes me 1 minute that is a 100 minutes a day I am telling kids what to do (and we wonder why we feel so stressed all the time). Well personally I really want to spend those 100 minutes of my time on much more fun activities! So that is were the idea for the check marks came in. I am done wasting this wonderful time in my family's life "waiting" for all our things to be done, or the rooms to be clean, or the clothes to be washed, or whatever I am going to take all the time I wasted telling my kids to do things and actual do something!!!! Well and the 80% is just a warm up number I am gong to raise that gradually till we are shooting at 95% that way there is a little room for human error but not enough room to slack on anything. Know I just can not run out of ideas for the special treats.. I need lots of good free fun ideas to do. I also think that the kids that go a whole month with reaching their goals will get a something a little more.
So the peace has returned for a moment as the little ones are covering themselves in stickers, the are doing some serious "bonding" (hehehehe). And I am enjoying the little sunbeam on the side of my head. I am doing some serious slacking.(I can I just tell you how inside my head Abbey is) Right after I typed that part about the sunbeam she handed me a "sun" sticker to put on my face.... sometimes it is scary! Well this has turned into a crazy random spilling of thoughts so I am going to close and wish all of you a happy Thursday!