More Capable

Sometimes it takes not saying anything to see how capable your children are. Sweet Girl has learn that if she doesn't ask if she can do something, most times she is proving that she is capable of doing . Things like answering the phone when she's 4 (she 5 now). Sweetie Heart I have held back a little more so she still asks permission to do things like get a glass of juice and how much. I am encouraging her a bit more to take on mire of her life and she is stepping up like crazy!

Here is a small glimpse of how each of my kids are capable.

Sweetie Heart (8)

This is the most amazing experience to me. Last Friday Sweetie heart came home from school. She realized that she didn't have a piece of homework she needed. If the packet wasn't done she wasn't going to be able to be a part of the Valentine's party and brownie sundaes.

She started to cry and get upset. I told her I understood how disappointed she must feel and asked her what she wanted to do. It was already 5:30pm and I wasn't willing to walk over to the school with her to see if it was open. She said maybe the school would be open on Saturday. I said maybe, but what if it's not? What do you want to do. She asked to email her teacher. I told her she could do that, but her teacher might not check her work email over weekend. I told her I did have her phone number if she wanted to call her.

She said she wanted to call her teacher. She took her phone, dialed and talked to her teacher, explaining that she didn't have her homework and asked if she could stay in for recess to complete it so she be a part of the Valentine's party. Her teacher asked a few questions: How did you realize you didn't have your homework? Was it when you were getting it out to do it? (totally a leading question, of course Sabine was going to answer yes even if that wasn't the case.) Her teacher told her that she could come in before school to get it done and if she didn't get it done before school she could finish it during snack time.

And that is exactly what she did! She got ready and out the door 20 minutes earlier then she usually does. She was able to finish her packet exactly as the bell was ringing. Many of the other students in the class didn't do the packet, so Sabine was one of few of the students who got to have their brownie sundae. The others had theirs the next day after their packets were done. Even if the students got their packets done during the party they weren't able to get the brownie sundae.

Her teacher ended up asking Sabine if she could tell the story about what she had done to the class, which she did.


We are having a warm spell these last 2 days. Yesterday was about 50 degrees (unusual for February in these parts.) She came home with just her sweatshirt on. Her snow stuff having been stuffed in her book bag. She came up to me and said, "Mrs. D said that I had to wear my coat. She said that if my mom was here she'd make me wear it. I told her that you wouldn't. I told her you would ask me if I was warm enough and that I can make that decision for myself. She told me to go home and ask you." I told her she was exactly right. She can make that decision for herself. This is the reason that she refused to wear her winter coat until it snowed this year. Her teacher would make her wear her coat even if she got hot because, "Your mom made you wear your coat to school, so she wants you to wear it. I am your mom while you are at school so you need to wear it. If she was here she would make you wear your coat." So she got around it by not wearing her winter coat. She wore 2 or 3 sweaters and her fleece lined raincoat instead. Good for her is all I have to say.

Sweet Girl (5)

Like I said she started answering the phone when she was 4. She can do laundry almost all by herself (we have a front loader.) I keep the soap up high so she needs me to get that for her.

Just today she surprised me. Squeak (who will now be known as Little Man) had just woken up from a nap. She said she was going to go in and "play" with him. That usually means that she would go in, make a bunch of noise, make him laugh and play with his toys. Today she came out and said, "SURPRISE!" and out walked little man. I had to ask how she did it. He still sleeps in a crib and the side was all the way up.

I have these Sterilite plastic stackable drawers that I've had since college. I have 3 small ones in Little Man's room. She moved those over to the crib and made stair steps. She then climbed them, turned on the light (pull string from the fixture) and pulled him out, I guess. I didn't see it, but no toddler was injured so I guess it works.


Little Man (17 months)



Just now Little Man was crying for a snack. He is always hungry. He is going to eat me out of house and home when he gets older! YIKES! I digress. I asked him if he wanted popcorn. He went into the kitchen and started pointing to where I keep the bread box, cookies and ...popcorn maker. At first I thought he was asking for a cookie, but then I looked at where he was looking...at the popcorn maker! I asked him to get the popcorn out for me. He opened the lower cabinet and after I moved the pretzels out of the way (they were blocking his view of the popcorn so he couldn't see it) he took out the popcorn and gave it to me.