Underwear and Hemi Starter

I have 2 Willardisms from this last few days.

Willard likes his underwear. So much so, that we have made a rule that he HAS to change his underwear every night before bed. We repeat ourselves until we are blue in the face, because if we didn't, he would keep the same pair on until they fell off.

The other night he was getting ready for bed and he came walking up to me, bear naked.

He said matter-of-factly, "Momma. You always, always, always, always change your underwear."

Then he turned quickly and went back to getting into his clean underwear and jammies.

I guess he gets the picture.

Then, since we watch a lot of speed channel around this place, there is a commercial for Armour All and it has Tony Stewart (a nascar driver?) staring at a shiny Corvette and all these girls come running up to him and gasp "Tony Stewart". Willard has been learning different cars, and thinking he was cool, he saw this commercial come on and he ran up to the pore magnifying screen and said..."Hemi Starter" instead of Tony Stewart. It was so cute!

And a quick Maynardism.

We found a caterpillar the other day, and we put it into a little critter catcher. "Gardea" (pronounced gard-ey)-Don't ask me where Willard came up with that one...probably a Garnier Fructis commercial) was taken everywhere with us that day. to the store, to pay bills, to visit our friend in the nursing home.

Then, the next day, Gardea started building his cocoon, so I put him on the top shelf near the washer so the kids cant get to him. Every day Maynard comes up to me and asks to see the "dutterfwy" and I have to hold him up to see if it is coming out of its cocoon yet.

Other words Maynard says:

tut (truck)
yut (yuck)
biebuffs (panda puffs-a dewoh (cereal))
demi (semi)
wowusseses (walruses)
wockadio (crocodile)
dit (well he only says this after he hears it (we are doing pretty good not saying it, but sometimes we overhear others), and its a cuss word...lol)

Say What?

Willard came up to me before breakfast the other day and asked,

"Momma, can we please do our chores after we eat cereal?"

I was quite taken aback, but of course I agreed! Usually we do them later in the day, after naptime.

A few weeks ago, I was watching Jon and Kate plus 8. It is such a cute show! On it, Kate had gotten a chore chart in the mail, and the kids were so pumped up to do them.

So, I modified the chart to fit our needs and wrote numbers on little craft sticks I got from the dollar store. I have 8 chores and 4 rewards. I place the marked side down into a cup, and allow each of them to chose one to do together. Then we have a corresponding chore. On the back of the numbered side, I drew little smiley faces, so Maynard could count them instead.

They LOVE it! Our chores are:

1. Putting your clothes where they belong (this includes putting away clean ones, utig dirty ones in the hamper, putting dirty ones into the washer, clothes from the washer into the dryer..the whole gamut!)

2. Turn off any unused lights, TVs, electronics

3. Reward-Play a game on the computer (They have been loving Thomas, and now they like the piney game)

4. Sweep the floor

5. Put your toys where they belong.

6. Reward-Play a game (Either a board type, or ring around the rosie, duck duck, etc)

7. Wipe off the tables (one gets the coffe table, one gets the kitchen)

8. Water the plants

9. Reward- Play with Toys (usually ones that are put up and only taken down occasionally)

10. Pick up garbage, and empty the bathroom garbage

11. Make your beds

12. Reward- Be creative (they have been loving the playdoh...it used to be a rare treat in our house, but now, while they play, I clean the kitchen so I can keep an eye on them too.)