Time Out

We have started needing to give Benjamin time outs. Sometimes he gets so frustrated with Jon and I that he will hit us; he is also throwing temper tantrums which we usually ignore. In the beginning Ben would get a warning before a time out but now we think he knows that hitting is wrong and he gets a time out with the first hit. We usually put one of the kitchen chairs in the middle of the floor and sit him in it, without the padding of course, for one minute. When the timer goes off we tell him to tell us sorry, which is usually a grunt, and then give us a hug. His reaction to time out seems to waver quiet a bit. Sometimes he'll sit there and laugh, I guess he thinks that his mom's attempt to discipline is funny. Other times he will cry and cry and scream and cry some more. He's usually done crying by the time the timer goes off. Lately, when I put the chair back under the table he starts to get upset, pulls the chair out and wants to get back on the chair. I took these pictures after his most recent time out. He had been crying so pathetically that I thought it was funny and needed a picture. When I pulled the camera out, he seemed to know that it was time to pose and smile.

Laundry Day

Benjamin likes to help out around the house with some of the chores. However, sometimes he is not so helpful. He'll take the dirty dishes out of the dishwasher, take away the broom when you want to sweep, move the shoes when you just put them away, take out the clothes of the hamper, and as you can see, sit in the hamper when you are trying to fold the laundry. It's nice though that he wants to help out around the house. Hopefully this will continue into teen years.

Just Me and My Dad

It was so cute today. I'm not sure if it was because Benjamin got to spend most of the weekend with Jon and then didn't get to see him this morning before he went off to school that he just wanted to be with his dad. Jon come home from school today and lay on the floor to go through the mail. Ben decided that he needed to be with his dad and got down on the floor right next to him and lay on his stomach. He then started to sort through the mail just like Jon and pretend to read it. When I saw this I had a smile on my face and my heart melted a little. I know that Ben loves his dad so much. It's moments like these that I know he really does and that he really misses his dad during the day, especially when he doesn't see Jon in the mornings before he goes to school.

A Little Bragging

I was so excited to receive this certificate and letter in the mail the other day. The letter read "Congratulations! You are on the 2007 Fall Semester Dean's List." I have never been on the Dean's list before. It stated that in order to be on the Dean's List my GPA had to "meet or exceed a 3.5" I feel that I have worked hard to accomplish this. Granted I've only been taking a couple of classes at a time to do so. It was a nice boost of confidence that I can continue going forward with my goal of becoming a Dental Hygienist one day and still be a full-time mom.

These Boots Were Made For Walking

Benjamin has started to put mine and Jon's shoes on. Sometimes we will catch him walking around in them. He seems to like my boots best. He wasn't able to put them on all by himself, but with a little assistance from Mommy he was able to get them on all the way. He was actually able to walk around in them for a little bit.