Motivation, Positive Reinforcement, and Putting TIME on Your Side

Ah the art of bribery "positive reinforcement"!  I must admit that this doesn't come naturally to me.  My default settings with regard to discipline are more along the lines of, "Do this because I'm your mom and I said so.  And if you don't do it there will be consequences!!!!!"  Believe me....those exclamation points are appropriate there.  We learn in grammar that an exclamatory sentence is one that shows strong feeling.  I am usually showing very "strong feelings" when I am singing this "song" to my kids.

So far this year, I have created and carried out a pretty academically rigorous schedule with my kids.  They are getting older, and I so want to maximize our time and their education while I have them here under my "tutelage" (I just LOVE that word.  It's so Anne of Green Gables)!!

The problem that we are running into (or I guess it should read, "into which we are running") is that we are all feeling a bit bogged down, overwhelmed, and defeated.  I am striving to find the balance between providing an education that is academically challenging, but that doesn't snuff out the love of learning in the process.  I'm feeling a "white stag" hunt again.......

Luckily, just when I was feeling particularly down trodden about this lack of balance, I stumbled upon a very cool blog from someone who has been on this journey longer than me.  By the way, I just love God's perfect timing! He is always so faithful.  His timing is always perfect.  Indeed, He is sovereign over all things!

Here is a new game plan that I have developed as a result of perusing her blog:
-I put more breaks into my schedule.  Why that hasn't occurred to me sooner is beyond me!
-Every subject is being put onto a magnet.  One side of the frig (we do school at the kitchen table) will be labeled "TO DO" and the other side will be labeled "DONE."  Every time we complete a subject, the kids will get to move that subject to the "DONE" side.  Who doesn't love to check items off a list, right?!

This picture is not mine.  This comes from the blog mentioned above.  I promise you that mine will not be as cute and creative.  Mine will be the words only, typed up, printed off, and laminated. 

-Another idea that I actually came up with myself is that I plan to give the kids "Time Wallets" (envelopes) and every time they finish a subject conscientiously and on schedule (this is HUGE for me) they will get a "5 Minute" clock.  These will be cut out and laminated.  With my schedule, there are 9 different subject changes throughout the day.  That's an opportunity to earn 45 minutes of parent approved screen time daily. I am not planning to allow them to bank up time into the next day.

I am planning on implementing this new system tomorrow morning.  It will likely need to be tweaked a few million times before I feel it's workable, but it's a start.  Nothing happens without having a point of beginning.  I am just glad that I am embarking on this new week armed with a solution to a problem that was plaguing my spirit by late last week.

I will let you know how it goes!