Michelle Smiles

Teaching my children to question authority, except mine.

Summer days

June11

My kids never drink soda. My husband and I sometimes drink diet dr pepper or diet pepsi but we don’t want the girls to have the chemicals. They drink water or milk 99% of the time. Juice is a treat at parties. The only form of soda they have ever had is a coke icee. No, I’m not proud of the fact that they know and love coke in the icee form but we need a bribe to make them behave at Sam’s Club kids need to have some fun, right? Today, we decided to try making coke icees at home. We got out the little ice cream maker my mom sent us and gave it a whirl.

It was a long 10 minutes waiting for it to be done.

But it did turn out pretty slushy (just coke into an ice cream maker…nothing else added or done to it).

It wasn’t exactly like an icee – I think they add more air to give it a lighter texture. But the girls enjoyed it.

It isn’t all fun and games. Sabrina’s writing skills are very weak (for the grandmas in the audience – kids are expected to enter kindergarten with second grade skills now including being able to write their names). So I’m trying to work on her letters with her. She really fights me on it so I’m trying very small periods – 10 minutes in the morning working on 1 worksheet and then we color together.

Tessa gets a coloring page with the same letter Sabrina is working on. Let’s hope this approach will work because I don’t want it to turn into a battle with Sabrina so early but I also don’t want her to start out behind everyone else.

posted under family
8 Comments to

“Summer days”

  1. On June 11th, 2011 at 6:42 am Bobbi Says:

    I am not a mom who gives out soda either. Joe gave my oldest soda. Now, at 12 she drinks more than I would like her to…..and I am on her about it. Krista drinks water only. Doesn’t like anything else. Yup, good times. Reese has milk, milk, and more milk. But, loves an icy. Can’t have Red Dye 40, so at our Sam’s he drinks the blue icy. But, do think that treats are good. Deprivation only leads to seeking it out later. It’s all about limits. AND, yes, you just have to have fun and have treats sometimes. Rock it out mama!!

  2. On June 11th, 2011 at 6:42 am Bobbi Says:

    was that last picture a glimpse of Tessa smiling!?!?! SOOOOOO cute!!!

  3. On June 11th, 2011 at 6:52 am Bobbi Says:

    UGG!!! Sorry, thought the smiling and letters were on different posts.

    SOOOOOOOO third comment. Sorry 🙁 Early morning….not enough coffee.

    Kids are expected to know a lot before Kindergarten and our preschools here aren’t teaching it. Good times. Try letter go fish, or magnets first. As she gets excited about them she will want to seek them out. Reese is slow here as well, can do his name, and now wants to spell all of our families names. So, we just go letter by letter. Not the greatest way to do it, but it’s how he wants to learn. One day she will want to learn, and you will do it for hours. That’s how my younger daughter was.

  4. On June 11th, 2011 at 3:22 pm Pattie Says:

    We told our kids that they have to be 12 before they can drink soda. (That was as high as they could count when we made the rule.) Found out this week, that Dad’s been letting them try a taste of his……….UGH! I’d like them to avoid the chemicals that we ingest, too.

    One thing to try, rather than writing letters, would be to make pictures with just circles and straight lines. Also, try taping her paper onto a 3 ring binder turned sideways, with the high side away from her. It makes it like a little easel and might make writing a little more comfortable. My princess likes to draw/design necklaces on paper…lots of lines and circles.

  5. On June 11th, 2011 at 7:03 pm Alleen Says:

    I’m the same way with soda. Gabriella doesn’t get it. And like you, juice is a treat at parties and such. But, Icees are my bribe to get through Target. Though, I’m a mean mom and won’t let her have the “brown” one. hee hee. Of course, I’m so sure the loveliness that is in the blue ones is much better for her, LOL!

    Just keep plugging away with the letters a little at a time. Gabriella pretty much refused to try for a long time. But, now she likes to practice. She does still get frustrated very easily, but I just keep telling her to practice. She likes to use a whiteboard. That way she can easily erase and try again which seems to cut down a bit on the frustration.

  6. On June 11th, 2011 at 8:51 pm Angie Says:

    Bad mom here! Gabbie has sprite. We pretty much stick to white soda although she does have occasional sips of our brown soda. She also gets candy and sweets too. Honestly though, I think because it isn’t forbidden, she really doesn’t think they are anything special. She would rather have milk over soda and carrots over a cupcake or she will eat a lot of her carrots but a few bites of her cupcake and she is done. She self limits pretty well though.

    Letters – AHHHH makes me want to scream!!! We are still working on ours too. She knows a decent amount and can write her name but it is hard because it sounds like most of the kids in her class know all of them and they still have an entire year until Kindergarten. Gabbie does too which I am grateful for as I wouldn’t want her to be behind but I wonder if most of these kids will be reading then and Gabbie just finishing up the alphabet. I try to remind myself all kids learn at a different pace and she will learn them all eventually. Good luck to you and Sabrina!!!

  7. On June 16th, 2011 at 1:42 pm Kelley Says:

    Hi Michelle,
    I really enjoy reading your blog. My son is almost 4 and also struggles with writing and fine motor skills. I used to use the Handwriting without tears series when I was a teacher and found it works great! Many schools use it now. I just ordered the pre k version to use with Aidan at home over the next year. It is a fun program and I am hoping he loves it and his skills are up to par when he enters K. Good luck!

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