I think everyone is just like this at some point.

 

Summer break officially started today. This is our new chore chart. We have had these in the past, but now that Carson is old enough to start doing things around here, I had to add things for him that are age appropriate.

Everyday they need to:

Eat breakfast

Get dressed

Make bed

Clean room

Fold/put away their laundry

Brush their teeth

Get the hair done

 

These are the chores that are rotated:

Kitchen (rotated between all 3 girls)

Vacuum the stairs (rotated between Carson and Nadia)

Vacuum the basement (rotated between Quynsie and Raven)

Downstairs bathroom (rotated between Quynsie and Raven)

Upstairs bathroom (rotated between Nadia, Carson with mom or dad)

 

Carson is going to need help with cleaning the bathroom for a little while which is why it says Carson with mom or dad.

 

I am hoping that this will help with structure, organization and less fighting as to who is doing what. There are also rules that go along with it.

No friends

No playing inside or out

No TV

No phone

Until all of the chores are complete and checked by mom or dad. If it takes them all day to do the chores, then that is their problem and fault. They are free to do these things above as long as they get their stuff completed.

 

We will be finishing unpacking this weekend so that we can just focus on the yard and relax some. I cannot handle disfunction in this house anymore. We have lived this way for the past 3 months and I cannot take it anymore. Disfunction began when we out of the blue decided to sale our home at the end of February. We had to start de-cluttering  and packing before we could even put the house on the market. Our home was under contract before we even had the sign up in our yard, so we had to start packing even faster. Then the contract fell through right at the end of things, so back on the market it went. Which meant all of the boxes that we had packed and were planning on just moving from the house to the uhal ended up outback in the storage. Four days after that we were back under contract again and thank goodness it went through. Since moving into our new home, I have spent pretty much every day unpacking at least one box. It is not going fast enough for my liking and I would love to have all of my stuff back. The kids need their books back.

 

Here is to summer and sleeping in a little bit longer.

 

I forgot to take a before picture so I had to take one from another part of the yard that was out of control with weeds.

 

 

 

All of the kids helping pull weeds and plant the flowers.

The rest of the yard is in some serious need of help, but this is at least a start. We have not had a day since we moved in that it has not rained. If it ever stops raining we will get the rest of the yard done. This is as far as we got before it started raining again tonight.

 

Davis family before bed entertainment:

 

 

Carson is actually doing his headstand on his face. This kid has some serious balance. He can do headstands forever. Tonight was the first time I have seen him do it on his face.

 

Quynsie doing a hip hop move.



This morning was a rough morning.

I had two kids having melt downs.

It is dress down day at school and Raven came upstairs wearing leggings type shorts and I that is against the dress code rules. So she went downstairs changed and came back up with long leggings pants, so I had to send her back down to change again. She was complaining about how jeans make her hot, so I told her that if she didn't have any other shorts (which I know she does) then she could wear her school uniform shorts. Needless to say she was not happy with that answer.

The other melt down was Nadia. She was upset because she left her lunch box at school yesterday and so I told her to just put her lunch in her backpack until she got to school and found her lunch box. She did not like that answer and it set the tone for the rest of the morning and afternoon. She was up half the night having nightmares so I think that played a big part in her crankiness.

I also know that they have a lot of change happening in the past couple of months and now school is over tomorrow so that means more change and Nadia and Carson does not do well with change. They like strict structure. They feed off of it. They have to have things mapped out for them, which is fine, it is just going to take a week or so to get back into a great routine.

 

Heather Forbes:

The more complicated you make a child's life whose internal system is already in chaos, the more you're setting the child up for failure. Simplicity and predictability are the keys to success.

 

We have finally gotten the green light to get Raven and Carson into more specialized therapy and it is such a big relief.

Things happen for a reason and because of all of the change that has already been taking place, I know that starting therapy would play a big part in their behavior so I am thankful that it took as long as it did to get approved because they won't be in school during the transition period.

 

Oh Lord help me. I was hoping to have a few more years of parenting under my belt before we hit the teenage years, but that just was not in the cards for us, so we are really trying to find ways of dealing with the teenage hatred of her parents so to speak. Quynsie is not responding well to authority the last few weeks. She has had her phone taken, she has had things blocked on her phone and I think it is making it worse. The more we punish her the worse the behavior. She is truly testing our boundaries right now to see how far she can push us. Today we gave her permission twice to text a friend letting them know she couldn't do something and she took it and ran with it. I caught her texting more than I had given permission for and warned her about it. Then tonight her dad gave her permission again and she was caught again doing the same thing she was warned about earlier in the afternoon. The stupid thing is that she knows that we check her phone often and that she will be caught.

She says her life is coming to an end because she doesn't have her phone. Apparently we have underestimated how much the phone means to her. Wait no we didn't, we know exactly how much it means and that is why we use the phone as punishment. It is her currency in life right now. 

The look on Nadia's face says it all. She has been to her best friends house a few times, but because we were in the process of moving, her friend has not been able to come to our house until today. She is just so beside herself. This little friend is even great with Carson and would let him join in on their fun even when Nadia didn't want him to. Olivia has been her best friend for 2 years now and I don't see that changing anytime soon either. In fact, I hope it never changes because they are so cute together and they have a lot in common like pigs. They both love and collect pigs.

Sitting in the living room listening to the pure joy and true laughter just melts my heart. For so long it has been fake laughs, but we are starting to see more and more of the real thing and to me that means we are making progress in the right direction.

 

Tonight while cooking dinner, Carson was not happy with waiting for it to cook. He asked why we couldn't have Papa Johns again. I said because we can't afford to eat out all of the time. In fact we didn't even buy the pizza the last two times, our relator did. So Carson said, well then why can't Justin buy it for us again. Apparently if you buy us food a couple of times then Carson thinks that is where food comes from. Silly boy.

 



 

 

These are Carson's new organizers and I hope that it helps during the summer  because I cannot stand having a huge mess in his room that he is not willing to clean up. With his sensory processing disorder, it makes it hard for him to organize his thoughts, so it makes it even more difficult to organize his room. With this containers, I have broke them into groups hoping that he will be able read the label and put the toys where they go when he is done playing. I made him help me sort them so he would get the idea.

Wish us luck!!!

 

 

   

All four kids had their six month dental check up today. We came out of it 3/4 with no cavities.

Raven doesn't have a cavity, she has lost a filling though and needs that fixed.

Quynsie, our best brusher, has 3 cavities.

Nadia did not have any cavities.

Carson also did not have any cavities.

 

Carson's picture says a thousand words. He struggles with his sensory processing disorder and does not like people touching him unless it is on his terms. If he doesn't know you, he won't just freely give you a high five or knuckles. Anyway, the whole staff at the kids dentist is great with all of the kids but especially with Carson. Notice his fist. That's his way of dealing with being touched I guess. Carson was never this comfortable at our old dentist. We used to take them to a pediatric dentist, but they stop taking patience when they turn 12 so when Quynsie turned 12 we found them a new dentist. We have been going to this dentist for a year and half and the entire time, they have been so good with the kids. They have been so understanding and give Carson the time he needs to warm up to them. Generally this means that he is one of the last ones to be seen, but today, he jumped up on the chair like a champ and was the first one to be seen. I was really impressed and proud of him.



I love to hear my kids laugh. Not just a laugh, but a real true laugh. For the longest time, it seemed like they were just laughing because everyone else was laughing. Yes, they still do that, but they are farther and few between. When I hear a true laugh, it makes me smile. It tells me that they are finally allowing themselves to be happy and that it is ok to be happy.

 

Raven is enjoying the time she gets with Quynsie's phone. Quynsie has had a bad habit lately not calling me or her dad to let us know that she is either leaving school property or that she is staying after school. Today I had been sitting there waiting for her for 25 minutes after the other 2 kids came out and we were all getting angry. She finally comes out and says that she needs to stay after. Ok, that is awesome, I don't mind her staying after so she can finish a final, but dang, she had this teacher the first 2 periods of the day and she could have found the time during lunch to call and let me know that she was going to have to stay after so that I wouldn't have to sit there with 3 other kids screaming at me.

Anyway when she finally called me at 4 to tell me that she was ready to come home, I just said ok. I didn't tell her that I was going to make her wait or anything. Finally at 4:30, she text me and said, please come get me. I called her and said that her dad was on his way and I then asked her how it felt to wait 30 minutes for someone. She said it didn't feel very good. I said, ok well while you are waiting for your dad to get there, think about how you feel waiting but add having her 3 siblings there as well waiting with her. How inconvenient it is to sit there that long.

She came home and I had her hand her phone to Raven. It has just about killed her to see Raven on her phone all evening. She has been begging for it back and saying she will call next time. I bet you she will not forget about this for a very long time. I hope she has learned her lesson.

I hope my kids know and understand how much we love and wanted them. We have prayed for them for years. We may not be perfect parents, but one thing is for sure, we love our kids and just want what is best for them. We want them to grow and be healthy contributing adults to this world.



I guess it pays to have a mean strict mommy!!!

Quynsie maintained a 3.75 GPA or higher all 4 terms. We are so proud of you Quyn. I know that at times you have hated me for pushing you, punishing you and cheering you on, but I did it for good reason and the payoff is here.

School means everything. It is what will define our kids future. School just is not an option right now. It is mandatory. Carson needs to be able to support his family when he gets married and has kids. The girls need to be able to have something to fall back on if they choose to be stay at home moms and something was to happen to their husband, then they would have an education to carry them through.

 

She also got this award for band.

 

Family night going to watch Quynsie dance at her hip hop program for school. She did an amazing job.

 

 

 

We finally got the last part of Raven's birthday present. We ordered it before her birthday, but they were back logged and because of that, we had to have it shipped to grammy's house because we were not sure which house we would be living in. I have been waiting half the day for her to open it. We waited until after Quynsie's performance because dad was not home. He barely made it to the performance on time.



Yesterday evening Nadia came home from her activity not feeling well. She was complaining of a headache, her eyes burning and a sore throat.

For Nadia to say her eyes were burning, the first thought was crap, she has a fever coming on. She was a little warm, so I gave her some Tylenol, had her take a shower and sent her to bed. She has had a fever seizure in the past (about a year ago) so we don't mess with fevers around here. Her eyes burning is a sign with her.

This morning, she woke up saying that she had a sore throat and she mentioned that she had a canker sore in her mouth, so my first thought was to look in her mouth. She had 3 other ones including one on the back of her throat, so I then thought about strep throat. She then mentions that her best friend had the same things in her mouth this past week and was at school on Wednesday and Nadia was around her including touching her. So I text her friends mom asking if she had strep, I did not hear from her for hours and by then Joe had taken her to instacare. She does not have strep thank goodness, but it is a virus.

She has been acting fine all day, but tonight she is looking bad again. Really pale looking. I hate to keep her home from school because this is their last week and she was already mad that we missed church and she told us this morning that she did not want to miss school either. We shall see how she is feeling tomorrow morning. Her poor mouth hurts really bad. One of the cankers is huge on the underneath of her tongue.

 

This was Nadia this morning. Don't mind the mess on the floor, we have not yet unpacked our bedroom. Anyway, Nadia had been laying with me in bed and I left the room for a minute to use the restroom and when I came back, she was on the floor. I asked her why she was on our floor and she said, I don't know. She looks miserable in this picture. This is how she looked last night and tonight.

 

We did go to family dinner and it is hard to keep our kids from going outside when their cousins are around. This morning we originally were not going to go, but then when we found out it was not strep we decided we would go. Good or bad idea, who knows, but I think she wore herself out.

 

Summer has started for Carson so unless Nadia stays home tomorrow it is just mommy and Carson. 1 week left for the girls and they are about to find out what real hard work is. There is a lot of yard work that needs to get done. Gardens to clean out, trees and bushes to pull out, and trees to trim. At our other house, we just had some rose bushes and we only trimmed them twice a year. The only time they pulled the weeds was if they were in serious trouble and even then, it was just a small section.

Bring on the work and structure. I can't wait to put in place a good structure this summer.

 

I already regret not putting TV's in the kids rooms at this house because there has been a ton of fighting about what they are watching. Mostly Carson not wanting to watch more grown up shows. She wants to watch cartoons.

We only have one TV available for them to watch and it is downstairs in the living room and it is not the big huge TV that they once had either. We actually took all of the other TV's to the DI because I did not want to be tempted to put one back in their rooms. Maybe as they get older we can rethink things, but right now, it is not a good idea.

 

Here is another one of Carson's  crazy outfits. He is wearing his wrestling outfit with snow boots. Crazy kid.

 

I am so thankful to have a husband who respects women and teaches our girls how a real man should treat a women. I also think it is good for Carson to see how to treat women and how to respect them. Carson still does not respect women all that much, but he is learning. He does not get violent with me as much as he used to, but her still uses nasty words when he gets angry with me.

Again, I am thankful for a man who teaches our kids how a real man acts.

 

It is finally starting to look like a real living room. I love my new curtains. I thought I loved the other ones that came with the house until we had lived here for a week and then I changed my mind. I could not stand them anymore. They were ugly.

I always tease Joe because when we had blinds in the other house in the kitchen and living room, he would close them as soon as he got home from work and I hated it. Well, this morning I woke up to the curtains closed and I was like seriously? When I asked him if he did it, he said, maybe! I was like don't start that crap already. He then said, I was just messing with you trying to bug you and it worked didn't it? I was like yep!



I love reading Carson's journal from school. There are some cute things that he writes about.

When I am in first grade I will miss Gaby, Chanelle and Macey.

 

What I like most about kindergarten was centers and recess and learning and treasure box.

 

When I grow up I will change the world.

 

When I am with my mom we like to play.

 

Santa please remember when I was helping my daddy.

 

Last night we were trying to figure out how to best work our crazy busy schedule for today. Raven and Nadia had day camp for activity days for our church and Quynsie had 2 hip hop programs and we wanted to know if Raven and Nadia wanted to go see it, so we asked them. Of course they said yes, and in the process Carson says, I don't want to go because its to girly.

 

 
This morning was a peaceful shopping trip to Home Depot. The girls took a nap and Carson picked his nose. Normally they are running all over the place and getting in other peoples way.

What was I thinking wanting a bigger yard? Oh that's right the kids, I was thinking about the kids.  A bigger yard comes with snakes gophers and a ton of mowing with a push lawn mower. Yeah, I am not mowing the lawn again until Joe gets me a new lawn mower with a  bad and self propelled.

Earlier Carson was going around the house telling his dad that he isn't the boss in this house only mom is. He also told me that I could go to subway if I wanted to and I said dad won't let me and Carson said well you could just sneak out while dad's not looking because he is going to be working on the house this whole time.


Grammy says I'm not sure I want to go out in public with you dressed like that and Carson responds well I'm just working with my dad.

Quynsie has been at the school since 1PM for two dance performances for hip hop and I think she learned her lesson last week when she got in serious trouble for leaving school property without permission because she called and put one of the teachers on the phone who was willing to take a group of girls out to dinner in between performances. I gave permission and then Joe, Carson and I left to go get dinner for us as well since Raven and Nadia was also gone for activity days. We ended up at Culvers and we were sitting there eating when all of a sudden Quynsie walks in. I asked her if she was glad that she got permission this time because otherwise she would have been caught and been in big trouble. She said yes and then I heard the teacher telling the group of girls that this was a good lesson that they should always get parents permission because you never know who you are going to run into while you are not where you are supposed to be. Glad to have been able to witness this educational lesson on being where you say you are going to be.
Just a side note, we were not sure where the group was going to be going for dinner. They had not yet decided at the time of the phone call so it was just as big of a surprise to us as it was to her.