Sunday comics

Well, when you get chemotherapy (or things like it), one of the side effects is an oh-so-lovely metallic taste in your mouth.  One of the suggested remedies is to suck on a butterscotch.  So, my Dad came home with a big bag of butterscotch a few weeks ago.  Thus began the slippery slope of addiction...for Owen.  Dad filled up his jacket pocket and it didn't take long before Owen knew that he could dig around in there and fish one out every afternoon as Grandpa left for the hospital.  You know what they say, once you get a taste for butterscotch, nothing else matters...you've got to have another and another.  Pretty soon all you're thinking about is butterscotch and the next time you'll be able to get one.  When your supplier is away, you start looking for a fix wherever you can find it.

The family was still mostly in the dark about Owen's little problem until Reuel caught him one day while he'd been playing outside, walking across the driveway with a large metal stake in hand; one of the fairly heavy metal posts that you can hang rabbit-proof fencing on.  He'd found it in the garage.  He was headed for Grandpa's car when Reuel stopped him.  It may have gone something like this:

Reuel:  Owen, what do you have there?
Owen:  It's a stick.
Reuel:  Where are you going with that?
Owen:  To Grandpa's car.
Reuel:  What....?
Owen:  I'm getting that butterscotch.
[Reuel and Owen go to Grandpa's car]
Owen:  There's that butterscotch.  Right there.

Down on the floor, way down between the seats, lay a lone butterscotch.  Owen had spied his target and was executing a quickly-hatched plan to do whatever it took to secure the prize for his sweet tooth.  I fear what might have happened to Grandpa's leather seats had it not been forthcoming on the first attempt.  We may have to find a local chapter of BA for the 3 and under crowd after Grandpa leaves (Butterscotchers Anonymous).

We've been having some fantastic results at bedtime now that we've made a 'Sleep Rules' poster for Owen, with a sticker chart incentive.  I made it on a big piece of blue foamboard, with decorated letters for Owen's name, lots of pictures in place of key words so Owen can 'read' it, appealing for a preschooler to look at.  It reads like this:

OWEN's Sleep Rules
1.  We read 1 book and 1 Bible story
2.  We have talking time and pray
3.  We rock and sing
4.  We get into the crib or bed and lay down
5.  Pat head and say goodnight
6.  We close eyes and go to sleep until Daddy says good morning!

Then, we have a chart for smiley stickers.  If Owen 'does' his rules, he gets a sticker in the morning.  7 stickers earns an ice cream cone.  Bonus sticker for taking a nap!  He really wants to do those rules and have that rock-steady routine...lots of security in that.  And, he has been SO much better behaved in the morning and greets Reuel happily (rather than with a tantrum...the previous state of affairs).  MANY fewer call-backs to his room and virtually no tantrums about getting in bed.  Highly recommend the poster!!

Well, of course it's not foolproof.  Tonight I had him to bed pretty early, but it had been a long day and he was tired.  It's pretty light out still at his bedtime so that makes it a little more challenging for him to settle down right away.  So tonight, for the first time in a while, he was whining quite a bit after I'd put him to bed and come downstairs.  After a while I went up to check in and make sure it wasn't a real problem.

Me:  Owen, what's going on?
Owen:  You [I] want some music.
[Mommy hesitates, but turns on music]
Owen: Fan, please.
[Mommy rolls eyes to herself, and walks over to turn on fan...side note: we use fans for white noise since Asher makes quite a racket in the early morning that would wake Owen.  Usually I turn on the fan after he's asleep, right before I tuck in.]
Me:  Alright, goodnight Owen.  I love you.  No more whining tonight or we don't get a sticker in the morning.
Owen:  Why is there no more whining?
Me:  Because it's bedtime and you need to go to sleep.
Owen:  Why is there no number for whining?
Me:  What do you mean?
Owen:  Why do my rules have no whining number?

:P