Five Things Friday

Five Things That Made Me Smile This Past Week:

1. Jeremy and I recently bought an iPad for our photography business. He also discovered the free iPad games that come along with it. One of them being the very addicting game of "Farmville". For all you Facebook users, you have probably seen this, but for those who have no idea what I'm even talking about, Farmville is a game where you literally set up your own "farm" and grow crops and sell them to make "money". Jeremy introduced Samantha to the game, and she is in love with it. Jere "plants" crops at night before he goes to bed, and when he comes home from work, he and Sam sit down and "harvest" them. It's really cute to see Samantha get excited about these things. This past week, she helped Daddy "harvest" soy beans, cranberries and lilacs.
   



2. Training continues to go very well. The weather hasn't been the best this past week, but thankful I have the gym. I completed 18 miles last weekend. This weekend doesn't sound too promising weather wise either, so it looks like I'll be affixed to a treadmill this weekend. I'm seriously hoping and praying that with all of this typical Spring New England weather that by the time the weekend of my walk comes, it will be beautiful and sunny just like it was last year. One can only hope!
   



3. We have noticed that Samantha has been trying very very VERY hard to listen to Jeremy and I. We think she's FINALLY realizing that when she doesn't listen then there's a punishment. I recently spoke to a family member and they suggested instead of taking things away for punishment, why not concentrate on rewarding them when they do good things? Well, we tried that suggestion, and what do you know? It may be working :) So we noticed that both the girls love their little piggy banks and putting pennies inside of them. So, when the girls finish their meal, they receive 5 pennies. When Samantha wakes up with a dry diaper in the morning she gets 10 pennies. (Samantha is fully potty trained, but she still wears a diaper at nighttime). Rewarding with pennies and Farmville has been working, so that has really encouraged Jeremy and I and made us feel like we're actually getting somewhere. It also teaches the Madore-ables to get excited about the little things and also reminds Jeremy and I to be excited about the little things too. The smiles on the Madore-ables faces says it all.
   



4. Time is winding down for my sister in law's wedding...two weeks from now we'll be on our way up to Maine to get ready for the rehearsal. Samantha and I are part of the wedding party, and I don't know who's more excited, me or Sam. Samantha will be the flower girl for the wedding, and she said something recently that I couldn't help but laugh at. I've been explaining to Samantha during the day about what she's going to be doing for Aunt Jessica and Uncle Paul's wedding. She's going to be holding a pretty white basket full of rose petals and she's going to toss them on the floor as she's walking. Samantha has one concern, who's going to clean up her "mess" that she leaves in the aisle? :)




5. We received a phone call earlier in the week from Sarah's old playgroup when she was in Early Intervention. When we left the playgroup last November, we were told that we would be placed on a waiting list but it may take awhile for us to be called. Well, it appears that a spot for Sarah is opening up in the next month for another playgroup. While the playgroup was being held, the parents of the children in the playgroup would gather in another room and we'd just sit and talk about what was going on. Sometimes we'd pick a topic and just sit and relax for a few hours. As much as I loved sitting down and talking with all of the parents, I felt that Sarah has just blossomed since last Fall with her speech. I decided to pass on the chance for Sarah and I and give Sarah's spot to another child who needs it more than Sarah does. Besides, we're so involved with the free FCC activities lately, it's not like Sarah isn't getting any interaction with other children. Not too mention, with my training and going to the gym it's not like I don't have any free time to myself either.