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FYI: if you want to keep up with the posts and comments made here, then make sure to sign up for the RSS feeds...see icons on right hand side that say "Subscribe to Moral Training..." If you need any help doing this, let me know and I'll try to walk you through it. It's great to sign up for the RSS feeds so you don't always have to check the website since all the new posts and comments will go directly to your email inbox.

Why follow my own blog?

I was thinking of when I write what I'm writing on this blog that I don't want to be coming across like I'm the expert in raising my kids...I'm figuring this all out too as I go along. My kids are not perfect. I'm not perfect. That's why I'd love to hear comments, suggestions and ideas from you! So when I'm writing "you should do this" or "you should do that" I'm referring to me as well...and so I guess that's why I'm a follower of my own blog!

Name Change

I've been struggling with the name of my blog and kinda settled with training moments, however after watching again GKGW session one, I came up with the new name of my blog...Moral Training! Please update any bookmarks you may have to my new blog address at www.moraltraining.blogspot.com

Thanks!

and not so proud moments...

We just got back from ToysRus so I could score my great deal on the TAG reading system (it was on sale for $34 vs $50 and I had a $10 off manufacturer coupon plus a $5 ToysRus coupon = $20!!!) Anyway, both kids did pretty good as we were going through the store and staying with me but at checkout things all went out of control! I need to remember my tools I have taught my kids and so when we are out and about I can tell them what they need to do knowing that we have practiced them. One thing Owen is doing when I tell him to hold his hands is he'll lay on the floor of the store. Not as a tantrum, but more just laying down and folding his hands...which i really don't want him doing since he becomes a road block to people around us...anyway, I know I don't have 90% compliance and with anything PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE!!! ;-)

Proud moments...

I have to say I'm so impressed with the results of our training sessions...like I've mentioned previously I just started having training time with my kids about 2 weeks ago and already I'm seeing much improvement!

For example, on Sunday we went to McDonald's so the kids could run around and play in the play area. There were some other kids there too and everyone was having a great time. Of course, kids being kids, it started to get louder and louder and things got carried away a bit. It was so nice to be able to say "Owen" (just one time!) and hear him say "yes, mommy, I'm coming" and he did come right away! He walked away from playing with his new friends to came right to me. We aren't any where near the 90% compliance recommended in the Mom's Notes, but it is so nice to see that my time and effort with the training is coming through in my children's behavior. Actually, I'm curious to see where we are at...sounds like another experiment! ;-)

Of course afterwards at Walmart during the checkout things got a little out of control and I was having a difficult time getting the kids to listen -- but our primary focus in our household right now is coming right away. I did learn a new training tool that I think will help in situations like this...I'll teach it to you tomorrow!

Quite Time or Quiet Time?

Yes, like I mentioned before, I'm a numbers person and not a words person...a friend asked if I meant to be writing quiet time - which I was. It's not a new term "quite" time. Sorry about that! (I did go back and edit the rest of the blog to be correct...) Also, I do find my "mommy brain" at work sometimes and things I for sure typed ended up being totally different words that make no sense at all and I don't even know how they got on the page to begin with! I really sometimes wonder what having kids did to me!

I also want to take this time to just share that I by no means think I have perfect kids or that I have the perfect answer. I don't have perfect kids and that's why I had to try a new approach on the way I was handling disobedience and other undesirable behavior in and out of our home. I have just been so amazed by just the small change of having "training time" in our day has really helped everyone out! The kids are learning and practicing what I'm expecting of them and of their behavior. And with the practice time I am seeing during the day how my kids will stop and think about what we were practicing and they actually implement their new knowledge throughout the day on the way they are handling their emotions and listening to mommy and daddy.

My hopes for this blog is to start a community of readers where we are sharing with each other our ideas and struggles we face in training our children. When I went through the GKGW program and they talked about teaching in non-conflict moments it sounded great but I just wasn't sure how to really implement it. How do I teach how to obey mommy in times of non-conflict? How do I teach what being kind is? How do I teach what being best friends with your sibling mean? So I just had to start coming up with ideas and so far things have been coming together nicely. I just wanted to share with anyone interested some of the ideas I came up or have read about so you don't have to come up with your own ideas. But if you do have your own ideas please, please share them with us! I'd love to hear from you too!

A "New" Approach

I needed a new approach on how I wanted to teach my children obedience. What I was doing was just not working and was leaving everyone in the family frustrated! Too many time outs, too many spankings and too much yelling which resulted in unchanged behavior. So I went back to my lessons of "Growing Kids God's Way" by the Ezzo's and the "Mom's Notes" by Joey and Carla Link. "Teach in non-conflict moments" -- what a great idea! I've heard it before and I knew what it meant but I never actually applied the concept in my desire to teach my child to obey. So I sat down and re-listened to the "First Time Obedience" and "Discipline Issues" presentations from the Mom's Notes...and then the light bulb went off! I must have training times during my children's day in order for us to practice and teach them what obedience looks like if I'm wanting any improvement in their behavior. I must teach and show them what type of behavior I expect from them instead of just telling them what they are doing wrong when they are doing it. I finally sat down and started to come up with ideas on teachable moments to train my children based on the teachings from Growing Kids God's Way and from the Mom's Notes.

This blog is a way for me to share my ideas with you so you can use them with your children in hopes of achieving better behaved children too. I have been only doing our training for two weeks now and my friends and family have already noticed remarkable positive changed behavior with my kids. And all it took was for me to create a scrapbook of teachable moments that I go over with my kids each morning so we can practice during non-conflict moments. We call it "training time" and have it every morning right after breakfast. My kids love training time and look forward to it each morning!

A little about our family -- My son will turn four January 27th and my daughter turned two on September 30th -- our wedding anniversary. I'm a stay at home mom who quit my high paying corporate job in order to be with my kids. My background is in Finance (BBA and MBA) so I'm more a numbers person verses a words person -- so bare with me if you find grammatical errors. And the most important member of our family, my husband, is a self employed Graphic Designer.

I hope you find some useful ideas to help your training at home and please feel free to share your comments and ideas on how you are training/teaching particular behavior in your home!

In order for this training to make sense and be effective, I highly recommend you complete the Growing Kids God's Way program "Along the Virtuous Way". The program can be purchased directly from their website at: http://gfi.org -- they typically have a significant sale twice a year -- around Thanksgiving/Christmas and around Mother's Day. Also, the Mom's Notes by Joey and Carla Link offer great in depth insights into the Growing Kids God's Way teaching and principals. Mom's Notes does a great job answering some of your specific questions you may face when trying to implement character training with your children.

Hope you enjoy the journey of "training your child in the way he should go". I hope to add new training ideas as I come up with them. I do have several more to share than what I have posted right now - so make sure to join and follow my blog, leave some comments, and come back soon to get some more ideas on ways to train your kids at home!