Plan Your Work & Work Your Plan

Mom said everyone was on their own tonight for dinner.  So, when I picked Autumn up from daycare I told her she could pick where we would eat dinner.  Guess where she picked…yep, McDonald’s.  She got really creative and didn’t make a french fry sandwich this time.  Instead she made an apple sandwich w/ ketchup.  SO GROSS, but she loves dipping her apples in  ketchup so I knew she would eat it.

She went and played for a while and then she wanted to get an ice cream cone on the way out.  Since she ate all her dinner and didn’t whine or complain when it was time to go, I told her she could get one.  I turned around in the car to talk to her and started laughing b/c she was sitting there w/ her legs crossed just enjoying her ice cream like she didn’t have a care in the world.  We made up a list of things we were going to do, and it helped the evening go so much better.

1. Go to McDonald’s for dinner
2. Go to the $1 Store so I could get some things for a work party
3. Come home and read books
4. Have a dance party
5. Go to bed

The reason I made that list w/ Autumn is b/c she hates going shopping lately and I knew we had to go to the $1 store.  If she knows what the plan is, she seems to handle things much better.  So, we ran to the $1 Store and got what we needed.  Then when I told her we needed to read before dancing she didn’t put up a fight like usual.  She sat down, we read a few books, and didn’t whine or complain at all.  That’s b/c I told her if she did we wouldn’t get to have our dance party.

But, she did great so we turned on Just Dance 3 and worked up a good sweat for 30 minutes.  Then it was time for bed and since she knew that was part of our pre-determined plan, she went right to bed.  I’ll have to remember to talk over the plan w/ Autumn EVERY NIGHT when I pick her up!!!

Once Nick got home at 9:30, I went over to Christine’s and we watched the final episode Downton Abbey.  Now we’ll have to wait for the 2 hour  Christmas special.