Growth Spurts and Warm Fuzzies

Whew.

It's been quite a week around here.  This is a Gavin week, and to be honest, it's been kind of a difficult one.  I'm fairly certain the little man is going through a growth spurt (which means none of his shoes will fit...)  He's been complaining that his legs hurt, and he's been very cranky and back talk-y this week.  Also, he's napped.  He never naps.  He HATES naps.  And so far, every day this week, around two or so, he's conked out on the couch.  Yesterday, he actually went up to bed for a nap.  We'll see if it holds true today as well.

This week has been a bit weird for us to, due to the Car Situation.  We haven't been able to have our library day, or go out to our favorite park, or even be at his house with all his toys.  So, we've basically been locked up in the house all week, and this has led to a cranky tiny human leading to a cranky nanny who was at her wit's end with this tiny terrorist.

Lo and behold, God (in the form of the blogosphere) provided.  I've been reading the Hands Free Mama blog, and yesterday she wrote this post about How to Fill Up a Child.  You should really go read the whole thing, because Rachel Macy Stafford is kind of my hero and she writes a great blog, but this post really hit home this week.  She talks about noticing the good, and the power of positivity.  She also talks about the Warm Fuzzy Jar.

“This is The Warm Fuzzy Jar,” I explained. “Whenever you do something helpful or kind, you place a pom-pom ball in your designated jar because kind and helpful acts make people feel good, like a warm fuzzy.” The girls looked at each other with wide eyes and big smiles, so I continued. “And if you are doing something helpful together or just getting along nicely, you can put two pom-poms in your designated jar. And when your jar becomes full, you can choose something special for you and I to do together.”

 I thought this idea was pure genius.  Not only would I be more apt to notice the good thing Gavin was doing, he would be more apt to do good things, hopefully without having to be told a thousand times.  Now that I think about it, I think I had an English teacher, Ms. Holcomb, who had a similar concept in the sixth grade. Only hers were shiny and for good luck during tests and quizzes, or something.  Twuzzles, maybe?  Anyways, here's our version of the warm fuzzy jar:

Basically, I took two mason jars, one large and one small.  I put a bag of 80 fuzzy pom poms in the big jar, and put the empty small jar next to it.  I explained the concept to Gavin, and we set the jars out next to the TV.  This happened about ten minutes ago, and Gavin already has three warm fuzzies in his jar.  His whole attitude turned around the minute I put the jars out.  It's been amazing.  Hopefully the trend will continue, and I'll keep you posted...