We've "Bean" Good!

We tried a new behavior reward idea from Family Fun this Easter season.

One month before Easter, we began placing a dry bean in a mason jar for every good deed we caught the kids doing. The kids get to transfer the bean themselves from the bowl to the jar for their good behavior.
Here are some good deeds the kids earned a bean or two for:
*picking up toys
*eating a meal without complaining (sadly, that's uncommon)
*putting coats and shoes away
*complimenting/cheering up a family member
*getting a good report from the babysitter/teacher
*feeding the dog
*helping set the table
*"making" their bed (pulling up and straightening covers)
*just listening in general without having to be told twice
etc.

It might not look like much - in hindsight, we should have used a smaller collection jar - but each one of those beans represents some good behavior in the last month and that add ups to a LOT!
And on Easter Sunday, when the bunny comes to hide our eggs and baskets, he's going to trade in each one of those dry beans for JELLY BEANS! The kids cannot wait!

Oh, also...
I'm loving this little corner of my dining room:
Aren't these eggs so cute? I got them last year from Etsy.

Crayon Wallets

I could probably start a weekly series on cool stuff I find on Etsy. (But I won't 'cause I'd end up shopping more and creating another deadline for myself. Haha!)

But, seriously, it's one of my favorite sites to browse.

I wanted to share a super cool purchase I made for my kids and my favorite set of twin nieces recently. {Casey, just act surprised when they get these on their birthday, m'kay? ;)}

They're called "Crayon Wallets" and I found them here.

They're perfect for packing in your church/restaurant/doctor's office bag of tricks as entertainment while you're out.
I bought them in March and forgot to stick them in the kids' Easter baskets, so they were a "just because" surprise on Sunday evening when we went out to dinner for Craig's grandpa's birthday.

The "wallets" unfold to reveal a 4x6 pad of paper, a pouch for stickers etc., and mini pouches for 8-12 crayons. Then they fold up and close with Velcro. So cute, huh?

My next purchase is going to be some reusable produce bags for the grocery store, reusable sandwich/snack bags for packing my lunch and reusable Swiffer pads. I'll share when I finally decide to purchase.