Signs of the Times

The first month of school is officially over.  As much as we are all ready for school to start again, the transition can be painful.  I try so hard to be patient because I really do understand that it's hard to go from Party All The Time in the summer to 6 hours of school a day.  There are, however, only so many times I can watch Tessa burst into tears because her princess water bottle wasn't put in the refrigerator and now IS NOT COLD ENOUGH after school.  The other day it got so bad that William actually ran to his room and threatened to run away from home.  It took me 30 minutes to talk him down off the ledge.  I know, I know - conventional wisdom says to call them on their bluffs when confronted by a clearly irrational outbust, but trust me when I say that this particular strategy wouldn't work with William.  Sigh.

Anyway, I got tired of the drama so the other day I posted a sign on the door for the kids to see when they came home.  It said Grumpiness Not Allowed....Enter Only If Smiling....This Means You!  And you know what?  It kind of worked.  They came in the door laughing.  And they seemed to be in better moods all the way around.  The next day I posted another sign - this one had a smiley face with the question Is This You?  If not, go away until it is.  That day I heard them running up the stairs to see what the sign said.  I've decided to continue the sign trend - they seem to think it's fun and so far I have remembered to post something on the door.  Today's sign was a suggestion from Jay - The Beatings Will Continue Until Morale Improves.  There was a little confusion about the meaning of the sign but once I explained it - teaching irony to a five year old can take a while - they laughed and asked for a snack.  They seem to look forward to seeing what nonsense their mom can post on the door so who am I to deprive them of a daily sign? 

If you have any suggestions for good door signs, feel free to share.  I have a feeling that my ideas will run out fairly quickly.