It's All In the Pattern

Blogger is thwarting my good blogging intentions. It knows I have nothing of substance to write and so it mocks me by not allowing me to upload cute photos of my kids.

AAAAARRRRGGGGHHHH! What to do, what to do. I know, I'll look through my old unpublished drafts and find something. Ah, here we go, another post about my endless search for a resolution to my eternal chores-with-kids problem. I never did try it, but maybe I should.

From July 21st, 2008:
Do you ever get stuck in a rut, find you've been going about things the wrong way, or discover that "your way" really isn't the only way? I've never considered myself as a One Way kind of gal until my most recent epiphany. I've really been struggling with the lack of activities that my children and I do these days. I know I have been pregnant and just had a baby but this has been going on far longer than either of those excuses will allow for. The big problem is that we never seem able to get our chores done. We do our chores every day, they just never seem to get DONE. This gets in the way of doing fun things because I'm a stickler for getting our work done before we play. But if the work never gets done the fun never starts, and that is... well, it's just no fun!



So, here is my thought on this: it is all really just a big pattern, ie: work, play, work, play, work, play (with rest intermingled). Well, what if I keep the pattern but remove the first step? That would make it: play, work, play, work, play, work. What if we played first and worked last? What if we woke up, ate breakfast, got dressed, and left the house to have some fun, or stayed home and did something fun or creative? Then we could eat lunch, take a nap/have quiet time, and then clean right before Mr. Hotness came home from work? This way he would always see a clean house, and then it would be time for bed before they could really mess it up again. By George, it just might work, right? RIGHT? Come on, people, give me some hope here.

I wrote this last summer right after having Cheeks but I think it could still work during school hours. If we go out to play right after school and come home to do homework and chores right before dinner the kids wouldn't have as many opportunities to mess up the place. Right? RIGHT?

Maybe I should just give up and hire a maid. I'm sure if we gave up eating we could afford one. And that would solve my weight gain dilema too. Two birds with one stone, eh?u

What good draft posts do you have lying around?

The Family That Slaves Together...

I have a new love in my life. I feel ashamed to admit this love because it makes me sound so old, so conventional, so "MOM." But when it's love there is no denying it, so I'm here to shout it from the roof tops, "I LOVE YOU, NEW CHORE CHART!!!" I first saw this chore chart on Pioneer Woman's site (and you know that anything she likes is going to be good) and I just knew I had to have it. But doubt kept holding me back. Would this chore chart love me back? Would it stay with me through the tough times? Would it understand me and my weaknesses? And most importantly, would my kids approve of my new love? For months I simply stalked it, dreamed about it every night, until I could take it no longer and simply had to make my feelings known. How would I ever know if this chore chart could love me if I didn't show it how I really felt? So I whipped out my VISA and promptly proposed marriage to it.

My mom says chore charts are like diet books. They always sound great in theory, but rarely do any long term good in reality. And I have to say that, for the most part, she is right. This chore chart started out like any diet. The first day was amazing. We did it all. We sweated and slaved to meet the requirements. And, like I do with every new diet, I called my mom and my sister to rave to them about our new regime, about how good it made me feel, about all my hopes and dreams. And then I woke up the next morning with the usual change-your-life-hangover. My body wanted so badly for me to go back to my lazy ways. But I refused to give in so soon. I quickly called my sister for back up and she talked me through that second day so that I could stay strong. On the third day I called my mom for support. And everyday after that I called one of those amazing women so that they could talk me through my glutinous, lazy urges and see me to another day of chore chart success. Slowly it went from "hard to do" to just a way of life.

And I have to say, I love love love this chore chart. It is flexible, user friendly, visually helpful, and seems to work for us. For a really good look at all it has go read the Pioneer Woman's review. She has like a zillion pics of it so I'm not going to even try.

This is how I made it work.

1. Read all the instructions that come with it, get it all set up. Try to put it in a place where you will see it often, where the kids can access it, but where it is least likely to be pulled down or destroyed. I spent a whole day searching for a spot like this, they are hard to find.

2. Sit the family down and explain it. Let them know that this is about learning, that it is supposed to be hard, and that it is going to actually be more work for you (the mom) because instead of just doing the chores really fast yourself you are going to have to work with each kid as you teach them new skills.

3. The idea of the play money incentive is that eventually the child should feel self motivated to earn the money. Yeah, that is not going to happen the first week. I told my kids that the first week I would still nag, and even yell, in order to get them to finish their chores so they could all earn their money. The second week I would give reminders and nag a little but no yelling (I don't know why my boys need me to yell before they actually do stuff). Then the third week I would only give 3 reminders, and after that they are on their own. If they earn the money, fine, if they don't no sweat.

4. Some kids will choose not to earn. It's the way kids are. So, the deal is that money is a reward for a job WELL done and a good attitude. The kids are still required to get their jobs done everyday, but they don't earn any dollars if they don't meet the requirements. If they choose not to do any chores at all they loose any and all privileges (computer, TV, trampoline, picking a movie at the library, etc).

5. There are blank cards that you can customize. Use these to add any jobs that aren't provided. I added things like sweeping the stairs, collecting dirty laundry, and cleaning computer/TV screens. But I also got creative and added fun things like write your brother a love note, make everyone in the family laugh at least once today, write a story to tell the family after dinner, etc. I try to use at least one of these a week to help keep the chore chart fresh and alive, and to remind us that this whole program is about family.

6. I also like to mix up the dollar awards every now and then. If one child is particularly helpful and sweet I will give them an extra dollar, and we give an extra one on birthdays as well. I'm even thinking of letting the kids buy off a chore. So if they don't want to clean toilets maybe they can pay me 2 dollars to do it for them. And we have one big, expensive reward they can all chip-in to buy for a family day at "Fun Factor" (a building full of inflatable slides, boxing rings, ball pits, and adult headaches).

It's a pricey chore chart at $19.00 after shipping, but for me it has been totally worth it. If you have the time and inclination you could probably make one of these yourself. I thought about doing that... then I had a real good laugh and bought it from Christianbook.com because they sold it for the cheapest price.

Scientific Method

I have been conducting an experiment this past month. Others might say I've just been lazy beyond belief but I was just working undercover so as not to influence the test subjects (Did you know that fuzzy bathrobes make for great camouflage?).

Scientific Method requires a question, a hypothesis, an experiment, recorded outcome, and conclusion

Question: What gives my children more joy?

Hypothesis: Oh, who am I trying to kid. I knew the answer all along but was really enjoying being lazy.

Experiment: Let children glut themselves on toys, games, and movies. Leave them free to play by not having them do any chores. Let them live in their own filth. After an adequate amount of time for subjects to get used to situation suddenly have them do chores, clean, get rid of LOTS of their toys, games, and movies, and teach them new working skills.

WARNING: The following includes highly graphic and disturbing material. If you are judgemental or squeamish in any way please exit this window immediately and find a craft or recipe blog to read.

Record of experiment:

Week one: kids were fine, no one complained, house got messy, I watched many movies and gained 7 pounds, husband was a bit shocked.

Week two: kids still seem fine. Subject #1 walks around sighing a lot and subject #3 has been reverting to 3 year old types of mischief (drawing on younger sibling, furniture and walls). House continues to increase in messiness, a blockbuster movie is missing and we are being charged for the movie but I can't find it in all this mess. I read a book, watched 3 movies, checked all my regular blogs twice and then went looking for new blogs to read, gained 4 pounds and stopped feeding my children. Husband is quieter than usual.

Week 3: Kids are acting funny. They seem to enjoy fighting and whining and complain of being bored. Also, there language is being affected and they are using "bad" words like stupid, dummy head, fart, and buster (for some reason that last name made subject #1 cry). They say there is nothing fun to do and when I recommend cleaning they suddenly disappear. They ask to go to the park or to play computer games but there are firm rules about chores and such things. Kids apparently prefer being bored to cleaning. I have stopped cooking all together, have served cold cereal for dinner 3 times this week and ordered pizza another night. Laundry has not been done for 3 days and there are no socks or underwear for the kids. Husband tosses ice cream at the primitive mother beast and hides in his office to play Sudoku.

Week 4: Kids are banished from my presence they have become so annoying. Because they have taken apart or destroyed all their toys and games they have started taking apart the house. Fake wood trim has been torn off, a window is cracked, and there are 7 new stains on the living room carpet. I am experiencing a funny emotional disconnect to the whole situation. It feels like an out of body experience as I look around and think, "Man, what monsters live here?" Suddenly I look down at the unshaven legs peeking out from my bath robe and I realize, the monster is ME! Husband is unable to hide in his office because I have started moving all my hideous piles into that room and there is no room for him. Instead he goes to bed early.

****For the safety of the test subjects it is determined that the experiment must be moved into phase 2 and FAST!

Day one: I announce that it is time to do some cleaning. Kids disappear. I leave them be and use the time to clean my own filth.

Day two: A repeat of Day one but subject #2 actually picks up several objects before fading into the debris.

Day three: I bath all subjects, trim their claws/nails, cut hair on male subjects so as to be able to see their eyes, and force them all out into natural sunlight for 2 hours. Then I make them eat some fresh fruit and vegetables. This seems to calm them. We attempt to clean. Subject #1 goes into a rage, subject #2 is willing to participate in the new activity, subject #3 complains that his feet hurt and he itches, subject #4 is put down for a nap. We clean for 2 straight hours but little difference is seen. Children are grumpy. I am bathing and dressing myself again and I even make dinner. Husband says I look nice and prints off a new Sudoku.

Day four: Make children change into clean clothes and they feel the need to ask why. Cleaning continues and the same reactions are seen in respective subjects, however after 2 more hours of cleaning it is easy to see a difference being made and all subjects end up happy and excited to show their daddy what they've done. I start wearing make up, made lunch and dinner today. Husband is happy to see the changes but is wary of believing it to be a permanent change.

Day Five: Take children outside to clean up our white trash yard. We fill the garbage can with much stuff. Many lost gloves, spoons, cups, and shoes are found. I mow the lawn. Children suddenly show interest in playing together and spend an additional 2 hours outside playing soccer, tag, and digging holes under the deck. All receive baths and they all seem happy and helpful the rest of the evening. I go to the store and buy new plastic containers to increase our organizing efficiency and even take subjects #3 and 4 to the children's museum. Husband is extra helpful cleaning the kitchen with me after dinner and helping get kids into bed.

Day 6: Laundry is caught up and put away, dishes are done, I am no longer embarrassed to have people over. Today we intend to finish cleaning downstairs. I have bought nice plastic containers to help the kids sort their toys and some plastic drawers to try this idea with my laundry.

Conclusion: Contrary to what children say, it is obvious that they don't really want to be left alone, or to not work. While subjects seem to complain more in phase 2 of the experiment it is obvious that they are more joyful, constructive, calm, and play together better in this phase. They seem to prefer having clean open spaces in which to run and play physical games than they do being surrounded by electronic gadgets and toys and TV.

We will continue studying subject behavior in phase 2 for 1 more week. Then we will try phase 3 in which we increase the responsibilities and reduce the amount of stuff in subjects' environment.

Pictures are not being used as they were found to be too graphic and shocking for normal human viewing.

Grounded

" You've been very, very naughty and now you must go sit on the naughty step."

I'm grounded. I've grounded myself from the computer for 3 days. No, "ifs," "ands," or "buts." I've got a lot of things to do around here and none of it is getting done. Our rule around here is "No computer till your chores are done," and if you break the rule you are grounded from the computer for 3 days. Well, I broke the rule BIG TIME today. So, you won't be hearing from me until the laundry is put away, the floor is swept, the children are bathed, library books returned, Visiting Teaching is done, dinner is made before 8pm, children are read to and played with, a walk is taken in the sunshine, and a museum is visited. Hmmm, I wonder if three days is enough time to get all that done. Well, we'll see.

Oh, and my freezer has been restocked with many lovely flavors. Have you tried Ben and Jerry's creme brulee flavor yet? It is the closest thing I've been able to find to the real thing. And see my sidebar for a new find. So good!

And, in case any of you are feeling the mommy blues here is my list of Mean Mommy actions from just the past two days: (these events are so hideous and cruel that they resulted in many tears, moans of agony, pleadings, screamings, and down right silliness)

I made my kids try Sloppy Joes. Gasp!

I told my daughter she could only get one fantasy book and two regular books about real people situations (you know, where not everything is solved by magic wands or flying lizards). I know... basic abuse.

I asked my son to pick up three potholders off the floor and put them away. Obviously I believe in slave labor.

I told my daughter that she couldn't go with her dad to run late night errands at 9:30pm tonight. I'm out to ruin her life.

I made the kids turn of Sponge Bob, before they completely finished their 3rd viewing of it that day, so that we could read scriptures. I am brainwashing my kids with religion AND cartoons.

Yes, I am a Mean Mom and proud of it.

Finally, A Chore Chart I Like.

I am not a neat freak, in any sense of the word. No, I'm more of your let-it-sit-until -it drives-me-crazy-then-clean-like-a-mad-woman kind of homemaker. Because of this my kids have had it pretty easy in the whole chore department. They are in charge of cleaning their rooms, Cookie cleans the downstairs bathroom, Pablo and Monster Man clean the family room so that I can vacuum it. As for anything else I usually just ask as I need it. My kids should have counted themselves lucky and just run with it. Several days ago I was rushing around cleaning (like a mad woman) and I noticed Cookie just following me being bored. I kindly asked her to unload the dishwasher. Have you ever been given the evil eye? I'm talking serious evil eye, like I hope you drop dead, you are an evil mother, you should be reported to social services for being so cruel, kind of evil eye. And that doesn't include the sighing, the huffing, and the overly rough handling of my dishes she was performing either. I have a very hard time dealing with this kind of attitude from my children and usually this is the beginnings of a heated and useless battle between me and my daughter. Luckily I have been working very hard at not arguing with my children so after asking her nicely to adjust her visible attitude (which she didn't) I told her to stop and go down stairs. She started whining, "I'll do it, I'll do it," but it was said in a, "Gosh! Fine! Don't freak out," kind of tone. I firmly repeated, "No, I want you to stop and go downstairs. I didn't ask you to help me because I wanted you to hate me. I just didn't realize that you detested helping so much. Please go downstairs while I think about this." She pretended to be offended but I could tell she thought she had won as she rushed down to read her newest library book. I calmly asked Pablo to finish the dishes, and he did bless his heart, as I sat at my computer for the next 2 hours trying to find a solution to this problem. And I finally did it. I finally figured out a chore chart for our family. I have tried so many chore charts that didn't work that I had given up on them a long time ago. I've made checklists, star charts, climbing ladder charts, etc. They never worked, because they just weren't my style and usually required too much of me to keep them going, but this one is working and I'm loving it. I laminated it, put magnet on the back of it, called all the kids up and explained it to them saying, "I used to just ask you guys to do things, but I've had some really bad reactions from that, but now, with this chart, you will know what is expected of you every day, so there will be no reason for you to get upset." Now, every night at 4, as I prepare dinner, I have the kids do their chores from the new chart (whether they have done their downstairs chores or not) and now we have a clean upstairs every night when DSSH comes home. So, without further ado, here is my very simple chore chart:

Que Hora Es?

What time is it when the bottom of your feet are green, the water in your bucket is black, your laundry room is actually empty, and your knees are about to buckle?

TIME FOR ICE CREAM!!!

This place is almost as clean as it was when we moved in. I'm pooped!

There's No Place Like Home

Ahhhhhh, home at last.

Top ten signs that it is time to stop vacationing:
1. The answering machine is full.
2. While driving into your driveway you say, "Look kids, we're home!" and they ask, "Who's home is it?"
3. You enter your house and wonder, "Has my house always smelled like this?"
4. Just the thought of handling another wet swimsuit makes you want to cuss in front of your children.
5. You actually turn down one last dip in the hot tub because of sign #4.
6. Home cooked food sounds so good it brings tears to your eyes.
7. Doing your own chores sounds fun.
8. There is more sand in your car than there was at the beach.
9. You have spent more money on toothbrushes and sunscreen than you have on gas.
10. Your mailbox is full of sympathy cards because people think you have up and died.

I'm not sure how long it is going to take me to get all the sand out of our shorts, or the campfire smell out of our shoes. I'm not sure if my kids will believe me when I tell them that this next weekend we are just staying home. I'm not sure if I will be able to fully unpack and catch up on laundry before Christmas. But this I do know: I'm stayin' put for awhile. So, don't get married, have a baby, hold a family reunion, have an anniversary, offer me tickets to a big game, invite me to your beach house, ask me to go camping, or any other such fun because I will not get in that car one more time (Well, unless it's to run to the store for some stress relieving ice cream. Anyone want to suggest a new flavor for me to try?).

I Really Do Homeschool

I know you wouldn't be able to tell just from reading my blog, but I really am a homeschooling mom. I don't often post about my kids because my blog is usually used as an escape from my daily duties as mother (Does that make me sound awful? Too bad). Today I took the kids to a local beach park and as they gathered seashells, built driftwood forts, and splashed in the freezing cold waves, I took some time to ponder over this year's homeschooling schedule. In past years I've fully enjoyed a lackadaisical, sort of fly-by-the-seat-of-our-pants approach to education. However, now that the kids are older, and now that we have to factor in Cookie's public school schedule, I find that I really do need to have a method to my madness here. I pulled out some bright little yellow index cards, that I keep in my purse for just such occasions, and began writing. Now, I have to try and make some sense out of all these scribbles. The times I give are not starting times but ending times, so I must finish each thing by the time given. If it doesn't have a weekday next to it then it is done everyday Mon-Fri

6:25 Wake up and JUMP out of bed
6:45 Make bed, pick up room, shake my booty till DSSH gets out of the shower.
6:55 Put on running clothes, family prayers, kiss DSSH good bye (I'm such a good wife)
7:30 Run or shake booty for 1/2 hour
8:00 Unload Dishes, dress kids, get them to do whatever chores I can
8:30 Scripture memorization with kids, quick prayer, take Cookie to school
9:30 Reading time
10:15 Math Lessons
11:00 Personal Folder Seat Work
11:15 lunch
1:30 LOVELY QUIET TIME All kids will take a nap or read quietly in bed. Usually I just eat and veg-out during this time. This year I want to do more with this free time.
Mon: Do a deep clean in one area of the home and write a letter to a loved one.
Tue: Answer a Little Miss Knowitall (I haven't answered one in way too long), Do something artistic, or work on my writing projects.
Wed: Watch a movie and enjoy a yummy snack (Hey, I'm still human).
Thur: Do a sewing project and work on church calling duties.
Fri: Wild Card do what I want to day.

2:30 History or Science (Or both if I'm having a SUPER MOM day)
3:00 Pack up kids and walk to Cookie's school to pick her up.
4:30 Have kids finish their chores, prep dinner, and have Cookie do her homework.
5:30 Do something interactive and fun with kids
Mon: Play Board Games
Tue: Math Games
Wed: Run Errands (Sorry kids, it's gotta happen sometime)
Thur: Outing to museum
Fri: Art project

6:30 "All right, everyone downstairs and give mom some peace and quiet so I can still love you."
7:00 Finish making dinner, have kids set table.
8:55 Family scriptures, prayers, brush kids' teeth, spank and send kids to bed.
9:55 Enjoy a quiet moment with DSSH
10:00 ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ (I wish it were that easy)

Being realistic, though, I plan to crash and burn every Wednesday (and every other Thursday as well). Those are the days when I will eat embarrassing amounts of ice cream, watch every Cary Grant movie I own, and talk to my sister until her husband cuts their phone line.

This craziness will start on the morning of September 4th. Wish me luck!

Gots Ta Earn Me Some Ice Cream

Tuesday's To Do List worked so well for me that I'm going to do it again today. It makes a big difference when I know that others will see how much I get done or don't. I finished the picture frames and I must say they are C. U. T. E. I can't wait for DSSH to get home with my camera so I can finish them and get them up on the wall. I will post a pic when they are finished. If I get today's list done I am going to reward myself with this little baby:

4 people have now told me that I simply have to try Ben & Jerry's "Everything But The...". I haven't tried it because it sounds like over kill with all those things in it, but my mom finally convinced me. She said it this way, "It is like a different ice cream flavor with every bite. You never know what your going to get". Thanks Forest Gump.

THURSDAY'S TO DO LIST

aa3 Loads of laundry folded and put away (all the way away)

aClean Family Room Hooey, that made me work up a sweat. While cleaning I found a lost rental movie that I had almost given up on finding.

aPut boys dresser back in their room Now DSSH can stop asking me why their dresser is in the Family Room. I had moved it out last Christmas to give our guests more room for their air mattress in the boys' room and just enver got around to putting it back.

aEat healthy breakfast

aPack healthy lunch Mmmmm. Cream cheese, turkey meat, cranberry mustard, dried cranberries, cashews, sharp cheddar, and some lettuce rolled up in a tortilla with veggie sticks. SO good.

aTake kids to the children's museum

aMake a car appointment for oil change and tire check

aHave kids do math (aCookie, aPablo, and aMonster Man)

aWipe down and sweep master bathroom

Clean laundry room

Pack camping gear

aBuy fruit, veggies, and chicken breasts

aMake a big salad for dinner

aMake healthy dinner (ok, the kids are eating pizza, but i'm eating salad and a veggie sandwich)

Gotta Stay Busy

TUESDAY'S TO DO LIST

aMake my bed
aMow the lawn
aVacuum the upstairs carpets
aEat a healthy breakfast
aBathe Sweet Terror
aMake cookies
aMake and pack a healthy lunch
aTake kids to the wading park pool
Photograph the kids for bathroom pictures. (I am going to take head shots of the kids separately, then give them different hue saturations, like a Warhol effect, then frame them and hang them in the kids' bathroom) No can do. Forgot that I made DSSH take the camera with him on his trip to Chicago. Oops.
aPaint Picture frames for the bathroom pics. Still in the process of doing. This is taking a lot longer than I thought it would. I've had to stop every 10 minutes to pull out slivers, give baths, take kids places, answer the phone, yada yada. This is why I have had the frames sitting in a drawer for 2 years waiting to be painted. I only have to do the detail work on the last 3 and I'm done.
aTake kids to a McDonalds with playland for all the hard work they did today.
aPack, take, and eat a salad at McD's I still ate the kids leftovers, but at least that wasn't on top of another big burger and fries of my own.
Answer another Little Miss Knowitall question I will wait till tomorrow. By the time I finish painting the frames I will be in no condition to be giving advice.

I will keep checking them off as I go. Hopefully the thought that you can all see how much I accomplish will motivate me to get it all done.

Monster Man, I Love You

I feel angry and tired today. I know that the anger is a byproduct of my feeling tired. Monster Man came upstairs with dripping wet hair just now. I have cleaned up so many water messes this week that I kind of lost it. I asked him, in a voice much too severe, "Are you making more water messes? How did you wet your hair? Did you put water in a cup to wet your hair? Did you dip it in the sink, the tub, or the toilet?" The pitch of my voice is getting higher and starting to sound hysterical. Monster Man shrugs his shoulders, gives me that one eyed Popeye squint of his that I absolutely adore, and says, "I just wanted to show 'Pablo' how good my hair looks when it's wet". Instead of laughing and hugging my awesome little guy for trying to look his Sunday best, I continue the interrogation, "Is the sink empty now, or is it plugged? Is 'Sweet Terror' in the Bathroom too? is there any water on the floor? Well you better get down there and unplug it. You had also better make sure that bathroom is clean because if i find any water puddles I will scream!" He obediently went down to check for puddles and to unplug the sink. He does look handsome with his nice wet hair. Maybe if that was the first thing he did this morning I would have savored the cuteness of the moment. Maybe if it hadn't been for the steak knife carried up into the tree, or the stolen pillows from my freshly changed and made bed, or the marker writing on the side of the house, or huffing and puffing when asked to clean, or the spilled soggy cereal, or finding all my kitchen utensils out in the dirt and in the bathrooms and in the living room, or any of the other Monster Man creations today, maybe then I would have told him that he did indeed look handsome and then nicely have asked him to make sure he cleaned up any mess, just like a big boy should. Maybe that is why, when he came up from unplugging the sink, I grabbed him in my arms, squeezed him till he laughed, and told him, "Monster man, I love you SOOOOOO much!"

This is Monster Man 2 years ago, cleaning up one of his flour messes.

Cookie's FHE

Last night Cookie gave the lesson for FHE. I love it when she gives the lesson because she always amazes me with her mature grasp of the gospel. Her lesson made me proud and a bit sad. I felt sad because her opening story was about dealing with bullies. She has had to deal with bully behavior at school. She has been called names, she has been tripped, she has been pushed, and she has been yelled at by boys who just don't seem to know better. This has been a good, albeit tough, learning experience for her and I have been proud of the choices she has made in these situations. She has even turned several of these bullies into friends. So, last night she read her story from the friend and then she had us play a board game that she had created herself. I love these moments, when you feel like your child is mastering the skills you are trying, so desperately, to teach them before they must be sent out in the world on their own. It was good for the boys to hear, too, because they have been getting pretty rough with each other. They seem to think that it is o.k. to punch the other in the eye if he says, "You're a stupid face boy". I keep telling them that if they punch the name caller then they both have to be punished for bad decisions, but if they don't fight back, then only the name caller gets punished. Ah well, we keep trying.

Today I am taking on Mount Everest. I am climbing the summit, and then I am going to chip and hack away at it until it no longer exists (or at least until I turn it into multiple miniature Everests). If you can't tell, I am referring to my paper pile. And it is taller than me right now, seriously! It starts at the top of my computer armoir, actually it starts on the top of my printer that is on top of my armoir, it runs down the sides of my monitor, it is busting out of every cubby hole, is keeping the side cupboard and drawers from closing, has fallen behind the armoir, and has been pushed underneath, and between its side and the wall. Considering all that, I don't think anyone can accuse me of exaggeration for calling it an "Everest".
P.S. What time is it when you find a pitcher in the bathroom?

Answer: Time to sanitize the pitcher and see what else the kids have been doing while I blogged.

Hey Everybody, It's Family Night!

I can't remember who first sent this to me, but I LOVE it! Check it out:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HEFE3B0Rje0

The sad part is that my car looks worse than this. It is sad that I am willing to curl my legs underneath me, in my Sunday dress, rather than clean out the car so that I have room for my legs. So, I feel inspired to use this video as a valuable Family Home Evening lesson.

Opening Song: Quickly I'll Obey (CSB #197) or use this link and the computer plays the piano for you.
http://www.lds.org/churchmusic/detailmusicPlayer/index.html?searchlanguage=1&searchcollection=2&searchseqstart=197&searchsubseqstart=b&searchseqend=197&searchsubseqend=b

Scripture: Teach them to never be weary of good works (Alma 37:34)

Poem: "Thank You, Heavenly Father" by Mabel Jones Gabbott
Today the storm roars through the skies;
The young green trees bend to its will.
But I remember yesterday—
The skies were warm, the leaves were still.
One day I helped Dad clean the car
And thought we’d never get it done.
But now when I remember it,
It wasn’t hard—’twas more like fun.
The next time when the skies are dark
Or I have something hard to do,
I will remember storm clouds pass;
Each task once done gets easier too.
How glad I am for memory.
I thank Thee for this gift to me.

Jobs
Mom: Put away items that go back in house.
Dad: Vacuum
Cookie: Pick up garbage
Pablo: Wash surfaces
Monster Man: Stay out of Cookie's way and help mom
Sweet Terror: Be Godzilla, boss every one, torture Monster Man, and mess up all our hard work

Closing song: When We're Helping (CSB #198) or
http://www.lds.org/churchmusic/detailmusicPlayer/index.html?searchlanguage=1&searchcollection=2&searchseqstart=197&searchsubseqstart=b&searchseqend=197&searchsubseqend=b

Treat: Get in clean car and go out for ice cream. NO ICE CREAM ALLOWED IN CAR, AND YOU BETTER WASH YOUR HANDS BEFORE YOU TOUCH ANYTHING


****We are also going to set a goal for a new family habit: Never leave the car messy, take it all in with you. I'll let you know how the car looks next Monday ;)