Unconventional School

One of the things I like about homeschooling as opposed to sending the kids to school is that I have time to incorporate lessons that otherwise might not get taught. One of my biggies is manners. Right now we are following a curriculum on manners and we had a fun game today as part of the lesson.

In our section of everyday courtesies today was a lesson about smiling. What a gift smiling can be to others and how it is good manners to try to give several away a day. Here's where the game came in.


The kids were to work in pairs with one being the "smiler" and one was the "frowner". The smiler was to try to get the frowner to smile, thus proving the point that a smile can brighten anyone's day.



As you can see from the pictures it was a lot of fun and the point really became real to the kids. I have to say it was a much more smiley day around here!

The Wonderful World of Boys

Yes, it's 2am and I'm posting a new blog entry. Levi and I are the only ones who don't have colds. What that means is that you have to basically be in a coma to get any sleep around here. With all the loud snoring that's going on around here due to all the stuffy noses I feel like I'm in a forest with trees being cut down all around me.

For those of you with boys, these things will seem perfectly normal. However for those of us with mostly all girls and that were raised in a family of all girls...aka, me, these things are worth mentioning.

Things I've learned since being Levi's mom:

1. Food is better eaten so quickly that you often bite your tongue or cheek

2. No need to use a napkin when eating

3. Anything can be a piece of playground equipment

4. Never buy the cheap, off brand of toys unless of course your intention is for them to last about 1/2 hour

5. Even name brand toys that are seemingly made out of indestructible metal have a life span of a few months

6. Holes in walls are no big deal.

7. Clothes are better in a heap on the floor than folded

8. No need for tags to be inside of clothes, they are better worn whichever way you put them on, inside out or backwards

9. Never leave fragile dolls within reach, or really dolls of any kind unless you like them missing body parts

10. Dolls with missing parts still work just fine, what's the big deal

11. All broken things are just fine for that matter

12. You're supposed to throw away used Kleenexes?

13. Always plan on bathroom endeavors taking about 1/2 hour

14. Why should I bother to make my bed when I'm only going to sleep in it again?

15. A bed with the comforter pulled slightly toward the pillow is a made bed

16. There are two volumes of voices only; loud and ear-plug worthy loud

17. Putting things away means putting them in the general vicinity, in fact exactly what to you mean by putting something away?

18. Never expect pairs of things to be pairs for very long

19. No need to zip your coat, even in Michigan

20. Anything that resembles a gun or sword can be one

I could go on and on but I am starting to feel that coma coming on.

I love having girls, I know girls, I understand girls, but Levi makes every day SOOOOOOOOO much fun. I'm so thankful for the humor he brings to my life almost every moment. He helps balance out my type A perfectionist self because quite frankly making things perfect with him around requires viewing things with blurry vision, or just looking the other way. He's teaching me that life can be more fun when you read between the lines anyway...otherwise you miss half the fun!

A Fresh Perspective

Don't you just love when out of the blue a new perspective just slaps you right across the face...seemingly just when you need it?

I had spent the majority of the day moping around, muttering under my breath about the cold, dreary, snowy weather which doesn't seem to have an end in sight. I'm tired of sick kids and now husband which we've been dealing with since Christmas.

Before we had kids this was the time of year that we went away somewhere warm, every year for 6 years. As I hear about friends that have recently taken warm sunny vacations or others that have one just on the horizon I have only gone deeper into a depression...or should I say a Michigan oppression?

Anyway ,in the height of my muttering I walked into the kitchen and something on the fridge caught my eye. It was the birth announcement for my precious Emily and then it hit me. No, I'm not going anyplace warm and no I haven't had a vacation anyplace warm in the winter in 8 years. But, I have Emily and Annalise and Levi and Rebecca. Back when I worked like 70 hours a week I would have traded the sunny, warm vacation that I took every year for even one beautiful child...and I now have 4. After my first pregnancy ended in a miscarriage I feared I wouldn't ever have children. How humbled I was to be reminded of this when I stared at Emily's picture.

We've made choices which have made our situation what it is, but they are choices that I wouldn't trade...even for a sunny vacation. I have a husband that for the first time in the 15 years that I've known him is happy with his chosen work. He actually enjoys going to work most days and gains great fulfillment from it. Because my husband goes to work for hours on end every day, I'm lucky enough to be home every day, raising the children I prayed about and longed for for many years.

I again was humbled as I did devotions with Levi. It was about the sun of all things. It talked about what a gift the sun is and reminded us that God is like the sun...He is our sun and without Him our lives would be cold and dreary.

Someday I hope to have both the sunny vacation and the blessing of my children. But until that day comes, I guess I'll bask in the warmth of my Bible and prayers. It couldn't hurt to enjoy some pictures from last summer either!

A Good Read

My husband was kind enough to pick this up for me...perhaps it will help me with the error of my ways. Enjoy!

The Good Wife's Guide
-Have dinner ready. Plan ahead, even the night before to have a delicious meal ready on time for his return. This is a way of letting him know that you have been thinking about him and are concerned about his needs. Most men are hungry when they come home and the prospect of a good meal, especially his favorite dish is a part of the warm welcome needed.
-Prepare yourself. Take 15 minutes to rest so you'll be refreshed when he arrives. Touch up your makeup, put a ribbon in your hair and be fresh looking. He has just been with a lot of work weary people.
-Be a little gay and more interseting for him. His boring day may need a lift and one of your duties is to provide it.
-Clear away the clutter. Make one last trip through the main part of the house just before your husband arrives.
-Gather up school books, toys, paper and then run a dustcloth over the tables.
-Over the cooler months of the year you should prepare and light a fire for hum to unwind by. Your husband will feel he has reached a haven of rest and order and it will give you a lift too. After all, catering for his comfort will provide you imense personal satisfaction.
-Prerare the children. Take a few minutes to wash their hands and faces if they are small and if necessary change their clothes. They are little treasuers and he would like to see them playing the part. Minimize all noise. At the time of his arrival, eliminate all noise of the washer, dryer, or vacuum. Try to encourage the children to be quiet.
-Be happy to see him.
-Greet him with a warm smile and show sincerity in your desire to please him
-Listen to him. You may have a dozen important things to tell him but the moment of his arrival is not the time. Let him talk first-remember his topics of conversation are more important than yours.
-Make the evening his. Never complain if he comes home late or goes out to dinner, or other places of entertainment without you. Instead try to understand his world of strain and pressure and his very real need to be at home and relax.
-Your goal: Try to make sure your home is a place of prder and tranquillitywhere your huband can renew himself in body and spirit.
-Don't greet him with complaints and problems.
-Don't complain if he's late home for dinner or even if he stays out all night. Count this as minor compared to what he might have gone through that day.
-Make him comfortable. Have him lean back in a comfortable chair or have him lie down in the bedroom. Have a cool or warm drink ready.
-Arrange his pillow and offer to take his shoes. Speak in low, soothing and pleasant voices.
-Don't ask him questions about his actions or question his judgement or integrity. Remember he is the master of the house and as such will always exercise his will with fairness and truthfulness. You have no right to question him.
-A good wife always knows her place.

Thank you Housekeeping Monthly of 1955 for that. I don't know about all you other wives but I fully intend to take a 15 minute rest, be gay, put ribbons in my hair, light a fire, minimize all noise and remember that Jim's topics of conversation are more important than mine.

In addition I intend to never complain when he doesn't come home, perhaps for days, fluff his pillows, take his shoes and speak to him in only soothing tones with an appropriate drink in hand.

I definately know that I never have the right to question him and ALWAYS will remember what my place is.

There is definately some truth to some of these especially from a Christian perspective, but yikes! What a hoot. This brought many laughs to my very stressful day! Nice to know Jim's always thinking of me when he's at work at 2am. I can provide copies for all interested in being a better wife, you just let me know!

Where, Oh Where has my Little Baby Gone?

Emily has really grown up over the past 2 weeks. In that span of time she has started rolling all over to get where she wants to go. She finds something she'd like to get to and decided how she'll get there by rolling. Then she sets out. Sometimes she gets off course and needs to regroup and that is SO cute to watch her brain working on how to fix her path. Now she's to that point when I have to watch her ALL the time. Luckily I have 3 other pairs of eyes to help!

Then at the same time she has started sitting up really well all by herself. She only needed support for less than a week and she's a pro! It's so amazing to watch her brain unfolding moment by moment. I'm afraid to blink for fear of missing something.

As facinating as all these changes have been to watch and although I celebrate her developments, it has also been time of many tears shed...by me. I have such a hard time with my kids growing older. Annalise is adding 4 digit numbers together, Levi's reading, Rebecca knows all her letter sounds and then there's Emily.

Jim can't wait for Emily to outgrow the spitting up phase, but I think it's precious...every age, every stage and it all goes SO fast. Now I just need to gear up for my first baby to turn 7 in a few weeks. Guess I should make sure I've got plenty of kleenex!

Ode to Annalise

Well we officially started piano lessons yesterday after getting some music and Annalise was SOOO excited. Of course we have to start with all the boring stuff like hand position and she just wants to play songs. We will start with some of that today. This is going to be really great for her I can tell already. She is so passionate about reading and I think she will be passionate about music as well.

She cracks me up in so many ways in one day's time I thought I'd share some from yesterday.

I made Jim some special cookies to stop and pick up for Valentine's Day. She called him to tell him that his surprise was ready. I told her that she could not tell him what his surprise was. In talking to him she said "I tried"...and then she caught herself starting to tell him that she tried a cookie so she stopped herself and said "oh yeah, well we had a good day today," as if she hadn't even started that previous sentence. It was such a good save it cracked me up.

As I had been taking the cookies out of the oven she said "When those are cool I'll need to try one to make sure they taste O.K." I guess she's repeating after me. The joke in our house is that my kids get many of their desserts already with a bite out of them. I had them convinced for years that we buy these cupcakes and things already this way, but in their older years they've caught on that it is mom that sneaks a bite. I can't afford the calories of the whole dessert, so just a bite satisfies my cravings. Now my reply has become that I need to try them to make sure that it tastes O.K. Apparently this has caught on.

Later I heard her repeatedly letting out big puffs of air out of her mouth. When I asked what she was doing her resonse was that last summer the boy next door invented a game of who could hold their breath the longest under water in the pool. She told me that she needed to practice so that she would be sure to win this summer. Now the funny thing not only is that she has such a strong desire to win (hmmm, where have I heard that before?) but also that she is planning for her victory months in advance (hmmm, a planner at heart, how strange).

Then for school she chose to study the heart yesterday. After reading her some information about it she recalled such words as vein, artery and atrium when she had to recite back to me what she learned.

I asked her to read along and check me on a Bible passage that I'm trying to memorize. She preceeded to share all the tricks she uses to memorize her Bible verses. She said that perhaps I just need to work a little harder. Perhaps I do.

I'm sure there was much more that I could share, but I'm so exhausted from just trying to keep up with her on these that I need a rest.

I hope you've enjoyed a glimpse into my life with my little Annalise. Perhaps now you can all understand why I shake my head every day at what she often comes up with. My life has been and continues to be such a blessing with her in it.

Field Trip

I don't have a picture for today even though we had a lot of excitement. I didn't have the camera with us for our impromptu outing. We were out near the airport, so Jim suggested that we swing by Aero Med and check out the helicopters. Apparently he knows some medical people there and thought we could sneak a peek.

Sneak a peek we did. We got a whole tour of the place complete with souvenires. What a blast! I've never really seen a helicopter up close. The kids got to sit in the pilots seats and even check out the back where the patients go. They had fun sitting where the doctors and nurses sit and pretending that they were one of those. They all agreed that the instrument panel had a few more buttons and lights than our car has on its dashboard.

We got to check out their dispatch area too. Apparently some of the calls that Jim deals with are dispatched through here as well so that was really cool for him to see.

All in all I was really pleased with the kids' behavior as we explained that we wouldn't ever be able to go back if they weren't well behaved. They had good manners and followed the directions that our tour guide, the Dr. gave us. They even managed to whisper when we were in an area that there was a meeting going on in.

Jim had been toying around with possibly becoming a flight paramedic and I think maybe our little trip made that idea a little bit more real. Hard to say, right now he just needs to take one step at a time. I guess it would make us both happy as we would have to move someplace else since there aren't flight paramedics in GR. I'm all for moving somewhere a little bit warmer...I suppose I've mentioned that a few times before!

If we are able to get the picture of the kids in the copter off Jim's phone, I'll be able to post that then. We had a great time though and are very thankful to have had this opportunity!

Vacation

I thought I'd share some pictures from our vacation. Great aren't they? It was warm and sunny and a great chance for us to relax. Oh, wait, we didn't take a vacation. We decided to use the vacation time Jim has been banking since he started at AMR over 2 years ago and take it as a cash payment to finally buy the digital piano we've been needing.

Annalise's Dr. has been after me to get her into music of some sort for the past 2 years. Apparently kids who read really well can do really well in music too. It also will give her someplace else to focus her attention...broaden her horizons so to speak. I thought now would be a good time since she is into reading so much that she does it for hours every day, literally. I find her still awake after 10:00 most nights becasue she just can't put her book down. Wonder where she gets that from?

Anyway, we got a really good deal on a closeout model and Annalise was SO excited from the moment we walked into the store. She has been BEGGING for a piano for about the past 9 months or so. It was either the piano or the horse that she's been begging for. I of course chose the cleaner and cheaper option.

We all had alot of fun with it today. There is a setting called Concert Magic and all you have to do is repeatedly hit any key and it will play a beautiful piece of music. Rebecca is hilarious to watch because she thinks she is actually playing this beautiul song. She wonders what's wrong with the piano at Grandma's house becasue when she plunks away there it only sounds like plunking instead of a masterpiece. When we say, "Oh Becca, you play so well!" She says "Thank you," as though she's been playing this way for years.

Since I took lessons for years, I'll be teaching Annalise for awhile, after all what's one more subject to sqeeze into my day? Next on my list is finding what I'll actually be using to teach her. But, for the meantime the kids will all be creating a little concert magic!

Who is That?

Emily has this past week discovered the fun of the little girl in the mirror. She had previously liked looking at the other baby but never realized that she actually interacts with her!

It was so funny to watch her face the first time she saw that other baby move. She lurched backwards and her eyes got as big as saucers and I know that if she could speak she would have said "Who is that?!"

After the initial shock wore off then she really started having fun with the other baby. She talked to her and laughed and then thought it was so funny when she laughed back at her. She also discovered that as she moved, this other baby moved along too. When she waved, the girl waved, when she screamed, the other girl screamed and so on and on it went.

It was amazing to watch the whole discovery take place...I could almost see the wheels in her head turning.

Confessions of a Red Faced Zombie

Wow, did I blow it last night. I think I get the Worst Mother of the Year Award...
Of course my husband wasn't home so being on my own didn't help at all.

Yesterday I happened to discover something that needed immediate attention and also needed quiet surroundings for me to give it the attention it needed. It was my first mistake to think this could happen without the kids actually being asleep.

On New Years Eve this year amongst throwing up children I found a HUGE envelope from the IRS in the mailbox. Apparently my husband's employer gave us an incorrect w2 for the year 2006 and the IRS was just getting around to figuring that out now and they would like their money...like now. Happy New Year!

So I spent countless hours....probabaly to the tune of 25 since then trying to work on this little problem. My best friend is an accountant and she probably put in equal time helping me...thanx Lisa!

Then yesterday I discover quite by mistake that his employer made a huge mistake during 2007, so it seems. When they changed payroll companies mid-year, they seemingly added a few thousand dollars to his gross pay just for fun. And yes, you guessed it, my 2007 taxes have already been done and my accountant has been paid...yet another time my insane diligence has come to bite me in the butt! What I really want to know is, how can a nationwide employer make huge mistakes like this with the same person, 2 years in a row?!?!?!?!?!?! It was about this time that my blood began to boil. I still have no explanation from said employer about the first problem and now I have this 2nd, more urgent problem to be explained. According to their track record with the first problem, it will take months to get everything all figured out. And yes, refiling ALL my taxes AGAIN this year...can you sense my blood boiling???

Enter children....whining, crying, fighting and disobeying and it did not turn out to be a good night last night. I gave the evil eye 1008 times, I angrily pointed my finger at my children 867 times, I swore under my breath about children 459 times and I yelled and sreamed at disobedient children so loudly that I scared myself 1204 times.***please note, these numbers may be slightly inflated. I must have looked somewhat like a red-faced zombie though.

To some extent, I know that the problem at hand was very much the culprit...nothing like other people's mistakes costing you much time and money AGAIN, but I knew that I was not handling it in a good way but I did it anyway and this is where the previously mentioned award comes in.

But, today is a new day...God promises that His mercy is new every morning...yes Lyn, I claimed your verse as my own today! I'm so thankful that He forgives me for my terrible behavior. You can bet I'll be asking some forgiveness from my children this morning too. I'm not going to be dealing with the above mentioned issue today either as I know that it's just way too much for me today.

Instead I think I'll sing and laugh and play with the kids...they've earned at least this much from me after last night! I think I'll throw in a bubble bath with aromatherapy and candles too just for me. Hopefully my kids aren't scarred for life.

Daddy Play

I am constantly reminded of the differences between moms and dads. This is what my children do for hours every time they see Jim. It is a cross between playground play, a screaming match and the WWF. Actually what it is to me is a big fat headache with the noise level sending me close to needing earplugs.

Quite frankly, this "play" drives me nuts as all the screaming makes me want to lose my mind since I can go nowhere to escape the noise. I have no idea how Jim can tolerate all the screaming and yelling since he is in the middle of it, but I have always wondered if he is half deaf....or perhaps it's just that selective hearing that he suffers from sometimes.

There is always someone getting hurt, but since I am married to a now paramedic this is no longer my department. I can just turn a deaf ear when "OOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWW" rings out.

I guess I'm glad that they get this all out with Dad and I'm not required to roll around on the floor with them. I just don't see that going very well. I am reminded of all the reasons kids do best with both a mom and a dad. I also see how different we are as parents as I would much rather read or do crafts with them. I have to remind myself that I just need to tolerate all the noise and screaming since it is really screams of delight.

They all call it fun, I call it nuts!

If I had a Magic Carpet

We have been studying ancient times in history with much time being spent on Egypt lately. We read an Egyptian Fairy Tale yesterday about magic carpets and such and this was her writing assignment.

If I had a Magic Carpet....by Annalise

If I had a magic carpet I would fly to all the different parts of the States for I would fit as much as would fit on the carpet with only me. Then I would let others go to the States that I had already been to.

I would go North, South, East and West. Then I would go Northeast, Northwest, Southeast and Southwest.

In Hawaii I would see birds and other nature and I would swim in the ocean because Hawaii is an island.

In Colorado I would see mountains and big, tall buildings.

I would go to China and see lots of different looking people. I would see some boys that shave all their hair off except a little bit to put in a long braid.

I would go to Egypt and see the Pyramids and the Sphinx, heiroglyphics and lots and lots of sand.

I would go to the Rainforest and see lots of trees, lots of animals and other nature.

I would go to England and meet the King and Queen of England. I would see their palaace too.

Then I would go to Georgia and see Paula Deen.


I thought this was so cute I just had to share it. Nice to know in her mind Paula Deen is right up there with the Queen of England!

Sowing Seeds

This was my mantra this morning. Let me just give you a brief recap...

I repeatedly asked the kids to get dressed and get their beds made for breakfast but to no avail. I repeated a few times that if they did not get a move on it, they would miss breakfast...we do not live with a 24 hour buffet. Still, I was ignored. Levi and Rebecca would rather scream and yell at each other all while Jim was trying to sleep after having worked all night. Miss breakfast they did. My dramatic oldest child said "Mother I'm going to DDDDDIIIIEEEEE without somthing to eat." I replied that I would be hungry if I missed breakfast too and had to bite my tongue to keep from saying what I really wanted to say: Maybe next time you'll listen then.

Under normal circumstances this picture would not appear abnormal. However it is Levi and Rebecca being forced as a result of their fighting, to yell and scream at each other outside for 3 whole minutes! After they came in they needed to tell each other 3 things that they appreciate about each other.

Levi's list to Rebecca: I really love you, You're really smart, I like doing special things with you.
Becca's list to Levi: I trust you, I love you, I like doing special things with each other.
The nice thing is that these things were said to each other with a genuine smile on their faces when they were sharing their list and receiving the other's list.

Then of course we needed to discuss why their SELFISH behavior of screaming at each other is not allowed...especially while Daddy is trying to sleep. When they live in a house all by themselves they may behave selfishly, but in a family of 6, I think not.

Then I asked Levi to clean up his PJ"s in the bathroom that he forgot. When I came downstairs a few minutes later I found them wadded up in the corner next to the couch. I then picked up his PJ's and put them away, but then he needed to do one of my jobs...vacuuming the floor.

A short time later, I discovered that the coat Levi was supposed to hang up after his outdoor screaming match was laying in the middle of the living room floor. I picked it up but Levi found himself putting dishes away instead.

I had to remind myself that I am sowing seeds for later...hopefully seeds of love and respect for each other and everyone in our family. I had to remind myself that even though it took Levi twice as long to put the dishes away as it would have taken me, he really is learning that it is to his advantage to obey me and to be responsible for his own things.

As tempting as it was to crawl into bed with Jim and pull the covers over my head to drown out the screaming and yelling, everyone was laughing and playing nicely together by 10:00. I have a feeling everyone will eat a really good lunch too. I also enjoyed putting my feet up instead of vacuuming!

Feeling Jiggy...in an Irish Way!

I thought I would let all of you in on a little secret about me: I like to win. In fact, if I don't have a good chance of winning I'd rather not participate. Surprising to those of you that know me well, I know!

In high school I ran track, I was a hurdler...which really is quite surprising that with my klutziness I was able jump over little boards while running. But my coach told me that it was because I could run so fast it would be like they weren't even there...he was right.

Anyway, in the last 10 years I've become more of a distance runner and by distance I mean 3-5 miles. I fulfill my need for competition by running in 5ks and the occasional triathlon. But again, if I can't do well, I'd rather not bother. I don't run for fun, I run to compete! I'm not silly enough to think that I can win a 5k, but I better place in the top 10 of my age group!

I must confess that I love running sometimes but hate it at others. I hate working up to getting my time where I like it...I hate pushing myself sometimes. I ran during my pregnancy with Emily until I was 20 weeks PG and then gave it up. I started running again after she was 6 weeks, but didn't keep it up as I felt sluggish and things were jiggling in places that shouldn't have been and that just made me feel fat.

Then we got these new elliptical trainers at the gym and they really gave me a great workout, so I gave up on running for what I thought would be for good.

I got my race application in the mail this week for one of my favorite races...the Irish Jig in March and threw it in the trash with a sigh. I'd resigned myself to the fact that after 4 kids in 6 years things would always be jiggling and I would always feel sluggish.

So at the gym today my ellipticals were both in use and I needed to get a good workout so I figured I'd just run what hopefully would be a mile at a pretty good clip and then I'd just walk for awhile.

After my staredown with the treadmill I got on at my previously normal pace. I watched 1 mile come and go, 1.5 miles, 2 miles and I was still running jiggle free. In fact by the time I got to 2.5 miles I increased my speed by quite a bit and finished the entire 3 miles. I even felt I had more left in me, so I slowed to a walk and put it at a 30% incline and walked the remaining 22 mins of my 40 min workout! What a feeling! Actually, I felt a bit like puking when I got off but since this is a sign of a good workout for me, I didn't mind. Wow, those ellipticals really do give a great workout for me to be able to jump right in like that.

So, I guess I'll have to dig my application out of the trash and dust off my running shoes cause Mama's got her groove back! Watch out ladies in the top 10, I'm knocking on your door!

Feet Washing

Note: Please read the following phrases in the most whiny voice possible:

"It's not mine!"
"I didn't get that out!"
"I didn't make that mess!"
"But I didn't do it!"
"MOOOOOOOOOOOM!"
"But_________________________!"

I had my fill of these phrases last night and we had to have a little talk. I suggested that perhaps a solution to our problem was that everyone could be responsible for ONLY THEIR things and taking care of ONLY themselves. Well, everyone thought that was a grand idea.

A short time later I sat down to eat MY dinner as my children came into the kitchen only to find their places empty of food. "Mom, where's our dinner?"

"I thought you were taking care of that tonight."
Look of confusion on 3 faces
"I thought we decided that we only were going to take care of our things and ourselves."
Lightbulb flashes in 3 heads
"Well, we didn't mean it that way!"
"Well, what way did you mean it? Either we're a family and we work together as a family and do things for each other or we're not. Which way did you want it?"
"We want to be a family," said in chorus through salivating mouths.

I then took the opportunity to remind the kids of the story we actually acted out during a family night activity one time about Jesus' being a servant and washing his disciples' feet. Reminding the kids that we are to follow His example of serving others, of not being concerned about things being fair but of just loving those that we have in our lives.

After we finished our talk and I felt satisfied that the kids understood, I gave them their dinner, yes I had already made it and had it hidden from them. After dinner I decided I should go fold the kids' laundry as I had folded only mine and Jim's. Shoot, my free time was quickly diminishing as I had to go back to serving my children.

Our talk must have hit home as my children have been most helpful today, even asking for extra jobs to do so they could be helpful. Annalise even made Dad his breakfast this morning. Hopefully this lasts...although I won't be holding my breath!