Friday, October 28, 2016

Children & Chores

Our church offers a Wednesday evening, Pioneer Club for kids. Not just for the children within the church, but for the community as well.
It's a fun evening of Bible studies, Bible memory, learning life skills & learning how to work together.
This past week in their skills class, the children learned how to sort laundry while doing a relay race.
The kids loved it!


Children learn so much by watching us as parents, as we go about our day, taking care of daily chores that often feel mundane.

What we as parents often forget is, our children are eager to learn new skills, willing & often excited to help if given the chance.
The life skills they learn at home will stay with them forever.

Our children have daily/weekly chores that they're responsible for. 
Such as:
 Cleaning bathrooms
Cleaning their rooms
Emptying & loading the dishwasher
Emptying the trash 
Sweeping the floor
Feeding their pets
Mowing the yard
Picking weeds
Gathering the laundry
Folding the laundry...& the list goes on.

It helps them to feel a part of something bigger. It helps them to feel involved & needed, & most importantly, they are learning life skills that will teach them responsibility into adulthood.

"helping to make applesauce"

Friday is our weekly cleaning day. Today while the 2 oldest & I were cleaning, Asher kept following Gracie around, asking,"what can I do?" ...She finally came & asked if there was something little brother could do to keep busy :)
I gave him a damp rag & had him wipe down the baseboards in the bathrooms.
He did such a good job, & the pride that lit up his face was worth the little bit of extra time it took to get the job done.
Later as I was folding laundry, he came over & asked to help. I gave him all the hand towels & wash cloths & he stayed busy till the task was completed. He's only 3, but there is so much he can help with if given the chance(He also loves putting away the silverware when his siblings are emptying the dishwasher.)


They take turns helping to cook dinner each night as well. Chopping/peeling veggies, mashing tators, stirring soup etc. The older ones are learning how to follow recipes...sometimes it's a flop, but most times we end up with something really good ;)

Daily/weekly chores do not come with an allowance. We don't want our children growing up, feeling entitled to payment, every time they do a job for someone. There are extra chores though that earn them a few dollars here & there.
Like today, Dawson came to me after his chores were completed & asked if there were any extra chores that needed done, that could earn him some $.
(there are always extra chores like that around here:)
I had him trim shrubs & cut off all the dead foliage of the summer, in my flower gardens. He did it every bit as good as I would've done it. He made a few extra dollars & I didn't have to do the one job that I dread every fall. It was a win-win! :)

I challenge you today:
Give your child a chore & watch as his/her face lights up at a job well done.
It may take longer initially, but once they've successfully mastered that skill, that is one thing you'll have help with or may no longer need to do in the future...you'll be doing yourself a favor ;)






Saturday, October 22, 2016

River stories

All 3 of these conversations happened just tonight & I knew I needed to document them so I'd have them forever :)


Driving through Berlin, I told the kiddos to be sure that they're buckled cause there is often a police car parked at the edge of town...
"I'm gonna buckle up, mama! Cause I don't want the cops to take you to jail"
"Why don't you want the police to take me?
"cause you're special, & I want to keep you forever" (heart melted)


Walking through Wal-mart, looking for a few items that the boys need for school next week, They're having a drug prevention week & are wearing special colors & types of clothing for each day....
I asked River, why they need special clothes for school, wanting  to see if he knew the purpose...
"Cause we're gonna do drugs at school next week" ;) ...Not quite. I needed to explain it a little further for him :)


Again, in the car...
"Mama, I'm gonna need to get married...yeah, I'm getting married."
"...& just why do you need to get married?"
"Cause the boys are the boss!"
"They are huh?"
"yep! & they take care of the girl, & they are responsible for her, my teacher said so!'


He never ceases to surprise me with the words that come out of his mouth :)



Saturday, October 1, 2016

A Weekend away for the Mamas

About a month ago, our brother Gary reserved a Bed & Breakfast for one evening, for the ladies of the family, to get away for a kid-free weekend.
He will likely never know what a treat it was for us all!
We all met at Mom's & piled into one car & headed out for an evening of shopping & dinner...



"Sisters"

Disclaimer: There were lots of selfies & blurry cell-phone pictures, but not documenting this weekend, was not an option :)

We were greeted at Quail Covey Bed & breakfast by the sweetest little lady.
She gave us a mini tour, then gave us free rein of the place. we had the whole place to ourselves!
We decided on rooms, then got comfy for a few games of Rummikub & a movie. Meanwhile, Sweet Charlie was in the kitchen, baking up some delicious apple dumplings, that she served with vanilla ice-cream, then later, some big bowls of popcorn....











We ended up all sacked out in the largest suite, talking till nearly midnight, when Mom & Sheila left for their rooms.
Fully intending to sleep, the rest of us headed to our own beds as well...
...Instead, a few pranks, & much gut-wrenching laughter later, us 3 sisters all ended up in the big, king-sized bed,talking till the wee hours of the morning...

Morning greeted us with a tiny, breakfast bell, good strong coffee, & white chocolate/raspberry scones set outside of our bedroom door.



...My morning view from the balcony where I took a few moments to just bask in the silence...



About 9:30, Charlie served us a 3 course breakfast of fresh fruit & yogurt, quiche, & baked french toast-it was amazing!

Next on the agenda, was a whole day of shopping! We hit about every store of interest between Hartville & Canton...little boutiques, hardware stores, thrift shops & strip malls!

We all decided that this should become an annual tradition, celebrating Mom's birthday with an overnight shopping trip!