Lately, I’ve started a system where each of our boys has a couple of new chores he must do each day. Yes, even the 4-year-old. I instituted this because I actually cannot keep up with the housekeeping all myself anyway. I pay them a quarter for each of those jobs, plus I give them extra coins when they exhibit a wonderful attitude. I’m able to pay them on the spot because I have a big juice jug full of change. […]
» Read moreOur family has never been known for our stellar thank-you note etiquette. Instead, thank you notes typically make my boys want to actually return their presents. “Skylanders, YES!!!!!” “THANK YOU NOTES??? Oh, um, oh, uh. Moaaaannnnnn….Groannnnn….” Look, it’s not that they are ungrateful. They SAID thank-you 100 times, jumped up and down, and gave the giver a hug. We are thankful, okay. But sitting down in an actual chair and WRITING out thank you notes??? Apparently some people don’t love […]
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I’m sitting by the bathroom, making sure JD does not splash while he takes his bath. I can hear some other children of mine downstairs, voicing their disapproval of what I’ve cooked for dinner, and well….I’m thinking perhaps some of my summer vacation plans should be alone….maybe Alan can come, but that’s it. So here’s my EXCITING NEWS. JD suddenly up and decided to start pooping on the potty this week. I’ve died and gone to Heaven, but first, there was […]
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Cleaning Chores For Kids, By Age Hello, friends! April is resting a powerful case of tendonitis, so Edna Thompson, of the United Kingdom, is sharing tips with us on age appropriate chores for kids today. Everybody knows that it is not an easy task to maintain a clean and organized home with kids around. But not necessarily! Try including your kids in the cleaning and organizing process. Let them help you clean the mess they make. Of course, depending […]
» Read moreThis is the big week, the BIG BIG week. The boys are going to Vacation Bible School, at our very own church. So yes, that means I am going to help. It’s an embarrassingly minimal amount of helping, really. I basically signed up to help lead around 2nd and 3rd graders and listen to them say Bible verses. I haven’t decorated or contributed in any other way. So why is this a big deal? Because we have the only two […]
» Read moreI’ve been talking a lot about my hermit problem, and I want you all to know that things are getting so much better around here. The boys are finally opening up a little more at tutoring. I had to practically drag them away from there today! Even John David doesn’t cry when I drop him off for the tutoring childcare! We have all met plenty of people that we truly like, and the fact is that I haven’t met one single […]
» Read moreOff and on for the entire month of June, our family has been in the process of tackling this cross-country move. There has been stress, travel, excitement, anxiety, and a whole lot of “we’ll see when we get there.” Oh, and by the way, ‘this process’ won’t even be somewhat-finished until the first week of August, when we finally move into our new house, and our household goods arrive. In the meantime, we spend a lot of time crashing at […]
» Read more“Bring on the summer,” they say. This group of boys is so adorable, and this is just a few. There’s really a whole slew of them, ranging in age from 3 (Dan included) to 10. They gather at our local park after school, and yes, there are girls in the group as well. A few of the kids have recently begun migrating into the backyard of a friend of ours, that happens to have this hammock and a really cool […]
» Read moreLots of little things are going on here in the House of Many Little Men…. This is the thing I’m most excited about: JD is getting ready to take off. Each day he finds his way onto his hands and knees just a little bit more. He is also SERIOUS about his “standing practice.” He just loves to be on his feet. He’s extremely unsteady when you walk him, and yet the boy will randomly just let go of your […]
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