What's new with my family? Let's see. I'll start with Sean. He has been working two jobs for a while now, and one of the two jobs is 'letting him go' due to the company laying off all their RNs. Luckily this is the part-time job that he only works twice a week - however, it also pays the better wage of the two. So his boss is taking us to dinner Monday night to try and keep him 'happy', whatever the heck that means. She has told him there are other possible positions, but I guess we'll see.
Me - I finally finished the laundry today. (Well, except for the two loads still in the washer/dryer, but what is that compared to the other 20 I have finished?). I have been making a weekly menu every Sunday, and though I don't always stick to it, I find I make many less trips to Walmart to get one or two things for the dinner that suddenly strikes me as irresistable. Lately I have been feeling so sick (AND TIRED) of being the only person who really cleans around here. Sean helps when he's home, but it's pretty much all me. My kids leave their clothes wherever they take them off and don't bother cleaning up toys, shoes, etc. unless I get on their case. So I decided to start putting some of the responsibility back on them. I made them each a chore chart.
The girls have four small jobs they do during the week, and then a big job added on Saturdays (bathrooms! hey, they love to clean them and I hate it, so why not?) Spencer just has two jobs, help mom with the dishes, which he LOVES doing and is actually pretty good at - and picking up his toys. They get a check mark for each job completed and then a sticker on that day. We signed up for a membership to the aquatic center, and I told them if they did their jobs all week they could earn a swimming trip. So far it's going great, and I can't believe I have been keeping the housework all to myself. Also, I find that I feel like I should be cleaning if they are, so my jobs get done too.
Emma - let's see. She came home from school with a new packet of school pictures that I never ordered, and she was so excited to show me. I quickly told her that they were adorable, but that I wasn't buying them because we bought a package earlier in the year. She burst into tears and a whole lot of whining, begging, and reasoning ensued. I had to physically take her upstairs to show her that I still had the other packet, and that it was a cuter picture of her. "Mom....(sniff, sniff)..can I have one of those?" Sure, kiddo. After talking to her I found out that she wasn't upset about the pictures at all - they had a lock-down drill at school that really freaked her out. Just now I went up to her room to take a picture of the picture, and this is what I found in her bed when I looked.
Those are two pennies taped next to her picture, I have no idea why.
Mackenna - well, the biggest update about her is that she is starting to like boys. Let me rephrase - she is starting to be obsessed with boys! She has a huge crush on a boy in her class, and all she talks about is him.
She endearingly refers to him as 'my love', and she spends all day drawing pictures of the two of them holding hands under rainbows.
Today she actually made him a whole book. She says they're getting married. Oh, why does it have to start so early??
Spencer - he is also catching onto the flirting thing. Luckily, his only object thus far has been me. The other day I came down the stairs just after doing my hair and makeup and he stared up at me and then said, "You booful, mom." Melt my heart. Then the other night we were sitting on the couch watching t.v. and he kept reaching up to touch my hair and saying "I like your HAIR!" over and over. Of course, that could be due to the fact that I basically scalped him the other day (I used the wrong top on the clippers and after starting in the middle, there was nothing for it but to finish). Now we keep rubbing his fuzzy head and telling him we like his hair.
That's about all that's new. I just can't believe school is already out again almost. It is blowing my mind how fast this school year went by. Lastly, if anyone is interested, they can check out the new recipe blog I started about a month ago! If you are interested in joining, let me know. goddessesofgourmet.blogspot.com.
