Chores

             I'm a little ashamed to admit I skipped Yoga for day 3... I did think about it... a lot... but every time I got up to actually DO it, my Sciatic Nerve in my right hip screamed SIT DOWN YOU IDIOT, so I gave in and skipped the day. :/ 

              Instead I spent the morning finishing Harry Potter and The Goblet Of Fire on my Kindle then we went to town after picking up Zebra from school and got groceries and new shoes for Tortoise and Elephant (THANKS Mom and Dad!!). Tortoise's shoes turned out to be too small, so I will exchange them for a size Youth 4 (!!) Monday. Elephant's Youth Size 1s were prefect... when did they get so BIG? *sigh* Zebra will be 5 on Friday... wow. anyway!! 

              After Kindle, Grocery and shoe shopping, and picking up Tortoise and Elephant from school on the way home (they were elated not to ride the bus); we cleaned up and Tortoise got to make Mac and Cheese for Dinner (mostly by herself!!). She boiled the water and cooked the shells, drained the shells and stirred the cheese in! All *I* had to do was to remind her to keep checking the pasta (she tends to forget what she's doing) and cut the Velveeta to put in the pot with the cooked pasta to melt. T ever stirred it in and served it!! I'm ever so proud! She's growing up too fast (sometimes it seems not fast enough, but mostly I'm amazed at the amount of help she is in the home, and she complains very little considering most of her friends at school don't even have chores! -- really, not kidding!!). All of my kids - beginning at age 5 - have chores (I define Chore as something done over and above picking up toys in the common rooms of the house). Can't imagine this household running anywhere resembling smoothly without them picking up after themselves - crazy that T's friends (at 9 and 10 years old) aren't required to so much as pick up their own toys.

            Just in case you think I've enslaved my kids LOL, here's a list of their current chores - all children - regardless of age - are required to help to pick up toys in the common areas of the house:

             Tortoise - Fold Kids' Clothing, Put away hers and Vixen's folded clothes, Load and start dishwasher, sweep, Keep Girl's Room clean, & help with keeping Playroom clean

            Elephant - Put away folded clothes - and help little brother as well, Vacuum Living room rug 1x/week, unload clean dishes from dishwasher - with help for large or fragile things, keep Boy's Room clean & help with keeping Playroom clean

            Zebra - Put away folded clothes, help to keep Girl's and Play Room clean 

            Monkey - put away folded clothes, help keep Boy's and Play Room clean 

            Vixen - try to stay out of the way and NOT undo the chores of others - trust me this is a BIG chore for Little Vixen

           So that's it on the subject of chores... we won't get into what *I* do, as that seems silly, and redundant cause anyone who's a Mom can figure that out pretty easily: meaning if it ain't listed above it's all me. :)