Help! Around the House

I just finished reading a book by Don Aslett entitled Help! Around the House A Mother's Guide to Getting the Family to Pitch in and Clean Up. It was a good book, and at least the 3rd by this author that I've read (I highly recommend Clutter's Last Stand as well as this one).

I won't say I expected any miracles nor 30-day cures or any such thing. I was looking for ideas and what he had to say on the topic. It's an ever-changing task around here to instruct the kids and follow-through on how to do various chores etc. And of course it's a challenge. He has many good things to say and I'll share them with you bit by bit over the next week or so as I thumb through the book for nuggets (and then return it to the library...).

But to begin with, let me quote him on the number 1 pet peeve of his, and his number 1 recommendation, and frankly THE most important key to all domestic work, especially cleaning. This isn't the most earth-shattering, but it is key. Bottom line get rid of the clutter.

"Cutting back on junk and clutter is almost alone the solution for housework overload we are seeking. In fact, if you would just do something about all of those things no one really wants or needs, you could probably skip most of the rest of this book. If the stuff isn't there, no one has to clean it, clean around it, or organize it!"

Tuesdays with Morrie

Papa Bear and I went to see a play tonight - a very "grown-up" thing to do. I felt extremely grown-up for some reason. I guess we don't do "grown-up" things very often... It was neither very expensive nor very far away (it was our local community theater). Some roughly 10 years ago, Papa Bear's high school English teacher recommended a book to us entitled Tuesdays with Morrie. Dutifully, we got a copy of the book and we both read it. Very good book, essentially lessons on "how to live" from a man who's dying (that's very oversimplified). So when I saw a play by the same name was being put on this weekend locally, and remembering how much we enjoyed the book, I emailed my beloved and asked if I could take him on a date - and he said yes. It was a wonderful time and the play exceeded our expectations. We do recommend the book, and if there's time (it's showing through the 23rd), we recommend the play!

Visitors

A few days after Easter, we enjoyed the company of an old friend whom I met in France over 20 years ago, Joe Mellon. He continues to work there as a pastor, with his primary focus on campus work at the University of Chambery. Here in the US for a few weeks in part to share about his work with churches there and to raise money for a Christian campus center, he made the time to come visit us. What a delight it was to renew the acquaintance! The kids peppered him with questions and we all thoroughly enjoyed the time together. Here he is at 7:00am enjoying breakfast with the whole gang.

On his way out, Joe discovered we had another visitor - a mommy opossum and her babies. We counted three! Trying our best to not scare her, we got a few pictures to share and so we could show the older kids, who'd already gone off to school.

We read up information about opossum, and found that they are marsupials, omnivores, nocturnal for the most part but it's not unusual to see them in the daytime, and they tend to be rather transient. She hung out in our yard for a couple days and all the kids got a chance to observe her from a respectful distance (mostly in the backyard, rather than in the front where we first found her). Two days after our first encounter, mid-afternoon, we found one of the babies dead by our front steps on the pavement. That was very sad. Still, we enjoyed a nice close up view before moving the creature to a more appropriate location.

Taxes will suck the life out of you

Ok, so I'm a bit jaded. They're done and out of my hands. Yay.

The life sucking thing seems to have to do with energy and sick kids. Patience is improving (she was herself today after just two doses of amoxicillin yesterday afternoon and the middle of the night). That pink stuff is icky but effective. She'll be back in school tomorrow, but Vivace - that means lively - was anything but today. It started out fine but went suddenly downhill by 9am after a stint of trying on clothes and a nice bath. Glad I got that done early. He fell asleep in my arms and pretty much was out of it for the next six hours, despite tylenol. Anyway, so far there's no growth on the culture (we'll know for sure tomorrow) so it would appear thus far that it's not strep.

He did wake up periodically to use the bathroom, drink a little more, and change which couch he was sound asleep on (see picture below of one semi-upside-down position he maintained for over an hour) . Two of those hours were curled up on top of me while I napped as well. It was kind of sweet but whatever he had I'll probably get. I was exhausted and couldn't keep my eyes open so it was just as well. Hopefully that's it and there'll be no other dominos to fall. I'd really like to get on with life now that the taxes have been filed.

 

Strep

Patience has it. She's been sick for 3 days. Fever. Felt miserable (on and off). Throat didn't hurt much but she mentioned it a couple times so we figured we were due for a doctor's visit . . . . As Papa Bear said when we told him: "Amazing to think we've avoided it this far." Well, it finally got us. We cultured a couple of us to be on the safe side. So far it would appear to be just her. We hope she'll feel better tomorrow and be back in school Friday. Oh well.

Feet

Patience wears a 7 1/2 women's shoe (6.5 men's). That's only a 1/2 size smaller than mine. That's also a full size more than a mere 6 months ago. Her height has not changed much in that same six months so we're due - any day now. By her next birthday, I fully expect to be looking up at her! I guess I at least won't need to worry about her borrowing my shoes for long. She'll likely outgrow them by then! Where did my baby go?

PS On April 14 she measured 60.5". That's over 5' for the math-challenged among you. Less than 2" to go ....

Spring . . . .

. . . . or summer?

We've gone straight from winter (9 degrees and blustery!) a week ago Friday (and only a little better on Saturday) to summer (high 70s yesterday and forecast for 84 today - already 63 and still early).

We've got shorts out (we know not to pack them all away because this does happen on occasion, tho' this is extreme) and bikes prepped and we've already raked and mulched the flower gardens as of dinner time yesterday. Woohooo! Some years I don't get around to that mulching until late summer - and not at all by design - so this is feeling fantastic. And it's barely April. The two oldest have even had their first ice cream cones of the year. I really wanted to treat them after a long day at school (indoors - blah) and piano lessons (more indoors - blah). That was fun. Rocky's cones just makes it feel like a celebration after a long winter. Patience is still in sugar season mode though - she got maple ice cream!

Yes, indeed, the temps were record-breaking. Actually, they were record-shattering. The record for yesterday in Burlington was 65 from 1967 - the new record is 79. That's 14 degrees higher! Wow.

At the moment, Constance is out w/her Daddy perfecting her bike riding skills, starting and stopping in paticular. She's had the balance since last year and picked right up where she left off yesterday afternoon. Vivace can't get enough of kicking the soccer ball or throwing a tennis ball, or just running and riding whatever comes his way (tricycle, scooter, big wheel...) Patience and Andante rode bikes to a "piano party" (kind of a group lesson/theory/performance time which they enjoy) . I need to open up all the windows, dust the corners, and air the place out. Time to ENJOY the fresh air and the warmth! Backyard here we come (as soon as the dusting is done...).