List Mania

Just to let you know, those lists and lists of lists are actually getting accomplished! I made it about a 3rd of the way through the master list and the kids' lists are being accomplished daily! (so far) I had them do the basics, you know, dress, eat, brush, make bed, then I added actual chores, like weeding garden, cook dinner, vaccum (6 days a week!), dust, water flowers (although with all this rain, that doesn't need to be done quite yet!), laundry, and other stuff I think of during the night. I have to get it on the daily list before they awake tho, or I won't be able to get them to do them without fighting with them.

The cook dinner thing, it's sorta subjective since they are only almost 10 and 12. Last night, Calico Kid made spagetti with supervision and on Wed, he plans to make cabbage casserole. I think tonight we are having a chicken noodle/egg drop soup concoction. The idea is to stretch their creative abilities as well as strenghthen their ability to follow directions. They do all the work except carry hot water or things that are dangerous for them. I use the big sharp knives and carry the boiling water, maybe stir a time or two to make sure it doesn't stick, but they do everything else. I want them to be able to take care of themselves and be prepared to enter the real world one day! When they are the evening cook for the day, I make them stay in the kitchen the whole time and keep an eye on things, so they came up with the idea of playing their own music style while waiting. We have listened to a lot of kid stuff lately!

The daily dish battle is slowly coming under control. One washes, the other dries. The one who washes has to clean the counters, wash the dishes, and sweep the floor. The one who dries has to dry, and put away. I'm thinking of adding that they also need to put food away. They have no idea how to do that!

On a new note, my washer is going to get fixed! Dr. O has ordered the part and will install it as soon as it arrives, or at least that first weekend. I finally took things in my own hands and had better success than Dr. O. He called up a Sears store and tried to get some help and order a part, and they wanted to send someone out to look at it and, you know, charge us a lot for it! Finally, I went personally to our neigborhood Sears Appliance and Lawn and Garden store and told them what I needed, and they gave me the right number to call to order the part, and lo and behold, instead of over a hundred bucks, it only cost $30, and we do the labor! I just love it when I can accomplish something that hubby can't! NaNaNaBooBoo! But of course, the best part is that I can do laundry again, during the day, when the sun is out and the clothes can dry on the line faster! I don't have to wait for Dr. O to get home to do it anymore! Now I can wash blankets and heavy stuff!

Well, I promised you some pictures of my flower beds and such. It's a good thing I took the pictures when I did, since we've had tons of rain since then! I got them planted just in time, I guess.

The purple flowers are Violas. Myster Girl and I chose them because of their name and that Viola is my grandmother's name.This is the bed I dug out in front of our house. Here again, I have a bunch of violas of different colors and my pink hydrangea.

Here I have a bunch of red sizzlers and sunflowers.

My rock pile finally got a facelift with more violas. I decided that I like these flowers, they have stood up under the strain of all this rain and wind. They have come through in good shape and they just seem to get stronger.

This is the kids' homemade slip-n-slide. If it looks dangerous, it is. I went and bought them one this weekend. I was just waiting for a broken head or something equally bad.

Mystery Girl running through.

And here is what a woodchuck looks like up close. Notice the teeth. They also have long toes with very long, sharp claws. Calico Kid thinks that they are cute. I suppose they are, but they are also very dangerous. We still have one more to catch. And HE is too smart to go into the cage. We have been trying to catch him for a week. He is above temptation and wary of that thing that carried away his whole family. In all, there was a momma and five babies. There is only one baby left.