The List

How do you motivate your kids to work? To complete and learn basic house-hold tasks?

I've tried chore charts before. The problem (for me). They take thought, planning and follow-through to be effective.

Last summer we used one. I printed charts off at the beginning of every week. We were pretty consistent through most of the summer. They worked, but this summer they sounded like too much work.

So I did nothing, and my kids did very little extra work around the house (with our trip to China this summer I didn't push in this training department anyway).

But now we are home and its time to get busy!

Earlier this week a friend commented that she makes a list of jobs for her kids to complete every morning. As a listy-type of person this appealed to me. Compared to chore charts, lists are low maintenance and non-committal. If a day is extra busy, we drop the list. No problemo.

So far, so good. I make a list each morning. They complete it by lunch time. If they need extra motivation, there are no fun extracurriculars until the list is complete (or no snack/dessert item at lunch).

In an effort to keep "the list" fun, I'm trying to come up with a variety of jobs. The same-old-same-old will get old fast. Some jobs that have appeared so far are washing the door window, sweeping the front porch, emptying wastebaskets, working on math flashcards, writing and coloring activities, reading.

As sad as this sounds.. I am running out of jobs.

The list won't work without jobs.

So, what are so jobs your kids are responsible for completing? I need ideas.

Our list will thank you.

Our kids may not.

I HATE SQUIRRELS!

They scare me.

This fear dates back to my Chicago days. As I'd walk down our quaint street, past neighbors sitting on park benches painted with the colors of the Italian flag, squirrels would scamper across my path. Sometimes they would stop and stare. The closer I got to them, the more defiant their stares would become. They'd invade my personal space.

More times than I'd care to remember we played this freakish, squirrely game of chicken. My steps becoming more tentative the closer I got to the squirrel, wondering when he would turn and run. If he would turn and run.

Some days they would run at me. Darting away at the last moment. Taunting me. Making me want to run away, climb a tree, run back to my apartment and never leave again. Anything to get away.

I think they could feel my fear.

Praise God I no longer have to deal with city squirrels but the wounds they left are still there.

The squirrels that inhabit my backyard today are not as aggressive (again Praise God!). They act afraid of me. But I'm starting to wonder if it is just an act. Some vandalism has been occurring... I fear this could be the beginning of city squirrel behavior.

Two years ago they ate Mya's sunflower. Her one sunflower that would tell her when school was ready to start.

Last year they laid low.

But this summer, two pepper plants have "mysteriously" disappeared from our garden. Some flowers that were planted are missing leaves and showing stunted growth. Maybe it's rabbits...

I think that is exactly what the squirrels want me to think.

They are mean little critters and I wish they would leave me alone!

If I wasn't so afraid, this would be war!

In all seriousness, I'm guessing the pepper plant eaters were probably rabbits, but I don't have strong feelings towards rabbits. That said, I'd love any tips you can give me on how to keep garden-eating vermin OUT of the garden!!!

Monday

Are Mondays ever hard for you?

Today feels hard to me. Hard to get back into the swing of things.

Tuesdays and Wednesdays I feel the momentum building. Thursday and Friday things are in full swing. Saturday and Sunday bring a change of pace. But Mondays feel like starting from scratch and sometimes, probably most times, it is hard for me to get moving, to build the momentum up again.

Most Mondays I try to get to the gym, that usually helps. Then I force myself to do something. Pick-up a room, unpack, clean the kitchen. But tasks feel harder to complete and the pull to climb back into bed is always stronger on Mondays.

Am I alone in this?

If not (please someone say they can relate), How do you cope with Mondays?

Paperback Swap

Has anyone heard about Paperback Swap?

I had, but never tried it, until a recent conversation with a friend.

The result, I decided to give it a go!

If you haven't heard about Paperback Swap, this is how it works. You sign up for a free account on their website and then start listing books you would like to pass on. If any one of their millions of members wants your book, you get an e-mail.

Then for about $3 per book (the cost of postage) you send off your book (you can print postage on their site, wrap your book in Saran wrap and computer paper and never have to enter a post office!). In exchange you get one credit for every book you send. If someone has a book you want, you request it and get it mailed at no cost to you.

They give you two credits to start with. Two credits equal two books or one audio book.

Its a great way to exchange books you don't want anymore for ones you do at very little cost!

I listed 11 books and got requests for five books right off the bat!

That means I have seven new-to-me books coming my way. The problem is, of the 11 books I have on my wish list, none are available.

Anyone have any book suggestions for me? What are some of your favorite must-reads from the summer?

A Question???

As much as I hate to admit it, summer is flying by at gargantuan speeds. The start of school is on the horizon, which I don't want to talk about... not yet anyway!

On the plus side, the start of school means that my small group bible study gals will start meeting again. And, that is something to look forward to!

Which brings me to my question: We don't know what we are going to study.

Last year we went through Beth Moore's Daniel study. It was amazing.

This year when the topic of "what bible study are we going to do" comes up, no one has any strong feelings, or even specific ideas, which makes it kind of hard to make a decision.

And we kind of need to make a decision soon if we want to to start meeting again at the end of August/beginning of September.

So, do you have any ideas for us? What are some bible studies that have had a positive impact on your life?

We are wide open for suggestions!

A Question???

One of my favorite things about blogging is the comments people leave. It is part of that connection/relationship thing that is so great.

However, one of the problems with this form of relationship is that once the post has been written and a comment left, the conversation can end. There are so many times I want to respond to a comment someone has left me, but I'm not sure how.

So here is my question:

As a blog reader, do you ever leave a comment and then return later to see if the blog writer has left a response to your comment? Or do you leave your comment and then assume the conversation is over?

Sometimes I will respond to a comment someone has left me by e-mail (if I have their e-mail address), other times I will add my own comment but I am never sure if the message is received.

So I'm asking, what is the best way to keep a conversation going in blogland?

The Right Way?

Is there a right way to load toilet paper?

I always thought so.

The right way to load toilet paper is with the roll facing out. Its easier to pull. Right?

I am learning that sometimes there can be more than one right way.

Isn't that shocking?!?

If you load your toilet paper with the roll facing the wall it can help prevent huge amounts of toilet paper from ending up in the toilet. If you have newly potty-trained children, like I do, this can be an issue.

Note: This will not prevent your preschoolers from emptying a roll of toilet paper for the "fun" of it. I'm not sure if there is a solution to that problem. :)

Isn't that a fun little tip! I learned it at FamilyLife's Weekend to Remember. You just never know what little jewels you will glean from a marriage conference!

So, how do you load your toilet paper rolls?

I'm asking - What's YOUR Secret?

Laundry - the never ending "to do".

I have to say I'm not a big fan. And, honestly, I am not a very detailed laundry-doer. In fact...

I never sort my clothes.

I do laundry the following way. The kid's clothes make one load. Mine and Kory's clothes make up load two. Baby clothes are load three (because I still use Dreft for him). And towels and rags make up load four.

I guess that is a kind of sorting! :)

And then stains come along. Sometimes I use Zout, other times I opt for Prewash. And every once in awhile I use Shout. The better the piece of clothing, the more intentional I am at trying to remove the stain.

That brings me to my point (were you wondering if there was one). I want to know your best kept laundry and stain removing secrets. I know you have them because you all are so much better at this laundry thing than me.

And, you are in luck because I am going to share my big stain-fighting secret with you (although after reading about how I do laundry you may not put much stock in it, but I'm telling you it works!)

I discovered this little gem one Sunday morning when the boys were younger than they are now. The kids were ready for church. Kory and I were in process.

I went downstairs to check on everyone, after hearing a nerve-racking length of silence, and discovered that ball-point pens had been found and used on they boy's brand new church clothes.

Of course I reacted like the proper, church-going, Proverbs 31 woman that I am and once I got done crying and yelling at the children called my mom.

She directed me to call the Queen of Stains - Gail. Who shared the following tip with me that I am now going to share with you (you lucky internets you).

With a little elbow-grease, hairspray gets ball-point pen ink out of clothes.

All you need to do is spray the stained area with the hairspray of your choice. Dab the stain with a rag (do not rub, dab) and repeat. Initially the stain seems to get darker, but then it starts to fade.

I can't tell you how domestic and Proverbs 31 I feel with this kind of knowledge. And that is why I am asking for more!

What is your favorite laundry/stain-fighting secret?

The Lamest Blog Post Ever

Today I feel uninspired. I have no witty words to share with you. No words to inspire and encourage you as you go about your day. No cute stories to share. As my husband would say, "I've got nothing."

But, I need your help. And so in exchange for your help I've managed to come up with a few words (which you might be better of skipping and just jump to #4).

My friend Christina will often do a weekend update. And since I have no creativity within me at this moment, I am going to steal her idea (I hope you don't mind). And while her weekend updates are fun to read, please prepare yourself - mine is extremely lame and quite possibly a large waste of your time.

And so, I present...

My Weekend Update:

1. Somehow I managed to attain tens of mosquito bites all over my legs. They are driving me crazy one itch at a time.

2. On Saturday I was able to go to my cousin's wedding. In a twist of irony, we attended the shortest wedding service ever (approx 5 minutes) coupled with the longest wait for a reception (and meal) (approx 4 hours). On the plus side, the bride was beautiful, we got to hang out with fun people without children :), and enjoyed a little salsa courtesy of the bride and her father - very cool! Oh, and the food was really good too!

3. The Cubs lost again. Swept by the White Sox. My husband ( a fan of both Chicago teams) was unable to decide who to root for. So he watched the game dressed in a Sox shirt and a Cubs hat. He is a conflicted man.

And now for the blog participation portion of this riveting post:

4. The upcoming week is "birthday week" at our house. My daughter's is on Thursday and the boy's is on Sunday. I need some help. Do you have any fun gift ideas for 3 year old boys? I could use a few suggestions.

We need a Dresser!

We need a dresser for the boy's room. I have been looking at garage sales, but have had no luck yet. I thought I'd put a post on my blog just in case there is someone out there who has a dresser (or knows someone that has a dresser) that they want to get rid of (or sell) but haven't gotten around to it yet! Anyone, anyone??

How do you stay Content?

I am working on an article on the topic of contentment and need your help! Could you share what strategies help you stay content? What are your secrets? How do you battle discontentment? Any other thoughts you want to share on the topic would be welcome as well!

Thanks and I look forward to reading your comments!