Work

I've been working long hours lately which means I do less around the house and everyone else does more.

Matt is awesome at household chores, homework and dinner.  When he gets home from work, he takes over and does it beautifully.

Kate changed both Maggie and Davey's diaper while I was on the phone with a client.  Then she said, "Mom you need to teach me how to do the catheter, so I can do that too."  Wow!

Josie's job around the house is to make it beautiful.  Her decorations have a paper theme and are hung with tape throughout the house.  It's a process that starts from the time she wakes up and continues late into the night.  All of the cutting and coloring gives her plenty of opportunities to clean up after herself.  She also loves to wash dishes.

Davey's responsibilities are tough.  Even small tasks take incredible effort and energy for him to complete.   This morning as I was dressing him,  I wondered how he would do this by himself as he got older.  Everyday I struggle to find ways for him to be responsible and productive.  One chore he is great at is sharpening pencils.  He'll happily sit on the floor with the electric sharpener and pile of pencils and make the tips perfectly sharp.  Holidays are great because the kids always come home with new pencils from their classroom parties.  It keeps Davey busy the next day. If you have a pile of pencils that need sharpening, Davey would be honored to do service for you...seriously!  A few weeks ago we were at my sister's house for Sunday dinner.  She secretly poured rice and potato chip crumbs on the kitchen floor and then handed Davey the central vacuum.  This is "his chore" at Aunt Lesa's house, and she always finds a way to make her floors messy when Davey is around.

Matt's parents asked if they could come over and do some chores with the kids.  They had a lesson at church that talked about grandparents teaching their grandchildren to work.  What a good Nana and Pa!

Here's a quote I like by Bishop Burton, "

One of parents’ most important responsibilities is to teach their children to work. Even young children can begin to experience the benefits of working when they are involved in household chores and in service to others. Wise parents will work alongside their children, will provide frequent praise, and will make sure no task is overwhelming."

Time for me to get back to work.

I love how Matt says, "good work" at the end of this video.  Crawling through snow is tough!