There was a "teacher improvement day" today, so our older boys were home from school. One of their teachers muttered to me last week about how election day should be a federal holiday, so no one would have to work, instead of adding childcare to the parent problem list on this already short day. I think there's something behind that idea. We live in an elderly neighborhood. They all get up and dressed, go vote in mid-late morning and have lunch and shop and make a day of it! Why should retired people have all the fun? What better thing to celebrate than our ability to cumulatively support our right to sort of have a say in our nation's government?
Nonetheless, my husband still had to work, so this is how our day went.
I let them sleep in, eat Halloween candy for breakfast, and watch a little t.v. Then I sprung them.
"Shoes on guys!"
"Where are we going?"
"the backyard! It's a beautiful day to clean up the yard."
I promised them extra money in their allowance and to lift all digital entertainment limits for the afternoon if they would help with yard work this morning....and amazingly it worked!
They had great fun raking the leaves, putting the leaves in bags, and puppy piling on the bags to flatten the leaves.
They took turns helping Princess P "help" with her little tykes rake and leaf bag. They took turns making sure Baby Guy didn't escape. He even got in on the leaf pile action, more in the throwing of leaves than gathering them. Some of them got in the bag, really.
By lunch we had four bags of leaves and three bundles of branches/sticks.
Then they enjoyed the beautiful day from inside on the couch, the computer, and the lincoln logs and foam blocks upstairs. No tantrums, no fighting, nobody sick, just enjoying being together. Today was a great day to be a mom.
1 comment:
Glad to hear it!
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