Proud Mama

We have started to assign daily household chores for the kids for the last 2 weeks. ( I have to report that it is going wonderfully, they don't love it but they are doing it.) The each have 2 or three jobs to do everyday in addition to tidying their rooms and making their beds. I added a new element a couple of days ago that went over famously. I put up a list of things I needed to get to that I thought the kids could do or at least help with. I thought this might get me to accomplish them since most of them were ugh kind of chores. I told them that these were extra chores that they didn't have to do but if they did, they would earn a wintergreen lifesaver (like the kind you have in your office Gpa Val). They didn't really go for it at first but Max started working on the list when he was bored that afternoon. Then Jack joined in once he saw Max getting candy. Any way the list took about a day and a half to do but it all got done with absolutely no reminding from me. Max fixed the trash can, it's a pull out kind that became impossible to pull out. I showed him how to dake it apart but then he fixed it. He wanted to finish the Halloween decor and I told him I didn't know where to put our old little pumpkins and ghost this year. He thought of the idea to hang them on a string of lights. And he made it happen. Mer added the touch of the little pumpkins every where.
Looks like we're ready for Halloween. Mer chose to match the movies with the boxes. Look what I found when I went to check on her progress. It doesn't even look this good when I do the job.I wish I had a before picture. It was atrocious!! We have a problem with not putting things back when we are done with them in our family. I couldn't be more proud of my kids rising to the occasion. They are growing up, being helpful and resourceful. I couldn't ask for more.

In other news, Doug has been working a lot of overtime lately. He reported that he worked an extra 8 hours this week. Here's a picture of him getting some much needed skate time last night.

Luke and Jack joined him on scooters.

This was an awesome action shot of Jack taking a spill. It looked like it was going to be a bad one but he said "I'm not hurt, I'm tough"
I'm so proud to have helpful, resourceful, cute, tough kids.