Facebook Status:
Dear Children, Monday is not the best day for you to get sick, as your mother is too busy working to be very sympathetic. I suggest you select Thursday next time.
Schedule note:
There is no such thing as a “quick errand” when snow is falling and the snow plows are awol.
Observation:
When movies and video games are forbidden, two semi-sick kids will find ways to occupy themselves quietly by reading and writing stories. There will be a period of squabbling, but then they will break out the legos and spend nearly two hours experimenting with making and spinning lego tops.
In the category of miraculous occurrences:
Kiki cheerfully scheduled her afternoon and managed her homework sans drama. Perhaps the two hour long battle last Wednesday was worth it.
Note to floral department at Albertsons:
If you want to sell flowers in winter, try stocking brightly colored ones. The last thing I want is white flowers, which make me think of the six inches of slow I had to slog through just to arrive at the store.
Parental Judo at it’s best:
For family activity have a lesson on teamwork while the entire family cooperates to mix up a brownie fudge cake. Then use the baking time to split the family into teams and assign them rooms to clean up. The lesson on teamwork and the promise of a treat can get two rooms clean in less than 30 minutes.
Addendum: Now figure out how to make them excited about cleaning the rest of the house.
Additional house cleaning addendum: They might do better about keeping things clean if you offered a better example. Have you looked at your office or bedroom lately?