Harassed?

What's short, pink, blonde and is convinced the world is out to get him?

"The kids keep harassing me on purpose.  X washed a zillion dishes and it'll take me 1000 hours to dry them".  It seems he's also a master of hyperbole.

Domesticity

I am attempting to get the house in order before the baby comes. Unfortunately, my arms are too short and belly too large for much of what needs to be done, plus I'm just dog gone tired. So I must just fret about what will need to wait and do what I can right now and be at peace with that. I am working on training the children and by the level of discontent registering it would seem that there's mild success on that end. I have been able to plan weekly menus for the past month including breakfasts, lunches and supper. I'm working on having all steps written out for my family on household management and am working on supervising the implementation of said steps. Sad to admit, but that's taking all of my patience and energy. I came to the realization that I was doing a disservice to my children in the amount of things I did for them. Really an 11 year old should be able to do a load of laundry and an 8 year old should be able to wash dishes. Yeesh. Although to hear them tell it, there's never been harder lives.

Small Successes

1.  I canned dill cucumber pickles, peaches, beets, antipasto relish and bruschetta.  I made raspberry, blueberry, strawberry, and cherry jams and I froze 26 cups of saskatoons, with which to make syrup later.

2. I cleaned out my cold room.  A project I'd been procrastinating on, but with the hot weather, seemed like there would be no better time to do it.  It is so nice to walk into now!

3.  Took one poorly leash trained 94lb bundle of muscles and enthusiasm to the vet for her shots.

Bonus, we started school and all of this happened around that.  God is so good.

Productivity - Thy Name is...

Matthew. Just one of my little productivity enhancers. The work I accomplish in a day cannot be measured. The number of loads of laundry I've washed, dried and folded; the floors I've swept; the meals I've prepared; the dishes I've washed - they just don't matter. In 10 years they're not what I'll remember. It's the time I spend with my children. That's what I'll remember and maybe they will too. Lord, I pray that I remember this lesson.