The Essence of a Mother

Since finishing the Managers of Their Chores book and starting the ChorePack system, I highly recommend to any family who has children and has struggled with their children doing chores to buy this book. It is such a great book and so easy to use the system. When the book first arrived, I flipped through it and immediately became so overwhelmed by how much information there was. I wanted to start the system that day but I had to read the book cover to cover. It took about a week and then I started the system. ( These chorepacks are hanging up in my laundry room) ( Closer look at what they look like) (Card for the pre-reader--he is still learning) (This is where I store the rest of my cards with other chores) I have tried other ways of accomplishing chores at home and this has far gone above and beyond my expectations. The kids love doing their ChorePacks and every morning all I have to say is "Start your chorepacks!" and they go off and do them. I can't believe tho...

Ana is 7 weeks. Wow, time flies. Here are some recent pictures of her. ( She matches her bouncer seat) (She's wearing her Hawaiian Moo Moo) (The girls pick this outfit out for her, it has a little skirt) (She is so precious, isn't she)

As I begin to assess my surroundings, I am putting together my schedule.  I have found that if I want to get everything accomplished in a day, I need to wake up at 4:30 AM.  I know this sound extra early.  I have tried this past week to aim for this wake time, but I haven't arrived.  I usually will wake around 5 ish to feed the baby and then roll out of bed around 5:30 or 6:00.  But it isn't consistent every day.  My wake time is dependent on who or what wakes me first--the baby or the alarm clock.  I have found that the alarm will be blasting for 30 minutes but as soon as the baby starts to stir, I wake up.  Funny, isn't it? So here is my question:  Do I have to be so strict with my time?  This where my struggle comes.  I have a set routine I follow but if I don't wake up at the same time, something is going to be left undone.  I am still putting my schedule together by following the  MOTH approach to scheduling. This book is an excellent source of information for tho...

Here are a few pictures of Ana.  Look how much she is changing and growing.  She is 5 weeks already.  WOW!!  I am treasuring these moments.  (Sitting with Daddy while he works) (Kole loves his baby sister) (The other day, I went in to check on her and this is how I found her--Super Baby!) (Look at the Princess-the girls love to dress her) Chris

I've been reading the Managers of Their Chores book ( highly recommended book to read ) and getting very excited about starting chore training in my home. My children do have chores they do on a daily basis but not many.  Also, they haven't been thoroughly trained in doing the job well.  Training is the area where I tend to loose my patience and throw up my hands and do the jobs myself.   This book has encouraged me so much to look at this whole "chore training" as training for life.  I have known for years that chores is a tool for training for their future....I have mentally known this, but it hasn't hit my heart.  This is what has convicted me while reading this book.  It is a continual process and it isn't just about getting the "chores" done.  It's about service to others.   As I am preparing to begin my chore planning of "who will do what" and how my day will run, I have taken pictures of the morning routine.  This will be used ...

This morning I made "Granny's Crumb Cake" for breakfast.  I've decided that one way to get the kids out of bed in the morning is by the inviting smells of a baked or homemade breakfast.  If you ever stayed at a hotel or Bed and Breakfast overnight, there is something so "homey" and inviting about the smells of breakfast cooking in the morning.  It just makes the day feel alot better.   I pulled this recipe from the Bed and Breakfast Inns Online .  This link has all sorts of recipes from beautiful Bed and Breakfast Inns all over the States.  You know these recipes are going to be "homey" and inviting.   Go ahead and try this recipe for breakfast or for afternoon snack or "tea" like my granny use to serve.  Reminds of my tea times with grandma.  Chris