Today

Today I think, “There is a time for everything.” Really? Homeschool with all my little ones underfoot?” I guess we’ll see. But here is a sample of how things went today.

After breakfast the boys clear the table and load up the dishwasher while I hang out laundry. Loraine and Wayne come out to help. I put finish putting shoes on these two. I go in and check up on the progress of the table getting clean. Not good. So I remind them of their responsibility. Go back out to hang up wash. Wayne drops things over the deck. I send Loraine down to fetch them. Next we haul Wayne inside for a diaper change. Then back out.

I want to have the house somewhat “picked up” before we sit down. So everyone helps pick up things, some cheerful, some not so cheerfull. So we have a “board meeting” about this.

Bible memory and Bible story commence while the 1 and 2 year olds are supposed to stay on their blanket. Then I send those blanket sitters outside with Jeremiah while I do math flashcards with Japheth. Japheth being mathed out goes for a break also.

Cries then are heard from the cradle, time to feed Jaden and change his pamper and put on a clean set of clothes. Then he’s good for awhile in the jumper.

Today I needed to do up a small batch of tomatoes, so I opted for tomato juice. The boys love to help crack. So I told Japheth after some reading he could help me with that. While he read two pages I worked on learning how to make oval rugs. Then it needed more concentration than I was able to give while helping Japheth Jr. along with his review words. So off to the kitchen we headed. Japheth did half, then I called Jeremiah in for his turn. He would be put out if I finished it myself!

Reading again commenced this time on the kitchen counter where I could kinda see his book as I washed up the breakfast pans and then the rest of the tomato strainer things. Jeremiah unloaded the dishwasher after the tomatoes were all fed through.

Loraine came in and I rewarded her with a bubble gum for staying dry, and sent one with her for Wayne. Jeremiah then got one for cheerfully staying at his kitchen duties! Japheth complained because he didn’t get any . . . . and the reason he didn’t was because he complained about the amount of pages he had to read this morning.

Finally words all done and everyone is outside playing in the sandbox and enjoying the beautiful weather while Jaden gets his dinner. I thought I should be giving him lessons on keeping his hands out of his mouth while I’m trying to put in reddish brown goo (sweet potatoes with a bit of baby cereal and some applesauce mixed in), but I let it pass .

Time for Jeremiah's addition.

Gathering up the three youngest in the stroller, I head down the lane for the mailbox

Lunch time of leftovers . . And what do you know, someone isn’t very fond of something on his plate but requests a duplicate of yesterdays competition. Whoever cleans up the soup first gets a sticker. And wouln’t you know the same person lost . . . again . . . and the tears flowed just as freely . . . again.

Whups . . . Loraine's wet. I put a pamper on her in preparation for naptime . . . but a few minutes later I find her messing with her pamper that's loaded! She's been taking them off and trying to wipe herself and then putting her underwear on.

Whew! Jaden made it without sleeping over lunch time and Wayne made it without a late morning nap! . . . Something to praise the Lord about. Just maybe today I can have nap! (But I’ve learned to not count my chicks till they’ve hatched)

And so the day goes on . . .