Well, It’s back to school time which always gets me excited to hunker down and get some good work done. The momentum gets a bit muddled near Halloween and has usually completely petered out by January, so I’ve got to jump on it while the feeling is there!
To help me and my family stay focused, I like to make new chore and evening activities lists so our school day evenings don’t turn into a nightmare of arguing whose turn it is to set the table and pointless negotiations for TV time. Most of the items on our chore list are things the girls always do, this makes it not so overwhelming. The two new chore items, that after a summer of seemingly endless pick-up, I really want my girls to incorporate into their daily routines are hanging wet towels back in the bathroom and putting dirty dishes directly into the dishwasher after meals.
We started our new chore list yesterday and so far so good! The girls are always excited to check things off the list and like I said, most of these chores are things they were already doing so it feels like getting something for nothing. Ha! Next Tuesday evening I’ll tally up the “checks” and whoever has the most marks gets to decide the family activity for Friday night. My girls were super stoked with that prize. I’m going to fill a jar with Friday night ideas that they can pull from if they are having trouble.
This Friday night we’ve been saving to watch the finale of So You Think You Can Dance. We were out of town visiting my parents when it aired. PZ is beyond excited. She has declared she wants to be Mary Murphey for Halloween. I’m not sure how I’m going to do that costume!! HAHA!
Last night out evening family activity was Family Dinner. This is where one child, last night it was PZ, gets to decide what we have for dinner and help prepare it. We ended up having a twofer last night; meatloaf AND tomato sauce from our garden. The meatloaf PZ and I prepared along with cooked carrots and steamed broccoli (all her choices). The tomato sauce happened because of the ridiculous abundance of gorgeous tomatoes we’ve grown and the need get them off my counter before we are infested with fruit flies!
It worked out great! PZ had real pride in her work. The meatloaf tasted great! And everyone except for Q loved it. PZ asked Q not to make scrunched up faces while she took her two “no thank you” bites, because it “hurts my heart a little”. I don’t think PZ will be making any faces next time she doesn’t like a meal. She learned a valuable lesson and I actually had fun cooking dinner, a chore I’m not always fond of. Next Wednesday will be Q’s turn. We’ll see what happens when the shoe is on the other foot.
Tonight is Music Night. This is a chance for us all to perform for the family whatever we’ve been working on musically. I’m teaching myself guitar, so this is great for me! Q is learning piano, PZ takes trumpet and ballroom dance, and Hubs plays guitar and base. My hope is that this encourages us all to practice, memorize, and perform. Who knows? Maybe we’ll have a family band one day!
I’d love to hear about what kind of evening activities you and your family do. Drop a line and let me know how the first day of school was at your house!
The Handmade Experiment 