DruBlood
Home
Dramatis Personae
Archives
Contact
Feed the Bleed
Amazon wish list
Cole’s birthday - 10/24
Monk’s birthday - 12/2
Dru’s birthday - 1/5
Search
Archives
April 2008
March 2008
February 2008
January 2008
December 2007
November 2007
October 2007
September 2007
August 2007
July 2007
June 2007
May 2007
April 2007
March 2007
February 2007
January 2007
December 2006
November 2006
October 2006
September 2006
August 2006
July 2006
June 2006
May 2006
April 2006
March 2006
February 2006
January 2006
December 2005
November 2005
October 2005
September 2005
August 2005
July 2005
June 2005
May 2005
April 2005
March 2005
February 2005
January 2005
December 2004
November 2004
October 2004
September 2004
August 2004
July 2004
June 2004
May 2004
April 2004
March 2004
February 2004
January 2004
December 2003
November 2003
October 2003
September 2003
August 2003
July 2003
June 2003
May 2003
April 2003
March 2003
July 2002
June 2002
May 2002
Special thanks
adam host
julie template queen
kd general lusciousness
pea guru
Powered byMovable Type 1.5
« I'm sure this is an old joke... | Main | Honored »
domesticity
June 29, 2004
We are having such an awesome day here. I just spent the last hour scouring my grout with baking soda, all the while answering the 10 million questions Monk was firing at me about various financial issues (we ironed out a plan for his allowance which he will start receiving in July, now that money is no longer mysteriously disappearing from this house.) Cole was (and still is) playing with a blog of flourescent pink play-doh. He made a worm and told me he wanted it to come alive so he could name it Cole The Worm and be its best friend. But then Cole The Worm became evil, so Coley had to smush him.
I think i'm going to write a book (I'm adding this idea to my piles of ideas about books I want to write) about my particular/peculiar method of prioritizing household chores. Along the lines of flylady, but a bit more random and left to chance. And I don't want to reveal anything more than that because i really do think it's a truly unique plan, and I don't want anyone stealing my idea. But in the book, I'll also include the various recipes for household cleaners I've found along the way. Because, damnit, baking soda works as well as comet, without the toxic odor. it might not whiten as well as bleach, but I can breathe. And i think breathing is pretty darn crucial.
The homeschooling thing has gone well these past few days. The kids are busy inventing things and occupying themselves. I feel damn lazy in the midst of it all, because they've been so involved in their little projects that i've been able to sit back and cruise blogs or do housecleaning or (gasp) read books while they make their delightful little kid noises all around me.
Today, Monk wanted to do an experiment with one of his hot wheels cars. it's a helicopter car with a propellor, and he wanted to wind a rubberband around the propeller to see if it would fly. When that didn't work, he figured he needed to make wings for it. So I pointed to the scissors, tape, and hair bands and told him to have at it. And stood back.
Normally, this drives monk into a frustrated rage. Normally, he starts screaming and crying and demanding that I do it for him. But I checked my reaction to him, and made sure I was responding proactively rather than reactively. Which means, instead of saying "i'm NOT going to do that for you." I just said, as nonchalant as possible "That sounds like fun! Here are the supplies, and let's see you do it!"
He did it! He cut out little triangles (this is a HUGE accomplishment for Monk, who has always been a bit behind the curve in terms of fine motor skills) and taped them to the plan and wound up the rubberbands, and when it didn't work, he said "OH well...It doesn't hurt to try!"
My little perfectionist is growing up! he's not throwing screaming temper tantrums before, during, and after projects. He's DOING projects! This is so huge, I can't even begin to tell you.
After he was done, he figured that the reason it didn't work was because the car was too heavy for the wings he constructed, and he said that he wanted me to write a letter to hot wheels and ask them to make that same car with metal wings. I told him that he should do that...maybe there's an e-mail address on the side. He said we could do that tonight after coley goes to bed.
Throughout it all, Bjork was weaving melodies through our home...coley was playing and playing and playing with his play-doh. The rain was pattering outside, and I was scrubbing my counters with my homemade baking soda scouring powder.
The grit of life is wonderful during these kinds of days. I'm so impressed with my little guy.
Trackback Pings
TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://mt.riceweevil.com/tb/1720
Comments
A blog made of play-doh! If only.
ooops! i suppose that was supposed to say "blob."
Testimony to today's blog entry, mama? Instead of commenting right away I got up, a little bit re-energized, and did some of our own "grit" - put up a length of netting to keep the chickens in the coop with their mamas (instead of in a hawk's stomach) and spent some goaty time with the two new does...
rock on, shannon!