I know you're not brave enough to read this!

I love kids...and reverse psychology...and using reverse psychology ON kids. A while ago we decided it was time for Ellie to start taking a little more responsibility around the house. Accordingly, the chore chart was instituted. It was all fun and games until Ellie realized that she had to help out, then it became not so fun. Now, when I ask Ellie to help with something the whining begins immediately. "Why do I have to do everything around here! Am I Cinderella?"
So yesterday, just to be silly, I said "Ellie, I have some really hard chores for you. I bet they're too hard for you to even do!" Ellie said, "oh yeah!? What are they?" "I bet you can't get me a stack of diapers for Leah!" Ellie ran and got the diapers. "Ha ha, I did it!" The light bulb turned on over my head. I then got her to take the wet bathroom mats outside to dry off by telling her that she probably couldn't get them out of the washing machine. The final test was vacuuming the rug. Last time I made her do that we had literally an hour of crying and drama. This time I said "I bet you're too scared. I know it's too loud for you to do." "Oh yeah!?" She had the floor vacuumed in 5 minutes. Aaaahhhhhh, I love it! I'm not sure about the long term ramifications of this tactic, but for now at least there's no more whining.

A fine and pleasant misery

Yesterday we went on our 4th annual blueberry picking expedition. We do this for the same reason we go camping-because we believe that shared suffering makes us closer as a family...and because we like blueberries. Actually, it's quite a fun family tradition. We pack a picnic lunch and drive 90 miles out to the country, to a u-pick farm. We usually pick a gallon or two of berries, have lunch, and enjoy a glass of blueberry lemonade from the country store there at the farm. Yesterday wasn't quite as much fun as usual though. We all went out to pick, but after 20 minutes, Leah was getting too hot, so I took the kids to sit under the fans on the porch while Dave picked. It took him a while to fill up our bucket without our help, so he picked for a long time until a sudden cloudburst sent him running back to the store. When he gets to where we are, he is soaked with sweat, has a headache, and is not feeling well due to the sun and the pain from his recent surgery. He can't take his pain pills because they make him woozy and nauseous, a bad combination for driving 90 miles. The rest of us are hot and tired as well. We get about 1/2 an hour towards home, and all of the sudden the traffic stops. They had entirely closed the highway and we were diverted onto a tiny surface street with the rest of the highway. Our 1-2 hour drive ended up being 3 1/2 hours, much of it with either Leah or Ellie fussing from boredom or hunger. Fun fun fun! All the same, we will undoubtedly do it again next year. Why? Tradition!

War wounds

Being an office jockey can be rough- don't believe anyone who tells you differently! It comes with its own set of risks too. Last week Dave had carpel tunnel surgery on his wrist and another surgery on his elbow to correct another problem. The cut for the wrist wasn't so bad, but the shoulder surgery scar is a good 6 inches long and is held together with 18 staples. Dave is recovering pretty well but is still in a fair amount of pain. The irony in all of this to me is that originally Dave went in with his shoulder problem that's been hurting for years. I guess the elbow surgery is supposed to help with that-we'll see!

Baby Model

Isn't she just so cute! In this picture she's modeling the bracelet and headband my sister sent- thanks Anna!