Chore lists...

Charles called from work this morning to see how my day was going, as he usually does. I use the term morning loosely. It was actually just after noon, but we were all still in bed, so I'll call it morning.

I told him my plans for the day (remove wallpaper), and we talked about the two closets we plan to build upstairs, as well as a few other things that need to be done around our house. Apparently, Abby heard me talking about getting up and getting to work because I heard her little voice from her little mattress on the floor next to my bed. "Mommy, don't step on me."

By the time I was finished talking to Charles, Abby was ready to get up and get started with her day.

"Mommy let me tell you my chore list. Take a bath." She said this while holding the index finger of her left hand. "Eat." Middle finger. "Can we go to the zoo, mommy? 'Cause this one is go to the zoo." Ring finger. "Those are my chores for the day."

My kids see me make lists with my fingers almost daily. I do it when I go to the store. I do it when I pack. Most of all, I do it when I think about the things I want to accomplish in a day. They see this. They see me make goals for the day. They see that I don't always accomplish everything I set out to do. However, they mostly see that I am approaching my daily work with a positive attitude.

My chore list is a list of the work I want to do in a given day. Chores are not horrible things to be avoided. Instead, chores are those things you do because you want to do them in order to make your life a little bit better.

I'm happy to see my kids are getting this message.

Personal Rights

Trevor: Abby, please be quiet - I'm trying to sleep.

Abby: Mommy, tell Trevor I can sing however I want.

Me: Abby, your rights end where his begin. You can sing however you want in a different room. Trevor has the right to quiet.

Abby: No, he has the wrong to not be loud.