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I feel like we’re moving into a new phase, we no longer have any babies. It seems like just yesterday we had a pre-schooler and 2 babies (I guess that was really only about a year ago). Suddenly, we have a kindergartener, a pre-schooler and a toddler. This morning Mari was playing Candy Land with Ezra, she helps him a lot, but he gets it enough to play. And, last night after the boys went to bed, we played Yahtzee with Mari for the first time. We thought it would be good for counting and math skills, we underestimated her (of course) and she beat us both with a score of 260! It was fun watching her “skip” count and begin to understand the strategy of the game. |
Who get's to vacuum?
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I read in a recent MOPs (Mothers of Preschoolers) magazine the importance of having your kids help with chores around the house, especially at the preschool age, mainly because at no other age are they “eager” to help. I’ve always had this philosophy but have been pretty inconsistent in practice so this morning after many tears (over who was going to get to do what!), Mari got to use the big vacuum and Ez & Tobin fought over the Swiffer broom vac. Mari also did a great job dusting. |
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What is "Freecycle"
Well, a couple of you have asked about freecycle. It’s basically an on-line recycling bulletin board set up by community, there is a link to the website at the right on my blog roll. My friend Jackie got me started on it (she’s also the one who turned me on to this blogging thing!). You go to the website, find a group in your area and join the group via Yahoo. If you’re new to this stuff (like me), it’s a little complicated but I figured it out (with Kelly’s help) and now am part of 3 freecycling communities. I kind of think we all have too much “stuff” and for the past 2 years have been trying to declutter our lives, (every time Purple Heart called, I would say “yes” and then fill a bag of stuff). This is even better because it really feels like it’s going to someone who needs/wants it. You get e-mails of peoples “wants” or you can list “offers” yourself. I LOVE giving stuff away, God has really blessed us and I am thrilled when I can pass along something we’re not using anymore (lots of baby stuff, household, furniture, etc). And, the best part is, you just leave it on your porch and they come get it. So, now we have a weekend goal to “freecycle” something. It’s absolutely crazy the kind of stuff you can get rid of–their whole goal is to keep things out of landfills, and it really is true that one mans trash is another mans treasure.
So, sign up, get started and start “freecycling”. Let me know if you have trouble, I’d love to help!