Candy Cleaning

Because we run a business (mostly) out of our home, we have an even greater challenge managing time than the average family with 4 kids 8 and under. Cleaning and keeping the house organized are no exception.

Although many things are kept up throughout the week, we set aside a few hours a week (usually Saturday morning) for "family cleaning time." This is when the kids do a thorough cleaning of their rooms and we get on our hands and knees and scrub the ceramic and hardwood floors (not my favorite), etc. Not only do the adults have to motivate themselves, but we have to in turn motivate the kids.

I will be honest and say that the reward charts and all those types of things are more work for me that it's worth and they always seem to get tampered with, so I have come up with my own solution for clean time, which is pretty much the only time we need a rewards system. Except for maybe at Grandma and Grandpa's house, the kids (nor the rest of us for the most part) don't consume soda-pop, candy or chips. So when "clean time" is over we all head out to the store and each child picks out a treat. It works out well. They each usually pick out something different and do "trades." You'd think they had won the lottery - it's great!

So, if you don't avoid soda, candy or chips for health reasons, you can use this as an excuse and have them only for special rewards. I know maid services cost much more than a $0.65 bag of Skittles.

Hungry ?

This past weekend our family's plans changed suddenly and significantly and therefore we did not get a chance to do our bi-monthly big grocery shopping run. I was going to make a quick run to the closest store, but to be honest, I just didn't feel like it. I then opened up the cupboard and then the freezer and decided that we actually quite a bit of food considering it was grocery shopping time. So, except for a gallon or two of milk, we decided to have a little "fun" and use only what we had on hand.

We heated up some ready-to-eat soups that had been around for probably a year, used up several ingredients in a "surprise" hot dish that surprisingly tasted quite good, and the kids had a great time making pudding that we didn't know we had. And guess what, it's the end of the week and other than the fact that we are running out of creative ideas for the after-school-snack, we still have plenty of food in the cupboard and freezer. And we surely must have saved money. [Now how can I apply this to business . . . .]

It is obvious that we have never known what it is like to go hungry and not know where the next meal will come from. I'm considering trying to make it another week and hopefully give the kids a better appreciation for where food comes from, etc. And there's no need to worry: we still have at least a half dozen cans of either cream of chicken or cream of mushroom soup, plenty of chicken breasts and 10 lbs of rice (don't ask). What more could one ask for . . . ?

Can Someone Help Me Understand ...

I just can't believe that in the same country for which the news of the most recent mother who killed her newborn twin made national headlines today, but abortion on-demand is a "right."

Why is it that if a woman aborts her baby (whether it be at 10 weeks, 24 weeks, or has a partial birth abortion at 37 weeks) that it is perfectly legal, but if a woman drowns or otherwise kills her newborn infant she goes to jail for life (well, that is provided she doesn't plead insanity).

Yes, I agree that there are sooooo very many people that probably shouldn't have kids, but that still isn't a reason to take a life. Maybe we should make adoption easier and less expensive. Statistics show that there are about the same number of families waiting to adopt as there are abortions performed. I don't think that is a coincidence.

No matter how much this is debated, I will never understand the position of supporting the "right" to take a life. I have an annoying neighbor with an even more annoying kid who I think will never be a productive member of society. If I call that child a fetus, do you think the "choicers" will take care of the problem for me?