Don't Leave Anyone Out

I think I've been leaving my 5-year-old out. Whenever I have something I'm working on or need help with, I'm quick to call my 11-year-old and my 9-year-old. I also really like to know where my 2-year-old is, but somehow my 5-year-old scrambles through some things.

But this summer has been fairly crazy for me - so much that my hands, my husbands hands, my 11-year-olds hands, my 9-year-olds hands, and my 2-year-olds hands haven't been enough. I've had a few moments when I have NEEDED my 5-year-olds hands.

I have needed them, I've asked for them, and they have come. And they have helped. They have cleaned off a kitchen counter minutes before a party was going to start. They have cut cantaloupe, loaded the shoes in the shoe box, straightened the living room, put away the blocks, helped the 2-year-old get dressed. They have carried things to the car, cleared the table, and built lots of Lego cars. And everything he has done has blessed our family. And it's blessed him. I've seen how much he can do. He's seen how much he can do. And if he didn't already know how to do it, now he knows!

I'm grateful that I remembered to include him. And I hope I always do!

Get the Help You Need

We planted corn this weekend. My job was to furrow the rows while my husband tilled and my children planted. Part way down one of the rows, the furrow fell of its handle. I didn't know how to fix it, so I decided to till while my husband fixed the furrow. I've been gardening all my life and I had tilling experience (3 feet of garden a few weeks ago while my brother got a drink), so I figured I could till. (Tilling has never been my job). I did great until I got to the end of the row. I've watched the guys turn the tiller around easily at the end of the row, but when I tried, it barely turned and the tiller and I kept heading off towards a wood pile. I yelled, I tugged, I yelled, I tugged and missed the woodpile, but I was still tilling up grass. I yelled. I could see my husband and daughter yelling at me to do something, but I didn't know what. Finally, I understood. Let go of the handle. I let go and the tiller stopped. The lesson? Sometimes you just need someone who knows more or has done something a little bit more than you around. I've been gardening forever, so I thought I could do it, but I still needed some training. So do your kids. Maybe so do you. Maybe so does your husband.

When it comes to organizing, that means organize with your children. Let them see how you do it. Give them opportunities to help. Help them see how to do it.

When you are tackling something new, try it. Do everything that you can do and then get help. I'm in the middle of planning an event that is 10 or more times bigger than anything I've ever done before. It's so big, I almost don't know how to do it. But there is someone on the planning committee who has done it, knows how to do it, and can do it. I'm learning how to think big. It's kind of exciting. I've also had help learning how to raise chickens, learning to write HTML, and learning how to put phone numbers in my phone. Sometimes you just need help.

(I have pictures coming, but they're in an email and I can't figure out how to get them to my blog. My email/picture mentor will be helping me with this soon).

My Kids Yearly Jobs

A rotating job chart doesn't work for my family, because all the kids are at different stages and need different jobs to help them grow and help our family run. So every September, my kids get jobs for the year. Sometimes jobs change, and sometimes they stay the same. In general, these are the things they are supposed to do every day without being asked. They still usually have to be asked, but if other things come up, I'm allowed to add to their list of things to do. Every day, everyone has a breakfast, morning, lunch and dinner job. Once a week they have a laundry job, and once a month, my older kids make dinner (see my post a few down).

Here are the current jobs:

11 year old
Breakfast - Wipe off ALL counters and table, take out recycling
Morning (before devotional at 8:30) - Clean/wipe off bathroom counter, 1 daily morning job
Lunch - Wash dishes
Dinner - Wipe off counters and table, put away your age of things in kitchen, Clean up house
Laundry - Gather your room and the kitchen, Load washer, Bring up and put away empty laundry bags, Fold and put away your laundry and kitchen laundry
Once a month - Make dinner

9 year old
Breakfast - Wash dishes
Morning (before devotional at 8:30) - Check diapers and wipes EVERY DAY, 1 daily morning job Lunch - Put away food, wipe off all counters and table
Dinner - Put leftover food in tupperware, Clean up house
Laundry - Gather your room and the bathroom, Unload dryer, Empty lint, Bring clothes to living room, Fold and put away your laundry and towels that go in the hall
Once a month - Make dinner

5 year old
Breakfast - Put away food, clean up toys on kitchen floor or in the hall or entry way
Morning (before devotional at 8:30) - Put covers and pillows on chairs and couches, Put shoes in shoebox
Lunch - Clean up toys on kitchen floor or in the hall or entry way
Dinner - Clear dirty dishes, clean up with Dad, Clean up house
Laundry - Gather your room and mom and dad’s bathroom, Fold and put away your laundry

2 year old
Breakfast - Help clean up toys in kitchen, hall or entry way
Morning (before devotional at 8:30) - Help put shoes in shoebox
Lunch - Clean up toys on kitchen floor or in the hall or entry way
Dinner - Put away hotpads and put food in the fridge
Laundry - Gather your room and towel, Put clean clothes away in your drawer