Clean Up, Clean Up, Everybody, Everywhere

As far as housework, I try to get the children to make their beds and pick up their toys--in other words, clean up after themselves. I even get Pretlow and Zoe to hang their own clothes after I do the laundry. Even though I know I need to train them to pitch in on all the chores, it always feels like it will be easier (and faster) to do it myself. But at one point last week, the laundry had just gotten completely out of control. So I enlisted the aid of Zoe and Victoria and I was pleasantly surprised by how HELPFUL they were. As I took each garment from the pile of clean clothes, Zoe or Victoria would put the article on a hanger and into a new pile for each family member. By the time we were done, my bed was free for sleeping, the chair was free for sitting, and the floor was free for walking. AND I have a closet full of clothes on hangers. It's terribly exciting.
So, when do you suppose they'll be old enough to clean the oven?

Summer Learning Recap

Well, I haven't written in a while (OK, a month, but who's counting??). But rest assured, we've been learnin' stuff. Here is a list of some of August's activities:

Cooking Class
We selected three recipes from a children's recipe book--Chicken tenders, homemade tomoato sauce, and meringues. We made our shopping list, went to Harris Teeter, and used the self check-out. It was so much fun! It took all afternoon, and everything was delicious. Among other things, we learned (oh no!) that Victoria is allergic to egg whites. We ended the day by learning how much the Epi Pen hurts (a lot!) and how long after the shot doctors recommend you stay in the emergency room (4 to 6 hours). All in all, a productive day.

Gathering Our Ingredients

Checking Out

Drizzling Olive Oil on the Tomates

The Allergenic Offenders

Swimming Lessons
I'm sure I've reported previously on our favorite activities, but as of the end of August, swimming lessons at Claude Moore pool were Pretlow's certain favorite. He's not quite an Olympic diver, but all three of the kids gained confidence and comfort in the pool, for which I'm grateful. And we've discovered a year-round pool, to which we returned as recently as this past Saturday. Yeah Claude Moore!

Shenandoah Children's Museuem
This was a GREAT field trip! There was SOOO much for the children to see and do. Yet, it is a small enough building that I didn't need to know exactly where each child was at all times.

Look at me! I'm learning! Tomorrow: Everest!

So, I would say that we accomplished much of what I set out to do this summer. We fed animals, we read books, and even saw a show. I was half-joking about learning a language, but last week I did take the girls to a Spanish-language session of Jabberu at the local library. And technically, it's still summer!