Book Eating Monsters & Little Entrepreneurs

Here I am, pulling up to my home after a physical therapy appointment, when something catches my eye. I turn to look and there's my 7-year-old son and 5-year-old daughter sitting in lawn chairs next to an elaborate "store" that they've set up on my front lawn. I inwardly chuckle, for you see, we live in the country on a quiet street with few children, so the chance of anyone stopping to buy anything is very remote. For months I've been trying to explain to him that a yard sale would be a waste of time. But kids are very determined....

As I peruse the store, I see see things such as army men, a bouncy ball, and other long-forsaken toys displayed creatively on ladders, chairs and tables. Taped to the various items are signs with prices. Very cute. That is, until my 13-year-old daughter realized that the 5-year-old was selling some of HER stuff! :) She promptly retrieved her things and helped her little sister make some lemonade & cookies to sell.

I must admit I'm not too surprised that they started this sale. I definitely know where it all started. . .

Last week we were doing the weekly "library book and movie search". If you have children who love to read, you can picture exactly what I'm talking about. It's not too bad if you start at least an hour before you need to leave for the library, but otherwise it can be a nightmare!

Why can't everyone keep track of their books?? It's like the children's bedrooms are book-eating monsters taking up residence in my home! It's really ridiculous because I have a very clear place where the library books are to be kept, but on library return day, it always takes a bit of a search to find all the books that have been left on nightstands, in the car, under the bed, or who-knows-where-else.

Sometimes we can't find the book at all, and I finally relent and go pay for it. I've figured out that as soon as I pay for it, we will find it! :) So that's my last resort option. Luckily, our library refunds what you paid for the book, minus any fines that you had incurred up until that day. So it works out, but it's quite embarrassing for a woman who is normally very responsible and careful with borrowed items (pre-mommyhood, that is!) So, I've started a new thing that if a child loses a book, THEY get to go face the librarian and pay for it. That's helped some with library-item responsibility.

So, to get back to my story, on this particular occasion, there were 2 books that had been lost for weeks and no one seemed to know anything about where they are, or even who checked them out! So I was personally digging through the drawers, bookshelves, under beds, etc. Now, to put this in perspective, we've had extended family here on & off all summer long, and I've had some health problems that have made it more difficult for me to get done what needs to be done since summer started. Specifically, I hadn't been down to the children's rooms regularly to make sure they were tidying up each evening. So, if you have children, you can imagine what the rooms looked like! If you don't have children, or yours are still small, just picture some of the scenes you witnessed on TV in the weeks after hurricane Katrina. (Seriously! Okay, so I'm exaggerating a bit, but not too much!)

I began to have what I've fondly come to think of as a melt-down. I suppose in reality I was mostly just frustrated with myself that I'd let them go to bed all those nights without tidying their rooms better. But in my defense, they SAID they had tidied their rooms! And they're sweet little angels who would never tell Mom a fib, right? Ha. In their defense, they may not have meant to be dishonest, but a child's version of "my room is clean" is much different that mine!

The biggest problem is that I hadn't been inspecting. That's something I've learned in my many years of parenting. You ALWAYS have to inspect your children's work! Firstly, because if they've worked hard, they deserve someone to have a look and praise them for what they've done so far. Secondly, they generally need a few pointers on what they can do to make it better. I really try hard to be positive and praise them for what they accomplished before offering constructive criticism.

Well, that's the ideal, blah, blah, blah . . . but on this particular day, all the wisdom of my years vanished as I stared an honest-to-goodness melt-down. (You have to give me some slack...it was day #1 in my womanly schedule, if you know what I mean!) It went something like this:

"I can't believe all this STUFF you all have!" I ranted as I dug things from under a bed and piled them in the middle of the room.

"By the time I get home today, I'd better see at least 12 bags from everyone's rooms lined up in the hallways for charity!" (emphatically as I dumped things from drawers and shelves looking for the elusive books.)

"I can't believe I've been taking you all to the pool and the movie, and letting you play with friends when your rooms looked like this!" (as I gathered dirty laundry from every corner of the room and piled it into their dirty laundry baskets)

I continued: "Absolutely NO MORE movies, TV, friends, swimming, games, computer . . . NOTHING FUN until all these rooms look like the front of a magazine cover!"

And so on...and on...and on...

Okay, so it was a bit of a LARGE melt-down!

So they got the message. I really rocked their worlds. By the end of the day, they'd made a ton of progress and the rooms were getting cleared out and looking much better. In some ways, the rooms looked a little messier, but that's because they couldn't shove anything under their beds! So Mom was pleased and things headed back to normal, with an admonition to continue de-junking over the next few weeks, and a promise of some help from Mom if they needed it.

It's amazing what a melt-down can do! I know, I know, it's not the best way to teach cleanliness, but it produces results sometimes when nothing else does!

A few days later I went downstairs to tuck the kids into bed. Two of the rooms looked like tornadoes had hit them. I couldn't believe my eyes! Will it ever end?

I spoke with one pair of my daughters who share a room that even the most organized, efficient person in the world would have a hard time keeping their room clean. There's simply too much stuff! So the clearing out has begun again in earnest. I promised them that if they would all get their rooms finished, I would do my own closet (a big project...I still need to get started!) And, we will go to an amusement park. So...it will be worth it!

So back to the cute kids and the yard sale. As predicted, they didn't have much success. They had one customer -- she bought the bouncy ball, bless her heart!

After about an hour, my oldest daughter felt sorry for the little one with the lemonade stand, so she went out and spent some money, and so did I. So they made a few cents.

Now they're cleaning up and I told them that I would "buy" anything they were willing to give to charity (at MY named price!). I figure they should be rewarded for working so hard to clean out their rooms and for being so business-savvy. (wink, wink)

Aren't children fun? Like I've said before, always full or surprises! I don't think I could ever come up with such good entertainment without them! What a great way to end the day...bargaining with my 7-year-old son about prices for his stuff. Of course, you know what he'll do with it? Go to the dollar store and buy more clutter!

It's a never-ending battle, but one I'm determined to win, one day at a time. I suppose someday I'll sit here in a clutter-free, immaculate home and feel awfully lonely. I'll take the clutter along with the kids! It's worth it!

Sunrise, Sunset

Well, here I am, starting my very own blog. Technology marches onward.

The children are happily preparing every snack they can find in the kitchen, and smells of popcorn and toast are wafting towards my office. My husband is taking a nap after a long day of meetings. I hope someone changed my toddler's diaper.

Just a minute, time to check...

That's one thing with children, you have to check on them often. Especially if it's gotten really quiet. Quiet can be very dangerous. Either they've found something really "fun" to do (consequently making a big mess), or they are watching TV, or worse, they are planning a "surprise"!

Like making tents in the living room...
or digging a tunnel under the backyard...
or making me breakfast in bed... (although this one isn't too bad now that they're getting older & better at cooking!)

Children are full of surprises. Sometimes disastrous, sometimes funny, sometimes wonderful!

One thing I've learned to do over the years is to really enjoy them. They grow up so fast. You've got to take the time to really listen to them, and to enjoy the sweet little things they do and say. They won't be small for long.

I remember years ago when I was so overwhelmed by three children under the age of 5! Time after time, older friends would tell me: "Enjoy them now while they're young! They won't be small forever!" I listened half-heartedly, and tried to follow their advice. But I was so darn tired, and it sure felt like forever to me! Sometimes even the 15-minutes that my husband was late home from work seemed like an eternity!

But over the years, that wise advice has proven true, as most advice from the older generation is. I have watched in amazement as my older children have become teenagers. How fast the time flies! It gives new meaning to that song from Fiddler on the Roof:

Sunrise, Sunset

Is this the little girl I carried?
Is this the little boy at play?
I don't remember growing older,
When did they?

When did she get to be a beauty?
When did he grow to be so tall?
Wasn't it yesterday when they were small?

Sunrise sunset, sunrise, sunset,
Swiftly flow the days,
Seedlings turn overnight to sunflowers,
Blossoming even as they gaze...

Sunrise sunset, sunrise, sunset!
Swiftly fly the years,
One season following another,
Laden with happiness and tears...

One season following another,
Laden with happiness and tears

Like rocking a baby in the middle of the night. That's one thing I miss, now that my youngest is two & a half. I know it sounds crazy, what am I thinking? I certainly love my full-night's sleep that I get now. But take a look at a new mother or father holding that sweet little newborn. There's nothing so precious. There's nothing like those first few weeks after a new baby is born. The miracle of life is so precious. Enjoy...