CHORE-deal countdown!

We returned from Batam on Fri evening and leave for KL on Sun noon.
We have now done 3 loads of laundry in my 5kg machine that is missing a button but still works. We coz i set it up, Abi helped me sort the clothes, the machine goes and then Abi and/or Keith helps bring me the hangers, take down the previous lot...fold ...complete with --

"come on, you can do better than that"




"Keith, just think - everything must become a square or a rectangle ok? neatly now..Abi for goodness! show your brother how to do it....."
"Abi. i taught you all these things patiently..do the same for your brother!"


And God is on my side with sunshine each morning!

i just re-folded the lot Dad tried to fold ! Thankfully he didn't go all glum when i hollered

"i think i need to give you a quick tutorial on folding clothes"...He's at the PC - me tuned out?

It is easy to fixate on the back ache and the grumpy attitudes that inevitably surface..esp when the kids go on about 'hey, this is NOT my chore!'...but thank God's Grace..better ideas invaded my mind. So i slowed down, sat down and while foldng clothes, washing dishes or eating dinner, said.

" what do we do as a family?"
Keith: we help each other
"what do we do when we dont know how to help?"
Keith: we learn or ask someone to show us
"Abi?"
Abi: ya..(returns to her book faster than my next breath)
"i want us to be a happy, family where we help and work together. it is up to us to make our home clean, organised and a place of joy. And each of us needs to do our part ok?"


we pray for Grace.

But just as we are learning this...and they say it takes eight weeks to develop fresh habits..we leave for KL and if all goes as plan, we return to a nice clean home coz my helper would have returned!

THINK fast!

An opporturnity for growth and change must never be squandered....we will visit this in KL - how we have grown and how we can cherish and stay in the growth path.

CHORE-deal continues...

A wave of weariness lapped up and i missed the convenience of having a live-in help. But the sunshine of regaining control, re-imagining family life perks me up each time...In fact, this little kiddy refrain competes with the Christmas carols in my head:
"this is the way i do the laundry, i do the laundry, i do...
this is the way i do the laundry, so early in the morning"

It's fun planning the menu, buying stuff, cooking it all up.
It's fun doing the clothes, putting them away, glad that my family is dressed in clean, sun-warmed clothes and the towels are soft and fluffy again.
It's fun reorganising things to make them more tidy and efficient
It's fun to plan on all the helpful gadgets i will get to help me go about the chores more quickly...that twisty floor mop, the power vacuum, the ...
It's definitely fun to watch the hubby chip in and bark the kids around a bit!

But this mountain we need to climb over in time: me being tired and the children maturing to understand that all this is kindness, collaboration, teamwork, home-work, and Love.

CHORE-deal Day 3

"Instant Lagsana"..and then as i read on, it said "..bake for 45 mins"!. Drats! Dinner will be late and I have an appointment too...
So far, we haven't really had one of my afore-thought-through so very carefully, well-planned days.
Today, the kids who slept in the living room sofa bed and struggled to wake up..brother had a feverish feel.
We were meant to go for appointments so some quick decisions were required; which also included: can he eat his butter toast or would he prefer oats (which of course sets in motion a different set of chores ie. wash one more pot!). Thankfully, no, not really he says...
With the strong sun, i quickly sun his pillow and blankie (sun kills germs said my mom) and put the towels to wash. i was glad i woke earlier and most of the floor was already cleaned. Sister was set to clean her room with the Magic clean floor dry wiper. She was impressed with the dirt she picked up! [dont we all adore results!].

With brother unwell, my position on the superior value of home-cooked meals was sealed. O great, i have some stew left..macroni soup is always easy when you've got something to stew it in. Yum.

Most of post-lunch, i was in a meeting; but work from home meant knocks on the door...
"mom, sis is not sharing the book she bought"
"mom, can we watch TV?"
"mom, how long will you take?"

as well as me zipping out,
"sis, quick fold these clothes [imminent rain]"
"little brother, are you drinking?"
"hey, who is responsible for this mess?"

Then came the lagsana saga. Dinner was forty minutes late, but no one minded coz' they were all playing Wii....until I said, "Dad, can you help me with the floor cloths later?", "Who is setting the table?" ...and after dinner,
"O no! which sponge did you use for the dishes dear?!"

The house stands. My back is upright. There was some fray in motivation -- but we are doing ok!

The CHORE-deal Log

Day TWO.
Abi is still complaining about how many chores she has compared to her five+year younger than her brother. But she moves it swiftly when told and true to her early childhood training does a decent job (trainer mom takes a bow).

Dad who self assigned dishes hit them with enthusiasm, washing up when breakfast wasn't over! Guess he had to leave already...

Mom has taken a deep breath and postponed the sweeping, opting for laundry (to catch the sun) and fixing lunch...after clearing the other half of breakfast of course.

Lil Keith left after breakfast to an unwelcome Chinese enrichment camp..and we have to wait and see where that leads him emotionally!


What is the value of manual work to you?

"The LORD GOd took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and take care of it."

So, it isn't exactly Paradise Lost when we need to wash, wipe, scrub, fix and ... *wink

feminine appeal

I had wondered how i would raise my feminine child. Beyond the brids and the bees, there is a whole lot more to being girl-lady-woman. But today, she threw me off with her question:
"mom, why do the women do all the work?"
Thankfully i composed myself - for this is one of my personal peeves with many men - and prodded where the question could have arisen from. She has been watching the adults around her, and yes, what she has noticed; being a young girl who spends her life between school and home, is that the women are all abuzz with hecitivty.
Here was a chance for me to plant compassion, hope and truth, or to dampen her spirit with my own sorry complaints and pietous views of justice.
"Men and women have different strengths. The men work very hard too, but outside the home.... Each of us should work hard in our way"
"But so-and-so just...[she recounts a routine she is familiar with]"
"Some were not taught to do much cooking and cleaning.... Is that helpful for them and others?"
"No"
"This should tell you to marry someone who can also cook and clean huh?"
"O, i want to marry someone who can do everything so i can just play with the kids!"
(laughter)