Mom's Off Duty - Day One Report

Last night before I went to bed I left a list on the table with the kids' house-keeping chores for today. And this morning I was up and ready to go before Elizabeth and Joshua were even awake. Matthew, however, was up and ready to go. My little eager beaver got to work right away, unloading the dishwasher.

I have been mentoring a dear friend for about a year and a half, and I spent the morning with her today. While I was at her house, I received four or five calls from the kids. They ranged from, "The dryer won't start," to, "Do we really need to wait until after lunch to turn on electronics?" to, "Joshua just kicked me in the leg really hard, for no reason." (As if having a reason would make it OK...)
Needless to say, by the time I got the last phone call, my confidence that "all was well" at home was diminishing.
I had a couple errands to run and needed to do my weekly grocery shopping before I went home. So when Amber and I were finished, I took a deep breath, hoped for the best and headed off to accomplish my tasks.
Shopping took me quite awhile today and when I finished I called home just to let the kids know I was on my way. Call it reassurance. Call it a warning. I just wanted to let them know I'd be home soon.

When I got home, I opened the door and heard Josh Groban on the stereo. (Nice touch, kids!) I stepped in and saw this:

Then I looked around and saw this:
Ladies, the house never looks this good when I'm in charge! Straightening up the family room wasn't even on the "To Do" list today.
The laundry was finished and put away. They had made lunch for themselves and cleaned up the kitchen and table.
I'm telling you, I have great kids. *very big grin*

After I was finished with my lunch, the kids asked if I would take them to Caesarland. Normally my immediate answer would have been "No." Because it wasn't raining and they should have been playing outside. And because normally I would have laundry to fold and messes to clean up.
But today, since the kids had done such a great job - since "my" work was all done - I said "yes." And besides, there was a chance of rain.
So we piled into the van and spent a couple hours at Caesarland. The kids played and I did some writing. It was great for everyone. In the end, the kids were full of hugs and "Thank You's" and I was just full of joy.

Once back at home, Joshua was eager to help me get dinner ready. Along the way he told me he kind of likes the work I'm having them do. Music to my ears! Oh, sure, there have been some complaints and bad attitudes creeping in a couple of times, but for the most part my kids have exceeded my expectations for them and this little experiment. I am delighted!

Hoping tomorrow goes as well as today.

P.S. I am also having the kids memorize a proverb each day. Today it was Proverbs 16:24, Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones. Hoping to teach them some wisdom along with housekeeping...