Oh, well. I made it ALMOST a week. It didn't do any good anyway, really. I somehow had thought that perhaps if one of us got all crazy and was actually posting something new every day that everybody else--or even a few--would say, "Hey, that's nifty! I think I'll give it a try, too!" It didn't nab any extra comments either. So much for a Blog Revival, hu, Amy?! ;-)

The real reason I didn't blog yesterday is because I didn't wanna. Just didn't feel like it. Truth be known, we had a pretty rough day around here yesterday. I had one of those Mom meltdowns. I HATE THOSE. It seems to happen at least once or twice a year around here. You have this overwhelming feeling that your kids have got to be the worst kids on the planet and you have TOTALLY failed in all of your efforts to train them right. They had a real doosey of a day yesterday and I toppled right over the egde. They haven't been listening very well lately and they've begun griping, whining or in some other way pitching a fit over simple little commands like, "Clean your room." Couple that with just flat-out badness (like two of them mysteriously disappearing yesterday at the horse lady's house while the other one was riding--come to find out they'd climbed up on the roof of the stable and were playing around up there!) and I've just HAD IT, you know?! I talked it over with James and we decided on a few things. I made a visit to the kids' room first. Then Dad went. Then we sat down and made a list--with the kids' input--of all of the House Rules. I don't know why, but I'm hoping that there's something about seeing it in written that will be more effective than hearing it in spoken! Ha!

Along with that list, I made up a list of chores for the kids. Our bad day started off yesterday when I went to their bedroom and found several shirts and slacks (that I had ironed and hung up) knocked carelessly to the floor and trampled upon. I decided that I'm DONE. If only Katie were a little older I'd put her in charge of all of the kid ironing! I can't do that yet, so I decided that they're going to start pitching in with all of the other household chores. I've always called them to help with the chores, but it's just been sporadic--every now and then when I'd holler for them. Mostly, I do things just like my Mom always did: by myself because it's so much faster and easier than having kids "help" you! I always said I wouldn't be that way ("Better to train them to do it from the very beginning than try to teach them later--when they feel like chores are a punishment of some kind instead of just a natural part of life"), but I failed! So now we're having to start all over again and try to reprogram them to be useful, helpful little children instead of selfish little leeches who do nothing but eat and play and wait for other people to serve them and clean up after them. (Is that too severe??? NAH!!!) Anyway, it's REALLY, REALLY bad timing. Mom will be here in just 5 days and then all of our newly established rules and regulations will go right down the tubes. For starters, I'll be too busy painting and wallpapering my life away with Mom to oversee and enforce the newly established rules. Secondly, you can't take the true liberty you otherwise would to train your children in the presence of a grandparent--you know how they are! ~sigh~ Oh well. Maybe it won't be as bad as I think. HA!

Here are Katie and Joe, checking out the new way of life.