Learning By The Way

As promised, more pictures from our trip.

Samuel with his favorite display at the American Indian Museum that we visited in Phoenix

Elsie and Toby playing a game outside the museum, while we wait for Daddy and Grandma to finish their Best Buy adventure and come pick us up. (I’d tell you the Best Buy saga, but it is complicated, and kind of boring. But frustrating).

Peter in the gift shop with the horse that he was hoping he had enough allowance to get. We took a picture instead.

While we continue to wait, the boys make up a game using the smooth stones from the landscaping and the tile mosaic on the bench. As you can tell from the look on Samuel’s face, sometimes little brothers just don’t get it.

We have a new method for helping the children keep their room clean. They tend to spend hours every afternoon cleaning, and require lots of oversight and encouragement. I really don’t understand how they can spend more time picking up then they do playing. Something had to change, and it has. No one seemed willing to get rid of toys, so we worked out this plan: All toys except one (or one set) will be stored in boxes in the basement. Once a week, they will be allowed to pick one additional toy to add to the collection in their room. The first day it takes longer than 15 minutes to straighten up is the day that toy adding privileges will be lost. They will be allowed to exchange room toys for basement toys if they want to.

So I am in Moriah’s room this morning, admiring the floor, which is now easily visible, and I noticed some trash on her table. I mmediately started thinking that she would be more likely to throw it away if there were a closer by trash can, and we could just add emptying the trash can to the room cleaning checklist.

“Would you find it easier to throw things away if you had a trash can in here?” I ask Moriah.
“Yes, I think so.”
“Okay, I’ll get one for your room.”
Samuel immediately jumps into the conversation.
“Can we have a trash can for our room? Can we have a trash can for every person? We could put our names on them, and see who throws away the most trash!” He is excited, I can tell, mentally planning out trash throwing away escapades where he is the champion. I however, am picturing 3 trash cans being perpetually overturned by rowdy boy games.

I know how to handle this. I say in my best sweet mama voice, “Oh, yes, dear, and every day I will find the winner and give him a pat on the head.” I demonstrate this nice little pat on the head of my uber competitive son.

Without missing a beat he replies “One trash can would be good, Mom.”

Competition averted. Success.