It was actually a blizzard kind of day. Good thing it was a snow day - no school for the kids. We got about a foot of snow, not bad considering other areas got 16 inches! As usual, my son was excited, he is at the age where he loves to go outside and play in the snow. My daughter used to be like that until she got older; now, she could care less about it unless we go down the road near the winery where the kids can sled down the hill. It is fun but the dressing up part is so tedious, having all those layers of clothing makes me feel like I'm wearing a pair of compression stockings, no kidding! But it is a small price to pay seeing my kids have a great time.
I believe that young kids can be taught to clean their rooms. Depending on their age, it can range from picking up toys and putting it back in its' right place to vacuuming their room and changing bed sheets. I also let T, who will turn 6 years old this summer, into dusting tables and entertainment centers. He wanted to vacuum too but he could not finish the whole room, he gets tired just after a couple of passes. Well, at least he's trying to do it, that's what counts the most.
At 11 years old, A's feet is already 5 1/2 inches!! I'm petite but I have a big feet at 7 1/2 inches. Now, A is almost as tall as I am, I am only taller by less than an inch. I'm glad that she is going to be taller than me and that she took after her dad. I cannot wait though when she can wear my shoes, I have a lot of pairs that she can choose from. I know that her feet is going to grow longer than my size so I am not going to buy her expensive shoes like a pair of Stuart Weitzman until I know that her feet has reached its' maximum size.
Growing up in the Philippines, we always have maids to do things for us. That doesn't mean that I grew up not knowing how to keep a clean house. My parents made sure that we know how to do jobs around the house, well, maybe with the exception of washing the clothes. So when I migrated here in the U.S. 20 years ago, I did not have problems adjusting to the way of life (no helper to do things for you.) When I moved in with an aunt to be closer to school which is in San Francisco, I helped around the house and even did all the cooking for her so dinner is ready when they come home from work. Come to think of it, I helped her out in everything. Thank goodness she doesn't have any copper kitchen sinks or else it'll be a pain to clean it.
Now that I have my own kids, I want them to grow up knowing how to do their own laundry and clean up after themselves. Of course there are many times when they would complain but I just brush it off. Kids complain about anything and believe me, I've gotten used to it. The first chore they have is helping me sort out the laundry; I started my son with this one. It is easy and doesn't require much effort. For my daughter, I've taught her how to fold her clothes the right way. They also put away the dishes and silverware from the dishwasher. My daughter has also started vacuuming her own room. It helps that we have a Dyson which is very light. I don't hear much complaint from her compared to the old vacuum we have. Next up on my list is teaching her how to cook although she seems more interested in baking. Just like any other parent, I want to raise my kids to be responsible adults. Teaching them how to do chores around the house is definitely an important part in reaching that goal.
My daughter has reached that age wherein she's more aware of what's happening around her. I always have the evening news on and she, of course, hears and sees what's on. There are times where she would ask me about a certain story and I try to explain it in a way that is appropriate for her age. The other night, she saw the news about the raging wild fire going on in South Carolina. She knows that a family close to us just moved in that state. She is worried that they are affected by the fire. I had to explain to her that they are far from the affected area and their house, just like the Outer Banks homes are not in the danger zone. When the collapse of the financial institutions were the news of the day, I also talked to her about it. She has some questions and I tried my best to explain how and why it happened. Thank goodness for the hosts and guests in Good Morning America, I got all my information from them and it really made it easy for me. I think that kids in the right age should be made aware of what's going on around them. If we try to shelter them from everything that's going on, they might grow up believing that the world is a bed of roses.
I swear, kids today have too many gadgets and toys. I remember when I was a kid myself, I was happy with my tiny dining plate set, palayok and a doll or two. Now, my kids have toys that occupy a part of their rooms. Take note that we didn't buy all these stuff, it came as gifts from relatives and friends. Then add to that, are the electronic gadgets like Nintendo DS, personal computers and Game Cube. My daughter even asked if we can get her a PS3 for Christmas. (By the way, the answer was a big 'no'.) I'm just glad that even though they have all these stuff, they still enjoy reading. They're really not into TV, unlike me. As long as they get straight A's then their 'privileges' won't be revoked.
I don't know about your kids but when my kids tell me that they want to help out in doing the yard work, I don't expect much from it. I know they mean well but I usually end up by myself after 15 minutes or shorter than that for my 4 year old. Spring is definitely in the air, here I am thinking of how to spruce up the yard. I know, spring started last month but here in the northeast, it was still freezing a couple of days ago. I need to go get some annuals to plant in our front yard. It gets expensive, buying these annual flowers every year but it gives color to the yard. When we moved in years ago, I wanted to plant some dogwood trees but our neighbor beat us to it. No problem though because they planted two trees beside our yard so we get to appreciate it for free. Back to the kids, I bought them their own garden gloves to use in planting and yard work. My son enjoys watering the plants, as long as it has something to do with water, he's there. My daughter is getting good at helping me plant the seedlings. Dh mows the lawn although I do it sometimes. We have an electric rechargeable lawn mower so it is very light, no fumes and a breeze to use. So that's what our weekend is going to be for the next couple of month. How about yours, does it involve gardening?
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