Mazes

I remember loving making mazes when I was a kid, anyone else?  Although I think I was 4th or 5th grade when I was on my maze kick.  Wes must be ahead of where I was developmentally, cause this 2nd grader is all about mazes right now.  So he has expanded his professional title and is no longer just Mr. Artist, he's Mr. Maze.  Here he is barely out of bed and ready for some breakfast, and it made me smile to see him so sleepy eyed yet wasting no time to get back to work at finishing his maze - I think he fell asleep with it in his hands.

I like seeing the kids busy with their own projects.  Ethan's been busy with his new year's school goals of reading and practicing his sax every day.  Mel's busy with dance, flute, and young women's, Joe with basketball and school, Hyrum doesn't seem as busy but that's cause he gets all his work done during the day homeschooling, so he's able to have some downtime making mazes with Wes in the evenings.  Wes just has reading and math for his homework.  And the little girls just walk around all day making messes. 

I feel like I'm lost in a maze right now, somewhere very far from the finish mark.  Yeah, probably in one of the deceptive dead ends Wesley intentionally makes (how rude).  Kids are busy and I am so not on top of it as a manager of this household.  Maybe it's cause I'm recovering from being AWOL with the flu last month.  I broke out my parenting book library briefly last night cause as I returned spent from Scouts to a tornado of a home, I just thought "let's just turn off the lights and pretend this is all gone - let's go to bed, I'm worthless right now, but I might know where to begin in the morning..."  It's just 8 kids' lives picked up and thrown down wherever, "who knows where, who cares!!! (2:09)" (start at 1:37, but that whole thing is great, maybe I'll listen to that today as I clean to help me laugh at my life).  I told the kids "I am not doing a good job telling you what to do and what to clean, but is there a way that we could all get on the same page and YOU guys would want a clean house too?  And do things to clean and make a nice home on your own?  Cause I'm at a loss of how to do this - You guys are gone all day, Abi and Lily run around making messes, I can't clean this whole house on my own, I don't know how to be a parent, any tips kids?"  I am so not on top of it and need serious parenting survival help.

Large Family Logistics
The Parenting Breakthrough
A House United
How to Talk so Kids Will Listen

And I know that all families are different, different sizes, different environments, what works for me in wintery Utah in a home wouldn't work for us in perfect weather Chile in an apartment.  Still, if there's a book or blog where they just lay out their daily schedule and how they make their kids... successfully encourage their kids' participation in the work, that's what I need.  I'm hoping Large Family Logistics will help me learn how I can be a good manager, The Parenting Breakthrough help me make my plan of attack.  A House United help me give proper negative consequences for kids that are struggling getting on board with the system that I hope and pray I am able to get up and running, and How to Talk to Kids Will Listen to help me know how to communicate these ideals properly, if I figure out what those ideals are and how to implement them.  sigh.  And then maybe after all that I'll finish cleaning my desk or the laundry room and can reward myself by making a valentine wreath this weekend.