Friday: I stayed home today because I wasn't feeling well. The boys were out of school (well, the younger two were, so we let our older one stay home, too), so Nathan called to instruct them to clean the house (his act of kindness to me, in theory). Our 11 year old got really upset because he "had to clean the entire house by himself and couldn't do anything until Dad got home from work" (which was at 2:00 mind you). He pouted and sulked and finally hid in his room, while his brothers and our 17 year old and I cleaned. I went to talk to him very patiently (that was my act of kindness...I wanted to tell him to suck it up and get to work because he helped make the mess) and gave him the option to help (and therefore participate in any family activities that day) or to stay in his room. I gave him 15 minutes to decide. He finally chose to help, although it was somewhat grudgingly. I cut him some slack, though, because his brothers hadn't been to stay with us in a couple of weeks (the holiday disrupted our normal schedule), and he has to readjust every time they are with us.
Saturday: Our youngest got baptized today. He lives in SLC, so that's where we were for the baptism. Afterward, we stopped by Trader Joe's to pick up some things while we were up there. My 11 year old helped me grocery shop (this is something that I usually like to do by myself). I said yes to several things that he wanted that I would not usually buy. Some were fruits, so that was fine. We also bought some peanut butter cups (at $5 a box) because he wanted them, and some boxed noodles to try (I can't stand those things...these are just a slightly healthier version of Ramen Noodles...ick).
Sunday: Today my act of kindness was to play Minecraft with Nathan. He and the boys are obsessed with this game, and I just don't get it! So, in an effort to figure out what all the fuss was about, I played the game with him. After about 30 minutes, I passed the controls to my 8 year old.
I still don't get the point of Minecraft.
Monday: Yesterday I picked up the living room before work. Our house is a mess every time the younger boys come to visit. Chaos always ensues despite my best efforts. I came downstairs yesterday morning to trash that needed to be taken out, a sink full of dishes, a table with half full bowls of soup from the night before, and a war zone for a living room. I wanted to run away.
Instead, I made myself breakfast and settled in to watch some Netflix before work. After I finished eating, I put the living room back together (instead of screaming and running away).
Of course, by the time I got home last night it was already "lived in" again. Thank you boys.
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