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Dear Faithful Friends, Not much new to report. (For ease and perhaps security, I'm going to use the terms Mama G., Daddy G. Big Sis and Lil' Sis from here on out). That Mama G. has come this far is a HUGE blessing and praise. She's still stable. We haven't had any calls through the night and at this point, no news is good news. There is still the ability to communicate slightly which is amazing and I'm sure the greatest comfort to Daddy G. Lil' Sis went to the hospital yesterday for the first time to visit Big' Sis. Daddy was with them as well and again showed such wisdom from the Lord as he spent sweet time with his girls and gently prepared little hearts for an uncertain future. It's a bit like peeling an onion, layer by layer, and the Lord is equipping him perfectly. I stayed home with my little brood and took a nap! I have had trouble resting deeply this week and the Lord gifted me with not only a lovely nap, but also a great night's sleep next to my sweety! Yes, Darren came home safely around 8 pm last night from his grandfather's funeral. He was scheduled to leave right away for J-lem for work (the General he works for is in town) but after re-packing and going to the Embassy to collect all he needed for the near week away, he decided to sleep in his own bed and get up early this morning to go. What a sweet blessing. I felt like I could curl up under his protective covering and sleep with abandon all night. Samuel woke once to eat, but that's sweetness to my soul (so long as we only get up once;-) So, for this morning, please pray for the following: ~Continued healing of Mama G.'s body-head to toe ~Great wisdom from the doctors (Israel has some of the finest, so she is in great hands) ~Continued wisdom, stamina and comfort for Daddy G. ~That the "what if..." and "if only I..." questions would be thrown away where they belong. ~Continued peace, joy and well, down-right fun, for Lil' Sis ~I'm hoping to visit with Mama G. in the next couple of days (and Grace with Big Sis)- that I would bring words of comfort and encouragement that she needs to hear. I firmly believe Mama G. is more aware of what is going on around her than her body can show right now. My emotions certainly need to be capped when I visit with her and comfort lavished. ~ Travel arrangements and good health to her parents and Daddy G'.s mom as they begin to try to make their way sometime this week. Illness and other issues have made it impossible to travel immediatly. This delay must be torture... So, that's all I can think of for this morning. I can't tell you how much we all appreciate and feel your prayers. My ability to rest and feel completely refreshed this morning should alone encourage you that He is using your prayers for great blessing!! Well, I'm off to make Cinnamon Stickies for a big breakfast. We decided to have a big breakfast and family worship to shield Lil' Sis just a bit longer from the extended community. I hear rustling in the kitchen so I'd best get to it!! Love and thankfulness to you all, maggie |
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Dear Friends, We think we know what life holds from one moment to the next but we really don't, do we? Two days ago I took Grace and her best buddy from the States out for a special desert and a local restaurant, along with my youngest daughter,Sara her best buddy, Allie, along with their house guest/short term Nanny. Allie is the only other homeschooled kiddo in the Embassy and our families are very close. Her mom and I chose the same curriculum so we could back each other up and support each other. Little did we know. During the course of the meal, I received a phone call from the Embassy looking for Allie's Daddy, Dave, and I was told there had been an accident. I had just talked to Cindy who was going to bring their daughter Isobella to a doctor's appointment in a city 20 minutes away. I reassured my friend who called that we had Allie taken care of. We prayed for the situation, not knowing how serious it was, while Allie and Sara happily played nearby. None of the younger children knew that anything had happened. To make a very long story short (I have a fussy baby needing my attention), Cindy and Isobella were in a terrible accident and although Isobella has sustained rather minor injuries (slight tear to her liver and slight concussion), her mommy is dire. Head trauma and internal bleeding are the most critical although she has numerous bones that are waiting to be set and dealt with as she stablizes. At first the doctor's gave no hope. As of last night when Dave came here for dinner and to tell Allie an 8 year old's dose of reality, the doctor's were pleased, no AMAZED, to see some responsiveness. They were also able to go in for a second surgery to repair some more internal injuries. Things are still EXTREMELY critical despite this little bit of good news, but we're thankful for anything. Allie will be bunking in with us for as long as necessary. We're calling it a Dukie Marathon and she is thrilled about the prospect. I do have a great deal of help from the community here as support, but we are trying to keep her in a close circle right now since she doesn't know the full extent of injury or ramifications. Please pray for this dear family. We know that the Lord will do what is right, good and perfect. We also know that if He pleases, Cindy can be restored to full health. We naturally pray and hope for this outcome. We also pray for the girls, for extended family and for their witness in an unbelieving world. I also pray that I can provide a stable,comforting and joyful environment for little Allie, as she begins to deal with something so difficult. Oh, yeah, and I also ask you to pray for those familiar friends we call stamina and rest!! Cindy's life has not withered away at this point, and we are so thankful for this. This incident has caused me to once again stop and take account of all those little things in life that cause me frustration and see my days and hours for what the really are...fleeting gifts from the Lord. Gifts that are given to me to lavish on those around me for His sake. Let us all keep our eyes on this reality! Well, sisters, I must apologize in advance for grammatical and spelling erroros or any other rough edges to this post. A skirmy little lad on my lap and a sleep deprived mama account for such things:) Lovingly, Maggie Please feel free to pass the word about this family. They need as many people praying for them as possible. |
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Hi gang, Here's a great website for little Amina. The children's hospital is updating a daily a blog for her each day. She and her mommy are staying with a host family -a local pastor and his wife. It's so wonderful to see how the Lord is providing for them!! Take a look here and see for yourself: Vanderbilt Children's Hospital Hope you are having a great day. I will try to post something more personal soon, but to say that seven children (Beka's best friend is here from the States) and a dear husband on the move more than home, plus a busy puppy, ailing cat and five students to teach at home are keeping me busy is a vast understatement!!! Let's just say my goal is to cheerfully stay afloat each day:) Anything more is gravy!! Love, Maggie |
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Dear Friends, Here is an update I received this morning concerning little Amina. "Amina's surgery was completed at about 12:15 PM CST, and she is doing great! Her fingers and toes are "pinking up" nicely. Dr. Christian, her surgeon, said she's very pleased with how it went. We all expected a much longer surgery, so God's power and wisdom was obviously with everyone involved. Now is the time for prayers of thanksgiving and for Amenah's steady recovery. She will be in the hospital about 10 days, and then in Nashville for about another 6 weeks. God is always good!" ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ On a bitter sweet note, Darren's grandfather, Arthur, went to his eternal home yesterday. God gave him 89 wonderful years on this earth and he was lucid to the very end. His body had been rapidly failing over the past year, however, so this was not a surprise. I do ask you to pray for his dear wife, Helen, of 65+ years who will wake up today without him by her side. Through the loving dedication of their children, both were/are able to stay at home. Helen is currently going through chemotherapy for Lung Cancer and naturally weakened by it's effects. Both Arthur and Helen have been examples of two souls resting in Christ and seeking to honor Him in all the seasons of life. We're so thankful for the legacy they leave with us all. Darren is trying to fly out this evening for the funeral and then turning right around to return to assist with a week-long General officer's visit. I'd covet your prayers for traveling mercies for him and the stamina required for such a crazy period of time. "No rest for the weary and the righteous don't need none", right;) Lovingly and ever thankful for your prayers, Maggie |
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Dear Friends, Please keep praying for Amina. Her surgery is today, Monday the 11th. I'll let our friend who coordinated this effort in Iraq (the Marine-ohh raa) sum it up. All, Amina will have surgery tomorrow, Monday, 11 February. Please join me in praying for her and her doctors as they work. It is comforting at times like these to affirm the reality of a God who is sovereign over all things; all of my life experience adds a hearty “Amen” to this truth that Scripture so clearly proclaims. Semper Fidelis, KJ Lovingly, Maggie PS I'm off to the Galilee with Grace and her best buddy from the States. It should be a lovely day for touring:) |
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Hi all, Just a quick update on little Amina. She is safely in the US. Her travel went smoothly and both she and her mommy are being blessed by bunches of TLC. Unfortunately, Amina has developed an upper respiratory infection and is being treated for that before the surgery can be performed. Additionally, Amina's heart condition is far more serious than thought, and will require even riskier surgery and perhaps further surgery. Please continue to keep her in your prayers. We know that the Lord is in charge of all these things and we trust Him with the outcome. Pray especially that Amina's family would come to know the Ultimate Healer of Hearts. Below is the link where you can keep up to date with Amina: Operation Amina Darren didn't end up going to Jordan to assist in the border crossing. Red tape and a new job assignment at work prevented his travel. He's going to be VERY busy for the coming months. Much love to you all from very rainy Israel, Maggie |
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to gather at the Throne and pray for one another. Here's an opportunity to do just that! Please pray for the Estes family and their precious little son, Noah. You can get to know them and join them in this journey of faith at www.homeschoolblogger.com/ourquiverfull/. (I tried to link you to it, but it didn't work.) Once you arrive at the site, there is an entry available to you to read by way of introduction to this precious family and baby Noah's condition. Hope you are having a wonderful day. Warmly, Maggie |
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Girls, for a glimpse into my wacky sense of humor, please click on this link and enjoy. (For those of you in the States, this commercial might be old news, but for me overseas, it was all new:) www.youtube.com/watch I think your kids will enjoy it, too. Have a joyful day! Maggie P.S. Here's one more that reminds me of what we mommies do on a daily basis. This commercial is several years old, but if you've never watched it, and even if you have, you'll notice new details everytime:) www.youtube.com/watch |
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instead of fighting in a war, you get an opportunity to do something completely humanitarian instead? That's just what one friend of ours in Iraq is doing. In his work, as a US Marine stationed over there, he was introduced to a little girl in dire need of a life saving heart operation. Her name is Amina, and you can read her story here: Operation Amina Darren is planning on driving over to Jordan to assist in her travel from the Iraqi border to Amman. Please pray for traveling mercies as he drives from here to Iraq and back. It's about 1000 miles round trip and some of it is a bit like the wild west, if you know what I mean. We're very excited about helping out in any way possible. I'd also ask you to pray for this little girl, not only for the life-giving surgery she so desperately needs, but that she and her entire family, village and country would learn to worship the real Life-Giver. Love to you all, Maggie |
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Hi there blog buddies! Greetings from the doctor's waiting room! A couple of my children have bad head colds this week resulting in secondary infections. Grace is the current victim with a severe middle ear infection. Poor girl!! You may be wondering how I'm writing to you from my current locale. Glad that you asked:) My Christmas and birthday gift from Darren and the children was an I-pod Touch. I must admit that when I first opened the box, I didn't have the faintest idea what I would do with such a fancy device. But now, I have to confess that I love this thing! Being able to check email, read blogs and glean from daily devotional material like that found in Elisabeth Elliot's website or the Operation World site are great blessings. Also, I have worship music and excellent sermons to listen to when I have the occasional quiet moment. What a sweet and nurturing husband I have! Other than caring for baby Samuel, who continues to bring us such great joy, life has continued on at it's usual pace. We did have a quiet week at Christmas , for which I'm so grateful. We've started back to school this week and although I am truly unable to get everything done that I'd like to achieve, things are going fairly smoothly. Once again, check out my dear husband's blog at www.a1000tongues.com for the newest pics. Much love to my few faithful blog buddies! Maggie |
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Yes, dear friends, Baby Samuel was delivered safely by c-section on November 24th around 5:30 pm (Israeli time). The doctors decided that Samuel was getting too big to attempt a natural delivery and so we went ahead with the c-section. By the way, he did end up being 9 and a half pounds. A good bit over what they anticipated. Everything was great and it's wonderful to be home together as a family. I'll write more later, but for now, please jump over to Darren's site to see lots of pics of our precious little guy. You'll find them under his own little page. www.a1000tongues.com Thanks to all of you who have been praying for his safe arrival. We really appreciate it! We're both doing well and I'm recovering nicely from the surgery. Much love and thankfulness to Him for you all, Maggie |
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Hello, Friends, Through the next few weeks, there will be two short movies and a slew of Thanksgiving pictures posted on my Sweetie's blog. Rather than take the time to try to post them all here, you can just pop over to his site and take a gander. You'll find the pictures under the section for family photos and the movies under both Thanksgiving 2007 and another area just reserved for the play itself. Some older computers (like our desktop) don't have the proper software to download the movies, but at least you can see the photos. All three areas of his blog will be evident to you right away. Warmly, from our family to yours, Maggie
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I know that I just wrote an entry yesterday, but I had a dream last night that was so funny and revealing that I just had to share! Samuel had arrived...finally! Darren and I were home and snuggled on the living room floor getting to know our precious little guy. We noticed that something was different about him. He was a delight and just as cute as a bug in a rug but somehow... Then it hit us both at the same time! He was the size of a one year old and when he smiled ~horrified gasp~ he had all his cute little milk teeth!!! Yes, he had spent his whole infancy inside of me!!! No wonder the pregnancy seemed to take so long:) Darren and I laughed this morning when I told him. I guess my subconscious is running overtime:) I did go to the doctor yesterday and although everything looks good, I'm still only at 1 cm although I'm beginning to efface. I had really hoped that more was going on since I've had far more contractions this week. Oh well. What would I do if I didn't know God was totally sovereign over all things-including, of course, Samuel's first breath?! That certainly puts my impatience where it belongs, doesn't it?! Besides, I still have 6 days to the actual due date and company coming for Thanksgiving dinner ( a very small, intimate group lest I have to take off for the hospital). Anyway, hope that you all had a chuckle. Happy Thanksgiving to all of you who are celebrating. Whether you are American or not, let's be sure to stop and cultivate a heart of thanksgiving for all that the Lord's done for us! Maggie |
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Hello, dear blog buddies! Thanks for your comments about Dogberry and especially all your prayers concerning Samuel's up and coming arrival. We are very eagerly awaiting his appearance and looking forward to cuddling him in our arms. The children ask every day if he can come today (like a little playmate coming over) but I tell them they must be patient (this reminder serves mommy's soul well, too). I was struck by a sweet reminder a couple of week ends ago as we juggled a number of events of the Lord's faithfulness and wanted to share with you. Friday night, we hosted a dinner party for 17 (including our brood along with a visiting general-the guest of honor for the Ball, his aide, plus a new family and a single student from Jerusalem and a couple other fellows in the military). The dinner was family-style and turned out perfectly. I warned the general that formal protocol would be left at the door and we'd simply enjoy a family meal together celebrating the Marine Corps birthday and the gift of new friends. Darren said that he had a very nice time and really enjoyed relaxing. Yeay! Just what I love to hear:) The next night (Nov. 10th) was the actual Marine Corps Ball. It was fun to dress up with my protruding belly and go out. One of our guests was also 9 months pregnant, so we fit right in together. Our ambassador's wife is a nurse and when she saw me (we sat at the table next to theirs) she leaned over to remind me that she knew just how to deliver babies if I needed any help that evening. Thankfully, I didn't have to take her up on her kind offer;) A hotel is not my ideal delivery area! There were also a couple days that Joanna went out shopping for me to finish up my Christmas purchases. She and Beka took an evening and went to the shops in Jaffa (great scarves) and then a day in Jerusalem. I ran the school while she was gone and was very encouraged to be able to juggle most all the needs by myself and stay on task. I know this must sound wimpy, but when you've been blessed with having a second teacher for nearly two years, you get used to that extra help!! Plus, I've added two additional students over that time, which, in turn, takes more time. I wanted to tell you about these three accounts because back when I discovered that the Lord had blessed us with another little Duke, I seriously wondered how I'd juggle. Although the thought of another baby is a true delight, this is such a crazy, busy season, it's hard to imagine adding another little one and taking away a huge help all in the same month. But, the Lord reminded me back then and confirmed again through these three events (and many more like them) that 1)the timing of this little guy is perfect and from Him and 2) He will supply all my needs according to His riches in mercy. Theses aren't only the spiritual ones we all have, but I believe that He enables me to do the things this season of life call for, not in my own strength-oh, no- but in His great strength! Not only will He do this in my life, but in yours as well. After all, how can we hope to do ANYTHING of eternal value on our own??!! Although He calls us to faithfully pour out our lives and work hard, He is the one who equips us to do the tasks laid before us! Hopefully, you too, will be encouraged today as we seek to serve Him in this season of life! Warmly, Maggie |
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...No, not Baby Samuel!! Sorry if I got your hopes up:) Actually, our new member has four furry legs, lots of black fur and adorable little gray markings:) His name is Dogberry, aptly named by Beka for Sir Friar Francis Dogberry from Shakespear's Much Ado About Nothing, He's a pure bred Miniature Schnauzer and just a love. How we ended up with the little guy is quite a long story, (which I'll wait to tell another time when I don't have to get myself ready for school). In any event, he's a pure delight and so amazingly trainable. He was 90% housetrained after 24 hours, and totally crate trained and leash trained after a day or two, to boot. He loves to play fetch and lives for the children. These little guys are bred specifically for children and the villiage is run by adults with various mental disabilities. It's truly a very special place. Below is a link to the website if you'd like to take a gander. http://www.blues-le-nanasim.com/about_us.html One of the really appealing things about this little guy is that he is nearly 5 months old and finished with much of the challenging puppy issues. Since everythng in our house is government issue (and very nice for representational service), we couldn't even think about a younger puppy. As you can imagine, the children are besides themselves with joy.
Above is Beka as she met Dogberry for the first time. She, Darren and I drove up to the Galilee last Friday to pick him up.
He actually seems to be smiling about his new home, doesn't he?
Investigating his new yard.
Home at last! Have a truly blessed day of school. By His bountifuly grace, may we all be the mommies that we need to be today as we mentor these precious children He's so graciously gifted to us! Warm hugs to you all! Maggie
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Can you guess? No, that's not Air Force One, but Air Force Two! We have a good friend who is one of the AF2 pilots and each time he comes to Israel with the Secretary of State he offers to give us a tour. This past week, the timing worked out great and we were able to join them out at the airport (after Condi left) and take a private tour. It was a wonderful adventure for all of us and very, very interesting! Everyone who wanted to sit in the cockpit got their chance (including mommy:) Here, by the way, is your opportunity to see yours truly with my rounded belly! My dear husband had meetings and therefore wasn't able to join us, but Nanny Jo, the kids and I had a great time! I'm sorry that I haven't blogged over the last month, but my focus has been on getting everything possible done before little Samuel arrives. I'm 35 weeks on Tuesday and very much hoping to deliver around 38 weeks-don't we all?? Since Darren will be either very busy or out of the country until then, I am praying that we don't go any earlier:)
Well, I need to walk to the grocery store for a couple of things for dinner and do a few more tasks before my evening energy runs low! I'm feeling great, thank the Lord, but beginning to get the real heaviness towards evening. Much love to my dear blog buddies! Maggie PS I'm figuring out the picture posting part of blogging, but still don't know how to wrap the text. Any advise would be greatly appreciated! |
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Hello, dear Ones! I can't believe that another three weeks have passed. Since I last wrote, I had a coffee for 30 ladies here at the house, Jo's entire family visiting for 2 weeks, 5 sick children, a traveling husband (now home:), school (as much as possible) and currently, preparation for another dinner for 25 next week end. I've checked in with a few of you, although most likely, I've just quietly lurked:) Blogging time just hasn't happened lately! As busy as I've been though, life has been very sweet and full of tender mercies from the Lord. Not always easy, exactlly, but sweet. So often, I think of something that I want to share with my blog buddies but alas, by the time I sit down to write, whatever grand thought I had has long left my mind. Well, I'd best hop off. I've got several children who are going to be hungry for dinner soon. Many hugs to you all! Warmly, Maggie PS As I've never figured out how to post a pregnancy ticker, I'll just tell you that we are now just shy of 30 weeks! I MUST post a picture of me and my ever expanding- belly before baby Samuel makes his debut! |
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Hello dear friends, It's been another week where you will find me each day trying to keep up with the needs of the day. Occasionally I am able to do it. Usually I don't get every thing done, but a goodly portion. I had a couple of doctor's appointments sprinkled through the week. (One was my routine OB and the other was to check Nathan's hand after he injured it at a science park Tuesday night..) I'm glad to report that all is well in the Duke household. I had a wonderful idea this morning that I'd be able to write a deep, thought provoking post today. Somehow though, it's nearly dinner time already! I still need to pick up some fresh pita from the local grocery and finish making my chicken salad. Then there are the other 7 items on my to-do list. Sigh...can you gals relate? Or is it just me who has wonderful expectations of my "empty day" (remember we worship here on Saturday and have Sunday as our catch-up day) only to come to the end of it and scratch my head at where all the time has gone! A large part of my trouble is my increasing need to rest mid-day. I do continue to feel well, but I'm finding my energy level is starting to wind down during the last trimester (and I'm just beginning it!) So hear I am, hoping to encourage you and yet draw encouragment at the same time:) On another and far more urgent note, I would ask that you pray for our friends, Robert and Chantal Gillium. Their little son, Jude, died this week from drowning. He was kept alive for just over a week while the doctors tried to do everything possible to save him, but the extent of his brain damage was just too much. Thankfully, their faith is in our soveriegn Lord and we know that He has indeed healed little Jude. Jude is truly far more alive than the rest of us! He had just two years on earth. For more information, a website was created for him at: http://www.caringbridge.org/cb/inputSiteName.do?method=search&siteName=judegilliam Well, friends, I must run. My sweety just called and invited me to dinner::) So much for my list, but twenty years from now I'll remember the special dinners with my love not my unfinished to-do lists. Warmly, Maggie |
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Hi gang! Time to blog over the past couple weeks has been nil. We've picked up our summer school schedule (Tuesday through Friday with Monday for projects around the house) and found the Lord had many divine interruptions to liven things up along the way. I have to hold loosely to my plans so I don't get cranky when He changes them:) To sum it up, we had a number of dinner guests, and two sets of company and lots of opportunities to care for a couple of new families in the office. Next week we will actually start school with a "regular" routine beginning to be inacted. I've taken CTDittmar's idea of a scavenger hunt to kick off things and Taste of Home had a very cute back-to-school party theme a few years back that I'm going to draw from for tomorrow night's dinner. We're also starting the first day back with a field trip to a local science institute/park for a dinner picnic with friends from our church. A part of me hates to rush about on the first day of school, but I think it will make a fun memory for the children and make the first day especially fun for them (which is more important than pleasing a schedule-clinging mommy, right?). I also have an OB appointmemt tucked in on that first day of school, but what's a girl to do? It's hard to believe that we are already 26 weeks along in this pregnancy. Time is flying so fast. Sometimes I even forget that I'm expecting a new little one, until I glance at my protruding belly:) So, that's the scoop on our family. I want to post a few more pics soon, but for now I'll give you eight more random things about me since my sweet daughter at ONEDAYMORE tagged me. Here goes: Hope that you find these of interest , my friends. 1. I like to shoot. Yup, just call me Annie Oakley, but it's true and I've had a number of opportunities to practice this skill on various types of weapons. 2. I like to drive fast, but I try to limit it to raceways. Seriously. Although it was probably a once-in-a -lifetime experience, I've clocked quite a bit of time at an international raceway. 3. I've smelled tear gas and heard machine gun fire for real in J-lem last time we lived here. I went shopping near a border crossing and things got...heated. We beat a path to our car and thankfully made it home just fine (after buying our groceries, of course;) 4. I've delivered a baby...my second little one arrived very quickly but thankfully we were in the hospital and on the labor ward. I just had a very laid-back midwife. I made it there just in time (8 minutes in the hospital altogether). 5. Darren delivered our 4th. Again, we were in a hospital but I think our doctor knew it would be good to teach him how to "catch". We were in labor less than 2 hours that time. ( I hope to follow a similar pattern this time...so long as we make it through traffic to the hospital in time;) 6. I've picked bugs out of our Ambassador's hair. What do you do if you are sitting next to Mr. Ambassador and a bug is exploring his hair? I debated what to do (they didn't teach me that in charm school) but I decided that the Golden Rule was best and mentioned to him the problem and he asked me if I'd take care of the critter. He had his head nearly in my lap and I felt like a monkey in Africa:) Later he surprised me by smacking me on the arm to rid me of a pesky critter:) 7. I really like trying to speak Hebrew, despite making quite a few mistakes. Like the time I asked the butcher for "one. big nose" instead of one big chicken. The worst part was that he truly had a huge nose. Ooops! 8. I really like being a military wife. Aside from the baby delivery stories, all my other random adventures were brought to you care of this military life the Lord has placed me in. Warmly, Maggie |
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Hello Friends, Wow, I've actually been able to post quite often lately (you can tell we've been on a little break from school, can't you?) I've just prepared the newest chore list for our family. As I get closer to little Samuel's arrival (still 4 months out, but my energy level is beginning to lower in the heat.) As I slowly prepare for Nanny Jo's departure in December, I'm also transitioning towards taking back over the older children's education (far more prep time involved than for the younger ones' lessons.) In any event, I thought I'd share our updated Blessing List to give you an idea of our goals. Keep in mind that the children involved range in age from 7 1/2 to 14 1/2.
The Official August 2007 Blessing List ~Everyone make your own beds and get dressed. ~Brush your teeth after breakfast and make sure your hair is brushed. ~B.(14yrs.) and C.(10yrs.) are in charge of collecting laundry, sorting it and starting the first load of laundry. ~J.(12yrs.) and S.(7yrs.) are responsible for leaving the kitchen sparkling clean after breakfast (unload dishwasher, re-load, put away food, clean table, sweep floor and wipe counters.) ~Tidy your own spot after lunch. ~B. and C. have lunch duty: put away any food, load dishes, wipe table and counters and sweep the floor if necessary. ~J. and S., check with mom for a mid-day blessing you can help with. ~Does Mom need help with dinner prep? Feel free to askJ ~All hands on deck for post-dinner clean-up! (Hopefully story time with Papa is available, otherwise, plug in some music and have at it!) ~Any clothes to put away? Be sure your clean clothes are put in your drawers neatly. ~Brush your teeth and get yourself to bed (After you hug and kiss your mother and say your prayers, of course!) *********** I've paired an older child to a younger child so that my older ones can teach my younger ones the ropes. I've also (in one case, in particular) paired an "odd couple" (always at odds) to develop team work . Feel free to comment and leave your thoughts and ideas. I'm always open to suggestions! Love you all you blog friend, Maggie |