Cheers for charts!

The kids and I have done most of our chores, most of the days, for the past 2 weeks!  Considering that I was pretty sick about half of that time, I think we did pretty good!  Tabby and Oliver are getting much better about doing their jobs without as much complaining.  Plus they really enjoy putting the little star magnets on their chore chart and getting rewarded for completing tasks.  They get a reward of some kind every 2 or 3 days, which seems to work pretty well for their ages.

I'm feeling much more confident in my ability to keep up with housework as a result of my own chore chart.  Funny, though, I think I'll need to be careful not to become too obsessive.  The more time I spend doing things like scrubbing all the walls, the more aware I am of the dirt and grime that I haven't yet cleaned.  Not all of my chores were accomplished on the exact day scheduled.  There were some I did a day or two late, and a couple I did a day early.  But the important part is that almost everything got done.  The one thing I skipped was cleaning one of the bathrooms.  The best part has been having a meal plan, knowing what I'm going to cook each day, and planning my grocery shopping accordingly.  Unfortunately I don't get rewarded this time around like the kids do.  At my age the expectations are much higher.  Or maybe I just have a mean task master!  At any rate, I think I'll wait to reward myself until I manage a two week stretch without skipping any of my jobs.

As I mentioned, I was sick quite a bit the last couple weeks... which brings us to a whole new topic.  I am going to the Democratic Republic of Congo in July!  It was getting the immunizations for this trip that made me so sick.  Hopefully it will all be worth it and I'll be healthy now while traveling.  While in the Congo, I will get to spend time with my sister-in-law and her family who have been living and working in the Congo for the past 3 years.  I will get to spend time with my nieces - 2 of whom have grown a bunch since I last saw them, and 2 I'll be meeting for the first time!  Plus we will be taking supplies to, and spending time doing what we can to help out at an orphanage.

I will miss my little Tabby and Oliver terribly while I am gone.  Two whole weeks.  But I am also excited to see what God has in store for this trip.  I pray that the supplies we take, the projects we do, and the love and attention we are able to give the babies and children will truly have a lasting impact on their lives.  I imagine my life will be forever changed by this experience.