Well, Ryan came up with a brilliant idea.  It is so absolutely brilliant in so many ways that I can honestly say that I would have never thought of it in a bazillion years.  I am one of these people that just likes everything to be as clean and orderly as possible.  I have had to loosen my standards quite a bit because I just came to the conclusion after about the fourth kid, that I cannot possibly have everything clean and orderly all at once.  I am always working on something, but I just cannot manage everything very well any more.  I have a lot of dishes and laundry to do and it takes up most of my time.  I usually try to focus on the kitchen, and the living room and I try to get the bedrooms done most days and the bathrooms at least straightened.  Well, it has gotten to the point that the yard has been gettting very neglected and the car was getting absolutely ridiculous.  I cleaned it out really good last week and it took me three days to finish.  Anyhow, my point is, I needed more help, and I cannot seem to hound the kids into helping much.
     Ryan called the kids together and placed some work items up for bid.  This is how he makes his way in the work world, and so it was good for the kids to be more familiar with the whole process.  He explained that a few things were simply never getting done, and that he was willing to pay the child with the lowest bid to accomplish these things that mom couldn't get to.  He had a pre-bid meeting, and explained what the job would include, and handed out slips to everyone.  He put four items up for bid, the front yard, the back yard, the van, and the bathrooms.  I was really interested to see how much this little venture was going to cost.  Jamie and Sage have been begging for an allowance and I figured this was a perfect solution.  Well, Jazzerz bid on only one item, this was the front yard, and she bid to do the front yard for a dollar a week.  In my head, I was thinking that there was no possible way this was going to work.  Jazzerz doesn't even know how to run a mower, or a trimmer for that matter.  I was going to have to keep doing the front yard, because this was definitely going to be the low bid.  Nope!  Sage bid to do it for $.55.  Jams was mad because she really wanted to do the front yard, but Sage outbid her.  Sage also had the low bid on the backyard at $.75.  Sage and Jerusha had a tie on the bathrooms for $1.00 a week, and so we let Jerusha have it.  Jams won the van bid at $2.00 a week, but Jerusha was really upset at this.  She had written her bid wrong, but she claimed that she was willing to keep the van clean for 5 cents a week.  At this point I just burst out laughing.  She bawled and bawled.  I just couldn't imagine working all summer for like seventy five cents.  I think Ryan and I got great deal and hey, the kids worked all afternoon like a bunch of eager beavers. The yards and bathrooms sparkle even.  Wahoo, I hope it lasts!

     We have been having an interesting problem with little Mo.  He has become attached to a photo album.  A few years ago, Rooshkie put together a little photo album with a few snapshots.  She has not paid much attention to it for quite awhile.  Moroni just loves to have it with him.  The other night I tried to put him to bed without it and holy cow...he threw the biggest fit about it.  He bawled and bawled for about 20 minutes stratight.  Of course I tried to return it to him promptly, but he was too ticked off at that point to calm down.  He took it this morning with us when we went to saw-cut some concrete that Ryan poured. We had to go to the Home Depot for some door knobs and yep, he had the photo album in hand.  I would have never seen that one coming.
     The other day Chlo was being sneaky and extra quiet. I wondered where she was and what she was doing.  I knew it couldn't be good.  When I found her, she was standing in the pantry, in her underwear and there was a lot of chocolate all over her face, teeth and chest.  I asked her what she had been eating.  "Nothing," was her swift reply.  Yeah right, I have really been trying to teach Chlo to tell the truth lately.  She has been lying to get out of trouble.  Anyhow, I knew she had been eating something chocolate.  I finally said, "Chloee, do not lie to me.  If you lie, I will spank you, and put you in your room.  If you tell the truth, I am not going to get mad."  Finally, her eyes kind of shifted.  She looked at me and said, "I have been eating 'balella'."  I looked behind her and she had a whole jar of nutella with a spoon.  I was grateful that she was brave enough to tell the truth, and so I just went and filled her a warm bath.  We will make her an honest gal, if I have anything to say about it.  She also came to me bawling today because she claimed that the kids were "getting fun off of me."  She was quite upset.  As a matter of fact, she has bawled most of the day for this or that.  She is a little out of sorts.