Overheard at my house

Says Aspen, while surrounded by a pile of dishes, "When I grow up and move away from home and have my own apartment, I am going to do the dishes every day after every meal."

Here are some of my observations/reactions to her statement:

1. I am glad that she is planning to move away from home when she grows up. That is our goal here at the Brunner house -- to teach our children to be independent adults. We have a trianing program.
2. The were a lot of dishes. I have been working on a project that I needed to just work on until it was done. So I kind of let everything else slide for a couple days. The kids made their own meals and played video games all day. (It was raining so I couldn't make them go outside to play.) It is summer vacation, right?
3. While I was doing this project I paid Aspen to babysit Hazel. I offered to pay anyone to clean the kitchen and do the dishes, or to pick up the rest of the house while I was in project mode. No takers on the offer. They would rather play video games all day.
4. So instead of being paid to do the dishes when the pile was considerably smaller, my adults-in-training got to do it for free this afternoon. (I did help after the first hour).
5. To ensure that Aspen, and the other 3 minis will have a habit of doing their dishes every day and after every meal, she, and the other trainees, get to practice 3 times a day!! I want her wish to come true, after all.
6. Lastly, I don't usually let things get this bad. But I had to finish this project. I was under a deadline. (Stay tuned to see the finished results tomorrow!)