Barreling Through September

I love September.  The weather has turned fallish.  It's still warm in the afternoon, but it's delightfully cool in the mornings and evenings.  We are well into the third week of school.  Things are going well.  Daphne loves her teacher and going to Specials (art, music, PE).  And I am getting into a good fall groove.  I've been walking almost every morning, and yesterday, I even took a bike ride.  I rode on the trail to this barn (above) and back...about 6 miles.  My goal is to go riding a couple times a week and work my way up to riding all the way to Purcellville without getting winded so that Kev and I can ride our bikes to Magnolia's.  Yum.

I am in full on Girl Scout Leader mode now.  Our first meeting is tomorrow, and we're starting off big - with decoupage.  We have some really cool stuff planned for the troop this year, and I'm excited about it all.  Plus, I am in the middle of my training to become "camp certified" which means I will be allowed to take my troop camping.  Last weekend, I cooked a pizza in a box oven and learned to clean the latrine.  Next weekend is the real deal...an overnight campout with outdoor cooking.  I cannot tell you how excited I am.  I am hoping for an owl sighting.  Or at least an owl hearing.  And there will be s'mores. Bring it on.

I just finished reading a book called "Cleaning House" which was written by a mom who decided her kids, and most kids these days, need to get away from this whole feeling of entitlement and start learning how to do things for themselves.  I got a lot out of reading that book.  It is so easy to just do things for our kids.  It's easier.  It's faster.  It avoids arguments.  But it isn't doing them any favors.  So, I am slowly giving Daphne more responsibilities and opportunities to do things for herself.  And I am surprisingly being met with excitement instead of resistance.  She has been making her own breakfast, packing her own lunchbox, helping with dishes, setting the table, making her bed, and getting herself dressed.  She even made me and Kevin breakfast over the weekend!

A couple days ago, she folded her own laundry.  All of it.  She asked me to teach her how to "barrel" her socks.

That is what she calls putting pairs of socks into rolls.  I don't know why, but she does.  So, I taught her my sock-barreling technique, and she barreled all of her socks.  And she said, "This is fun! Can I do this every time?!"

And then, she put all of her clean and folded and barreled clothes away.  With a big smile. 

Kids can do a whole lot more than we give them credit for if we just give them a chance.  It isn't easy.  I don't like giving up control.  But if I can get over the fact that there WILL be spilled milk, and a dish probably WILL get broken at some point, and she might pick out a really terrible outfit to wear to school, I think we'll both be better off.  Daphne has been SO proud of all the "big kid" stuff she's been doing.  It's pretty cool.

Now that Daphne is in school all day, I am planning some house projects that involve organizing and getting rid of stuff.  I love getting rid of stuff.  I am going to get the house in order this year.  And I am also going to try to start every weekend with a clean house.  Lofty, but do-able.

And, now that it's time for fall cooking, I am going to get back to the food blog I started in January, but neglected all summer.  My first fall post is all about the greatness of toast.


I hope you are all enjoying the beginning of fall.  I am going to get off the computer now, and go sit on the porch.  Because it's FALL!