Oh so quiet

Mondays are my days of "serious" work, housework that is... Since Monday is technically my day off from all other jobs, I focus on my house. Today was spent cleaning the kitchen and living room top to bottom, until I ran out of window cleaner. Then it was off to the piles of laundry from the weekend. What make this so special is that I am currently home, childless and temporarily widowed without a single chore to do. My animals are for the most part fed, the house is clean, and I am just waiting for the laundry to be dry, ahhh. These type of days are far and few in between. I am currently trying to decide if I actually miss the rest of my family THAT much. Not really, since I know they will be home soon ready for baths, snacks, and bedtime.

Miss Haidyn might be a little harder to miss these days since we are on week two of "cold turkey Nukie". We took the pacifier away and the little bugger is STILL losing her mind at least once a day. She goes into a deep fit of anxiety mixed with anger, very interesting and volatile at the same time. Each day that she has not had her pacifier, she has managed to go into one of her deep fits for at least 20 minutes. I have now turned a mildly cold shoulder to it, in other words, I am letting her tough it out now. Poor kid.

Hope has been maturing emensly this summer. This afternoon she had something to say, "Come on mom- I need your help, SERIOUSLY." A four year old ending her sentence in "seriously" causes a fair amount of laughter. Not only is she getting more amusing with her words, but she is also starting to push moms buttons and see how long mom will put off a swat on the butt. I don't often give my children swats on the butt, but I do believe there is a time and place for it. For instance, Hope likes to chase Haidyn around the house as fast as she can go. Inevitably, you know it is not going to end well-it never does. Hope runs faster, pushes Haidyn, Haidyn falls, Haidyn bleeds and cries. After the second attempt to correct them today, Hope decided not to listen for the third time. That was it, mom had enough and Miss Hope got a swat. It is truly amazing how that can reset a child. Miss Haidyn doesn't need to lose her front teeth or better yet break an arm falling because they didn't want to listen.

Kids are funny little creatures. Only if they somehow knew that we correct them because we care and don't want them to get hurt. Surly this is the beginning of what is yet to come with two little girls. God help me now and more and more every day...