Pulling Out The Big Guns

The last few days have been so hot, well over a 100 degrees. Today it is suppose to be 108 degrees. We have let the kids play long endless hours outside despite a yard of dirt and the heat. They never seem to know when they have had too much heat. We usually have to take a pitcher of water outside to provide drinks continually. Then we finally call them inside because they are so red in the face and their hair is so wet from sweat that it appears to be pouring rain outside, which it has not.

Besides the heat, the kids have been completely filthy dirty.

So today as the temperature reaches 108 we are all staying inside. I made all of the kids take long showers until every speck of dirt was gone. They are dressed in clean clothes and I even did the girls hair in pig tails and a braid. They had to finish all of their chores before playing with toys, the game cube, or watching TV.

The boys all finished their chores fairly fast, Justin and Jay by 11am and Thomas by noon. The girls were a different story. Kim is out of town so we all are pitching in to do her jobs. The little girls were finding every excuse to not get their work done.

Yes, our kids have daily jobs to do, but they are by no means too much. It should only take them about 40 minutes to do everything on their list including reading for 20 minutes. They are things like keeping their rooms clean, putting their clean clothes away, clean their cubby, emptying the dishwasher, reading for 20 minutes, and cleaning chores like vacuuming, dusting, or washing mirrors.

I just couldn't get the girls to do their work. I started to make lunch and told the girls they couldn't have lunch until all their jobs were done. There was grumpy faces and feet stomping but I held my ground. Still nothing was being done.

At about 3pm I decided to pull out the big guns. I knew the girls would be very hungry by now. I decided to make scones, a favorite family recipe. It smells up the house, they are fast to make, and the oven doesn't need to be on very long on a hot day.

I will post the recipe later.

The scones come out of the oven. I call on the intercom, "If your chores are done, come to the kitchen for a hot scone." To sweeten the deal, I placed the scones on the kids favorite plates.

I got these cute flower plates from one of my best friends. One day while visiting her family in Southern California I saw her plates and commented on them. Only a few short days after arriving home, two sets of matching plates, bowls, cups, and utensils arrived on our doorstep. Thank you, Celeste! They truly are the kids favorite plates. We are still enjoying them.


The girls came rushing to the kitchen and grabbed a plate. I did a quick check of their lists hoping everything was really done. But not even close. Now there was weeping and gnashing of teeth. But the girls finally kicked into gear and within minutes they enjoyed their scones together (just in time for dinner).