Twenty Minutes

We are back from vacation and with that comes piles of laundry, lots of re-organizing, and (I hope) a new routine in our afternoons. I call it "Twenty Minutes." Inspired by the kids being at each other's throats like caged animals while we tried to create some happy road trip memories, I am now aiming for the kids to spend just 20 minutes each afternoon playing, reading or resting in their own rooms. By themselves. Without them fighting or demanding a snack/butt wipe/craft, etc from me. 20 Minutes for Sanity. For all of us. We're in the middle of our first "Twenty Minutes" right now. And to be honest, it's not going terribly well. They were shocked at the suggestion of playing *gasp* upstairs and *egad* all on their lonesome. Liam has poked out of his room only three times, but hollers whenever he hears Sarah outside her door. And Sarah is pretty much pacing the upstairs hallway, ears focused on the stove timer, which will signal the end of her exile. So we'll see how long that lasts.
In the meantime, this blog has been a little short on pics of late! There are a lot of vacation photos to come, but in the meantime I thought I'd give myself and the washer/dryer a break and instead share a few snaps of the kids doing a "performance" in the backyard this afternoon. (Note: Potty Training, Round 14 resumed this morning, hence the lack of clothes for Sarah. She's had a pretty good success rate today. Fingers are crossed......)
Liam recited a modified version of "Mary Had A Little Lamb" while Sarah was cast as a flower.



She grew tired of being an extra, and decided to be "Mommy"instead.


Doesn't look good for Baby....


Whoops.....


It was reminiscent of a Shakespearian Tragedy, really. They must be brilliant. :)