Amazing people

If you think it's hard to be a single mom, just imagine how hard it is to be the kid of a single mom. Not only do you have to put up with one parent, one style of discipline, and one personality-- but you also have to WORK!! It's bad enough they don't have a mom who cleans up after them and helps them clean their rooms, but they also have to do HER work some of the time. I think my nine year old works harder than most adults. He does his own laundry (from washer to put away), changes his own sheets, cleans his own bathroom, and takes care of the fish and rat. Then he often helps me out by vacuuming the entire house and cleaning the kitchen. He makes lunch for us about 80% of the time and breakfast about half the time. Tonight he even bathed the dog. I honestly don't know how I would survive without him. I hope I don't burn him out.

Emeline has the benefit of being the "baby" and being 5. She doesn't have as many responsibilities, but she still pulls a good load. She can clean her room to look the way I do it and helps me put away her clothes when I finally get around to folding them. She thinks it's fun to wash the dishes and help me make dinner. So she's a good little worker too, and definitely misses out on the stay-at-home-mom-thing. I think it has only been the past year that she didn't think my laptop was attached to my body.

At any rate, I have some amazing kids. They are smart and kind and hard working. I can't imagine my life without them.