mathmom's blog

Ella feels that there aren't enough limericks yet in the world, and wants to contribute. A sensitive young man from Crete Was rather disturbed by the heat; He stood on his hands Upon the hot sands To keep from burning his feet.

I've been trying to get the kids to do chores around the house---it's "good for them" (TM) and I know that it's easier to get them to help out now than later. Today I asked Amanda to help take out the garbage and recycling. We took the trash bag and recycling out to the bins. Amanda dumped one of the recycling containers in to the bin, I dumped the other one in, and then I went inside to get a last piece of garbage for the trash bag. By the time I got back, Amanda looked at me proudly with the empty trash bag in her hands. "All the trash is in the trash bin!" I managed to get the garbage back into the bag, and Amanda and I had a little talk about recycling. She was just trying to help, I know. Isn't there some easier way to teach them? I am constantly amazed by how much Luke likes to help out, and how competent he is. When he clears his dish, he doesn't just take the dish to the counter, he scrapes the excess food off into the trash and ...

It is always a temptation to an armed and agile nation To call upon a neighbour and to say: -- "We invaded you last night--we are quite prepared to fight, Unless you pay us cash to go away. Luke loves candy. The other day he pushed the chair up to the counter, climbed up on the counter and opened the cabinet where the Halloween candy is kept. I don't give him as much as his sisters get, but his desire is clearly larger than his sisters', since it is unmitigated by any sort of internal restraint. He quite unabashedly begs for candy from his sisters. I tell them to take the candy and eat it in their bedrooms, away from Luke, but they feel sorry for him and don't like to see him cry (perhaps they sympathize, having to deal with the same cruel mother). They will give him a square from their candy bar, or a skittle, or some other small token to help him feel better. And that is called asking for Dane-geld, And the people who ask it explain That you've only to pay ...