how to keep a house clean

You want to know how? Really?

Wait for it.....

If you cage your children all day then there are no messes to clean up!

With the house covered in sawdust, plaster, etc... from the kitchen project, I broke out a never used playpen for Julian to roll around in. Gabrielle loves climbing in there and playing with all his toys.

Madeline started school yesterday. She had a good first day, she enjoyed it and was excited to go back today. We are bribing the school to keep her as a student. Nope, but it feels like it. The school relies heavily on parent volunteers. Parents even vacuum classrooms, answer the phones in the mornings, etc... Ryan looked at the computers in the classrooms (ancient) and decided he needed to do something about it. He often gets given used but almost new computers when a company upgrades. He had 6 computers and a laptop to give the school so he has been busy wiping those out and loading programs on them. Two will go in Madeline's classroom and the laptop will be used on Wilderness Days. Once a week, the grades take turns spending half a day outside doing something.

These pictures got stuck together somehow, no idea about that. This picture actually doesn't show it well, but Julian looks so much like Ryan.