Who's Your Mama?

Yesterday I shoveled up and moved 13 wheelbarrows full of dirt by myself.  Dear Hubby estimates it was about 6-1/2 cubic yards.  It is a big pile of dirt.  I have absolutely no idea how I am going to keep the Littles out of it!  I think I had better buy some more fencing today.

The new sidewalk is working out great.  As I moved all that dirt, the Littles rode their various toys back and forth from the patio about 50 times.  The Captain needed a job, so I put him in charge of sweeping. He swept the sidewalk after me and got pretty good at it.  I remembered why I did so much yard work when the "bigs" were little.  It forces them to play outside and make their own fun.

One time Dad told me that boredom is good for kids.  The "bigs" will tell you that I have fully embraced that theory.  As a result, we don't have a DVD player in the van, although we have taken trips as long as 10,000 miles!  Our kids are allowed limited access to TV and video games and toys that make noise have the sound removed before use.  Kids need to make the noise for the bouncy horse and the trucks.  On that 10,000 mile trip, our daughters discovered that there are at least 5 kinds of desert between central Texas and California; I myself began to see the desert as a thing of beauty.

Yesterday Tinker, who is becoming a fantastic communicator, said, "Mom.  I got nothin to do."  I smiled.

"Well, think of something to do!  Look at all this yard to play in!"

Within minutes she had engaged Puddin' in a game of tag and soon both boys were in the fray.  Kids really do need to be bored.  And they need to  get dirty.  The boys, in particular, are enjoying the opportunity to dig in the dirt.

Both the "bigs" have been helping in the landscaping.  Sunshine gave me about 45 minutes yesterday of raking the dirt into a pile so I could more easily shovel it up.  Both she and Pepper helped me with planting before the sidewalk and I am happy to say with all the extra dirt moved, I could get back to the job today.  Ah, earth.