List

I've mentioned before that Saturdays are especially hard for Irina. In between soccer games, we view Saturdays as work days. I have a list of things I want to accomplish... sometimes alone. Darin always has a list of household projects he wants to tackle. (Now including the repainting of our family room/kitchen/and foyer. It is a big job! More on that later.) The boys are so happy to run in and out of the house playing together or with neighbors. Irina can get overwhelmed with the free time and lack of schedule. It is hard for her to stay engaged with one type of play for very long, which means she asks repeatedly, "What can I do?"

Knowing our soccer games would likely get rained out, I decided to try something new this weekend.  Thanks to inspiration from a friend, I printed out a list for each kid of things they should accomplish on Saturday (jobs and fun!) I made sure to include some activities for Irina that were alongside me, which thrills her. I'm excited to say it was a success! Next weekend, I need to add a few more ideas, but Irina loved her list and carried it around with her. It gave her purpose. Hallelujah!