Written by Rowonna McNeely – Saturday afternoon, Aaron and I tackled the jungle/yard. As we mowed, Kiera popped her head outside to yell at us, “Don’t come in! I’m making a surprise.”
The last time she yelled those words at us, we wound up eating salad with uncooked pinto beans on top. I saw Aaron smile and give her a thumbs up. I’m pretty sure he was cringing a little on the inside though. I mean…he did taste the banana pepperoni concoction she made several months ago.
When we finished the yard and were allowed to enter the house, we were met with a snack. I had a dry turkey sandwich and shredded cheese on a hot dog bun with a side of chips. Aaron had a salad (minus the uncooked pinto beans) with cheese, tomatoes and ranch dressing. Both of our meals were served with a single Hershey kiss. Overall, it was a really good meal.
Kiera constantly wants to help somehow and I love how she thinks of things like that to surprise us.
Sunday, Aaron and I sat down with Kiera and made her a list of chores that she will get paid for weekly once completed. She is extremely excited about it.
As we begin to talk about what chores she could have, she piped up eagerly, “I can clean the bathroom!”
Wide-eyed, I tried not to discourage her from such a huge task while trying to find a way around her idea. “Well…that’s a good idea, but how about we start with you taking out the bathroom trash?”
“Ok! That’s a good idea too!” She smiled brightly as she watched us begin a list.
She does love to organize and clean…unless it is her room or playroom. But, if you handed her a rag and asked her to clean the floor, counter or windows, she is all over it.
We finally settled on a suitable list of chores. Once a week, she will sweep the kitchen floor, take out the bathroom trash, clean her room and clean the living room windows. Every day, she will feed and water the dogs. Once each of these is completed, she puts a mark on the chore board so she can get paid at the end of the week.
So far, in a span of ten hours, she has filled the dogs’ food dish twice. She filled their dish before going to bed last night. The next morning, she ran into the kitchen and noticed their food had dwindled.
“Look how hungry they must have been!” She giggled as she grabbed their food dish to refill.
I’ll be curious to see if she cleans her room with as much enthusiasm. Stay tuned next week.
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Rowonna McNeely
Graphic Designer - Mommy to Kiera
Rowonna McNeely works with her husband, Aaron, at Willie’s T’s in the Art Department, regularly volunteers in the community, and has her hands full with her daughter, Kiera, along with two dogs and one cat.
Rowonna is a graduate of May High School (Go Tigers!) and grew up on a dairy farm. She enjoys reading, creating, swimming, and planning events. She’s also a bit of a klutz.
