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I felt like crying because I have to miss work again tomorow.

I have to say that at the start of this week I was regretting it, but after finishing it, I had such a great time. I learned some really good lessons this week, tought some really good lessons, and had an amazing time with my children.

We started building a system of rewards for positive behavior, and punishments for wrong behavior. The kids really got into to these concepts and became much better helpers.

Emotions ran the gamut from sheer happines to utter frustration, but we made it. And I want to do it again.

Here is a short list of the successes:

• House stayed clean, dishes got done, and toys got picked up every night.
• Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner got served at the same time, everyday, on a clean kitchen table.
• On time for school bus every day.
• Little boys took a nap everyday at 1pm – 4pm. (Had to separate them, one upstairs, one down stairs)
• Naters peeed in the potty and got to play video games. (still hoping for the poop)
• Dale Jr. rode his bike with no training wheels.
• Went out to dinner at a “fancy” restaurant and all the kids were very well behavied, even got dessert bought by a kind man that said I had “a fine family”.
• Made a chore list and kids helped clean and check off the items on the list.

Here is a list of the challenges we faced:

• Fighting amongst the children (all of them at one time or another).
• A bit of whinning at the begining of the week.
• Dirty looks, name calling, etc.

All in all I am so encouraged with our family. My only regret is that I did not do this sooner with them. Daddy’s are so important to the development of their children. It is not easy and I dont think it is suppose to be. The lesson I learned this week is that I can do more than I have been doing, and more than I thought was possible.

Of course, I am very ready to see Karry!

I was a little nervous about today. At work (which I am doing from home) I had an all-day requirements gathering meeting with clients from Denver. That by itself is enough to make you want to stay in bed all day.

The day started off a little weird. Got a call from my neighbor at 6:45am that there was a drunk guy sifting through my trash. I was asleep on the couch, still in my clothes from the previous day so I rushed out the door with my 125 pound German Shepard dog Tye. I exchanged a few choice words with the drunkard and wheeled my can back to the house. Just like any other day, I woke up Dale and Ashley suggesting they get up and get ready for school. We were all up by 7am. Today was differrent because I also had to dress and feed the little boys so that I could take them all to school together. I feed all the kids and was able to get a quick shower (I have to have a shower in the morning or my day is completly messed up). Out the door by 8:40 and at school on time.

Once home I got the little boys setteled with a movie (Fox and the Hound) and got setteled into my office. Checked email and had a few IM conversations and then was dialed into my long meeting. Thank God for the IP phone and the MUTE button on it. Next thing I knew it was time to fix lunch for the boys and then go down and get Ashley at the bus stop at noon. I fixed her lunch and hopped back on my meeting.

I put the little boys down for a nap (in separate rooms) around 2pm. Finally some quiet time and another meeting to phone in to. Dale Jr. was home by 4pm, I picked him up at the bus stop because it was raining pretty hard.

Dinner was started at 5:15pm. I made spaggetti and meatballs. The kids did great and helped me clean up after dinner. I made cookies after dinner and Ashley touched the pan right out of the oven and burned her finger. What a mess… We put ice on her finger and then I put Aloe on it with a bandaid. She was in shambles because she knew that she could not do “monkey bars” at school tomorrow. She said that she was not going to school and that she wanted breakfast in bed.

All the kids are now in bed, and I am exhausted mentally and physically. Cant wiat for tomorrow.

I love being with the kids, but have not had to take care of everything for this amount of time. I am also working from home because I still have things that I am responsible for at IdentityMine. Oh ya, still have to take care of the Edigitize Admin evening shift too.

Stay tuned as I try to document this life changing experience…