Gentlemen in my house,  Today is Sunday July 8, 2012.  You have some tasks set before you. 

The one who is 15.  Your first  task is cleaning the front bathroom. 

Your second task is to dust all the furniture in the livingroom and dining room and sweep the floors. 

Your third task is to leave a floor to be seen in your bedroom before you go to camp.  What ever it takes to achieve this to MY satisfaction.   Or I will do it while you are gone. 


The two who live in the other bedroom.  Your task is to build this.  http://www.diynetwork.com/outdoors/8-easy-to-build-fire-pit-designs/pictures/index.html
decide what you will need to do this such as leveling a spot in the back yard where there will eventually be an awesome patio!!!

Your second task is to clean up the rest of the driveway, putting all the things where they belong so that vehicles can acutally be parked there. 

And your third task is to clean up the front yard as the instructions you were given last night.

I will be taking before and after pictures to post, and believe me, you dont what to know what your option for NOT doing these tasks will be for each of you.  Get on it, men!!!! 

A New Beginning

No Man Is An Island

No man is an island,
Entire of itself.
Each is a piece of the continent,
A part of the main.
If a clod be washed away by the sea,
Europe is the less.
As well as if a promontory were.
As well as if a manor of thine own
Or of thine friend's were.
Each man's death diminishes me,
For I am involved in mankind.
Therefore, send not to know
For whom the bell tolls,
It tolls for thee.

John Donne

I have decided today that I will approach this idea of family togetherness, and teamwork that I have always thought we could achieve in a different manner.  We will use current media to communicate. 
There is a quote from Albert Einstein that seems to apply to my world.  Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.  Well, here we go to try something different. I feel like I am not communicating my expectations very well or we would be seeing different results.  So here we go.  Today I cleaned the kitchen to more or less what I expect from the ability level of everyone in my house.  When I put on the white board, clean the kitchen, THESE PICTURES are what I expect to see replicated when I walk in there.  It isnt hard, it took me totally from the mess it was.. which I WISH I had taken pictures of to start with, less than 2 hours of not very focused effort to achieve. 
So here is NEW RULE #1:  If you can't leave the room looking like this when you are finished..... Don't Go In There. 

New Rule #2:  If YOU use it, YOU clean it up.  Who Ever YOU Are.

 Shots from each corner of the room. 

NO, Ozzy does NOT have to stand in that place all the time...

 And if specific shots of counter tops are helpful, then here is a shot of each of the major flat surfaces and what each one SHOULD look like. 

See, All the Dishes Put away...

Trash is NOT overflowing, can you imagine?

Because I have a clean kitchen tonight, I plan to make cookies, a cake, maybe some jello and who knows what other yummy, sweets for those I love!!!!! 

As time goes on I will be adding rooms so that all my guys and their friends can SEE what I mean when I give instructions.  Dont worry, wait till I get to the bathrooms. 

OH ONE LAST SET OF PICTURES!!!

Just for clarification because I know these things can be confusing.  THIS, the black one, is for washing the dishes. 

 This one, the blue one, you should find in the bathroom usually and it is for mopping the floor. 

That is all, Troops,  At ease.