Six Maile Chix

It's official. I've discovered the best form of discipline EVER. It's called CLEANING. I'm not sure when the moment of insipiration struck, but I am so so so glad that it did. Most likely many of you already know what I've only just learned. But for the past two weeks I've enjoyed a clean living room, an extraordinarily clean toy room, a precisely organized library, wonderfully clean floors and bathrooms, and even a clean car and empty trunk. The girls still receive fair warning when they are getting out of line, but when they can't quite pull themselves out of whatever funk they're in, the new punishment around here is an extra chore. And oh do they hate it. At first the threat to them didn't seem all that big of a deal, but after seeing everyone else in the family do something enjoyable while they were busy cleaning, they are starting to see the error of their thinking. Although I am always hoping for respectful children and a peaceful home, it sure is nice to have such a clean one in the meantime.

Eva constantly asks me, "When is Dad coming back alive?". We believe in a resurrection for all mankind, and know that resurrection to be a part of the Savior's return to this earth. Naki and I have taught and continue to teach that to the girlies. Previous to his death the concept of that beautiful return of the Savior's was vague and somewhat mythical. But now we hope for, prepare for, and anticipate that triumphant return for more than one reason. After asking me this question she'll usually say "I miss Daddy" and then move on, and both of these questions are typically a part of her nightly bedtime routine, a time when his absence is especially noticable. But the other night she altered from her normal questions. After she said I miss Daddy, I asked her specifically what she missed about him. I often ask her this question, and her typical answer is that she misses him tickling her. Her response this time was that she misses Dad bathing her, dressing her, doing her hair, playing with her, reading to her, tickling her, making her bed with her, and putting her seatbelt on in the car. I couldn't believe it! She'd never before been able to verbalize the things that she missed them doing together. I thought that by now because of her young age she for sure didn't remember any details. Instead I thought she remembered the overall feelings that he brought into her mind and heart. Immediately I knew that I needed to write down the things she remembered because of the inevitability of her forgetting them. I can coach her on them, and she'll "remember" those things just because I will have talked to her about them forever, but I thought that it was important for me to make a record of her actually thinking of and remembering them all on her own, especially because she did remember them a good 15 months after they'd not been happening.