Ben Irons

He did not want to, but when I taught him how to use the iron today, his love of order took over.  He took pleasure in getting out the wrinkles and matching up the corners.  However, I stood by him the entire time because newbies tend to forget to set the hot iron up on its heel.  Sure enough, we had some close calls as four napkins were ironed.

Ben wanted to know why he needed to iron and I told him so that he could iron his shirts if he wanted to wear dress shirts when he's a man. I suddenly recalled that his father does not iron his own shirts.  I kept this realization to myself.  There's no need for logic in raising children, am I right?

He also learned to mow the yard this summer.  The most important part was remembering to put on actual shoes, not flip flops.  There are lots of skippers, but as our yard is not very tidy to begin with, it doesn't matter.

And here, for a bonus, is Genevieve washing the laundry room floor. I can't think of a new chore she learned this summer, unless it's answering the phone.  She would call that pure fun, however, and it's great entertainment for the callers.