Raking with Kids

1. Feel stir crazy at 4:00 pm. Realize that 62 degrees is likely the warmest it will be for the next five months and round up the troops to go outside.

Never happier than when running. Preferably away from
me and towards a busy road.

2. Ponder when the last time dog poop was picked up. It's been...awhile.

3. Admonish children to stay in upper yard and play on swingset while poop is removed. Quickly realize they are not interested in avoiding the poop in the slightest. Start game called Poop Sleuth in which they help you search among the leaves for piles of poop.

4. Think about how dog poop in California probably never gets fuzzy with mold. Ahem.

5. Watch son step in at least three piles of poop and make a mental note to burn bleach his Crocs.

6. Finally start raking. Listen in amusement as kids pretend pile of leaves is first a giant nest and then a spaceship.

7. Hold breath when daughter gleefully pulls something from the middle of the pile and sings, "I have a present for you Mom!"

8. Breathe sigh of relief when said present turns out to be a small pebble.

9. Rake.

10. Rake.

11. Rake.

12. Realize that given the right-sized tools, kids can actually be genuinely helpful (thanks for the wheelbarrow Dad!)

13. Rake.

14. Rake.

15. Rake.

16. Feel intensely grateful for the amount of tree cutting back/down we did this spring. Briefly consider just...cutting the rest down.

17. Realize it's dinner time and we've been working for two hours.

18. Go inside with lovely feeling of satisfaction, having made a real, material impact with our efforts.

19. Look down at lawn from upper deck, realize we picked up approximately 1/1,000,000th of the leaves.

20. Give up.