The Plan

Children pick up on the little sayings you use. I have a tendency to say, "here is the plan..." and then proceed to lay out whatever I have in mind for the hour/day/week. My husband caught on to this idiosyncrasy of mine, and now asks me, "what's the plan?" Is it any wonder then that my children now have plans of their own? Leah began about four months ago, and has now transferred this routine to her sister, Mary, where each night after the girls have done their bedtime preparations, and are getting tucked into bed they must tell Daddy the plan. They can not tell him before they are in bed. In fact they can not tell him before he says the Lord's prayer with them. But heaven forbid if he forgets to hear the plan, and leaves the room uneducated. We have, on a number of occasions, heard Leah's whimpers turn into a full blown cry only to discover the cause is her aggrieved spirit at not sharing the plan with Daddy. Sometimes I count - but not usually.

So what is the plan? Tonight's plan looks almost identical to each night's predecessor, and should stand in good stead as an example of any night.

Daddy, I have to tell you the plan.

What is it, Leah?

After I wake up, and eat breakfast, and do Psalm, and watch a movie, and eat lunch, and Mary takes a nap, and I play with puzzles, and I play with Polly Pocket, and we go to the park, and I eat dinner, and I take a bath. That's the plan okay, Daddy?

Okay, Leah.

Mary's is a bit less robust, but nevertheless worth mentioning.

*whispering loud enough to wake the dead*

Daddy, I haffa tell you plan!

Okay, Mary. What is the plan?

Affer I wake up, an I eat bwekfest, an I do Psalm, an I eat bwekfest, an I watch movie, an I go outside, an I watch movie, an I eat bwekfest. OKAY, DADDY? *once again, making sure she is whispering for our neighbors to hear*

Okay, Mary. That's a good plan.

And so another night ends in our home. We prepare to follow the plan for the coming new day, including the retelling of the plan for the next, and the next, and the next day to come.