Work is fun, for everyone!

I have taken up cooking the past few years and not just cooking anything, but trying new recipies of family and friends, is my favorite thing to do. Those who know me, know a few years ago, all I could cook was my favorite things, eggs and sweets. I try to cook a nice dinner a few nights a week so that we can sit down as a family and enjoy together. I also try and have to house pretty clean to create a nice enviroment. Lately, I have been questioning all this work. With a fussy baby at night, is it really worth all the work it takes to do this? After Tuesday night of this week, I now know that all my work, is paying off. I was cleaning the house and getting everything ready to cook dinner. Normally Brooke does her chore of taking all the shoes from the shoe shelf near the garage, and takes them to the appropriate closet. When she was finished doing her chore she said, " Mommy, I want to do more chores. " I thought for sure she was going to start bartering for candy, because in the past she has learned, that she can work for candy, because you have to work for things that you want. Brooke proceeded to unload Will's new diapers into the diaper bin in his room. Then she vaccumed the kitchen for me. At that point I had started dinner and she now she had asked to help make dinner. Once she saw I was cutting raw chicken, she said, " I can take care of Will, while you do that." I started probing about her eagerness to help? She then told me, " Mommy, people who don't work are lazy and we like to work, right? " I said, " Yes, we do, it feels good doesn't it. " Then she said, " We aren't lazy, we are Turano's. " I hardly could believe my ears. She really had internalized the little things we try and teach her through example and convarsation. She was learning at a young age that working makes you feel good. She asked to help set the table, although she did get side tracked on coloring the paper placemats she was making for us to eat on. I was thrilled. We made cookies after dinner and gave a hot plate to the neighbors, after we all ate a few ourselves. Then we read a whole stack of books while Daddy and Will played in his room. Then off too bed. How lucky are we to have such and amazing little Brooke?