The raw materials that would become our froggy houses.
Summer time: A time for sleeping late, snacking often, binge watching TV, and playing video games until your thumbs fall off. At least, that’s what our kids seem to think. While all of those things are okay in moderation, we want our kids to understand that there is more to life than molding a perfect butt-groove into the couch cushion; and, since Daddy Maxwell is home with the kids all summer, we have decided to implement Wireless Wednesdays. All TVs, video games, computers, and smart functions on phones are off limits every Wednesday between the hours of 6:00 AM and 6:00 PM. Instead, we spend our time working on projects, reading, drawing, or using our imaginations to have fun.
Going into our first Wireless Wednesday, we thought that we would have an adolescent rebellion to quell, but it turned out to be a huge success. The kids loved it! Not only do they look forward to next Wireless Wednesday, but they have even been lobbying for Wireless Week. While that sounds like a great idea, it would be nearly impossible to come up with all of the fun activities and projects that they associate with Wireless Wednesday on a daily basis. Instead, we are going to continue on slow and steady, so we don’t burn them out. Besides, the excitement of looking forward to whatever we’re going to do next week is half of the fun.
This week, Daddy Maxwell had an in-service day at school, so Wireless Wednesday had to be postponed. Instead, we had Wireless Thursday. It was worth the wait, however, because we made our very own toad abodes to put into the garden. We bought a 3-pack of small terra cotta pots for a buck at Dollar Tree and used leftover paints and Sharpies that we had around the house, so this was a very cheap project, but the kids loved it!
Our Little Artist opted for a fun, festive design.
Our Little Artist’s toad abode
The Evil Genius drew a nature theme.
The Evil Genius’ toad abode
Our Master Builder painted his in a two-toned with polka dots motif.
Master Builder’s toad abode.
After finding nice, peaceful spots in the garden to install our new froggy flats, we went on a hunt for new tenants that we could transfer into the neighborhood. Unfortunately, we only found one frog and a handful of slugs.
Our Little Artist took a bit of a liking to the slugs, so they were given a reprieve. We transferred them to the compost far away from the garden. Later in the day, as luck would have it, Daddy Maxwell was able to rescue two more toads before running over them with the lawn mower. So, we added three brand new toad houses to the garden, and we moved three brand new tenants in. Project Toad Abode was a complete success!
Homesteading The City 
Good for you, Daddy Maxwell! I might have to try this with my oldest child aka The Homestead Husband! Now, he gets all of his chores done, but he cannot resist the allure of the boob tube even when there is nothing to watch (which I just don’t understand since we have a gazillion channels thanks to U-Verse). Keep those posts coming!
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