1/10/17 Planting Seeds and Pulling Weeds

Today was surprisingly busy. After the kids were at school and Heidi was back from car pool we had a meeting with Vickie. We did some training so that she can help us with some more complicated client issues. Thinking back on it we were planting a seed. By increasing her skills she will be able to do valuable work for us not just for a day but for many days. She benefits because she can earn more and we benefit because we can serve clients more efficiently and possibly earn more as well.
This afternoon Heidi and I worked together (ok she did more but I helped a lot) picking and hoeing weeds in the front yard. With the recent rain they've been popping up, well, like weeds. It was interesting what I learned from Heidi. At first I bent down and picked one weed at a time trying to pull up the roots. This can be fine when there are one or two but this time there were dozens, perhaps hundreds. Heidi first got out the leaf blower and blew away the leaves that were obstructing our view of the weeds. Then she grabbed the hoe and with one stroke cut down many weeds. She then raked up the leaves and weeds and threw them away. The last step, which we still need to do, is to put down weed killer which will keep them from coming back. Once again Heidi is not only teaching me how to work hard but also how to work smart.
This afternoon the kids also got to play with friends. Orson Phelps now comes home with our kids until his parents get done teaching at Heritage. We helped him with his math homework. Jenna and Cailyn (sp) Sagnimeni came to play with the girls. First though they kindly helped our girls finish up their work. Jenna helped Sarah organize the cans in the pantry. They did a great job and had fun too. Cailyn helped Rebecca finish up her math on Khan Academy. They giggled as they worked and they got done. Then the kids went down to the park and threw the Aerobie around.
Heidi also went to Parent/Teacher conference for TJ. His teacher said that TJ read 114 words in a minute. The goal for 1st graders, by the end of the school year, is 46. He is doing well, has friends and is doing better at staying focused. Go TJ.