Just say NO!

We have quiet time here every afternoon, and I will occasionally lie down while Jazzy and Isaiah nap, leaving Andrew up to read or play quietly. A few months ago, as I went to lie down, Andrew asked me if he could do a science experiment.

Andrew will occasionally find an experiment in one of his Usborne books and ask me for a shoe box, yarn, a spool of thread or something similar and follow the instructions on his own. I didn't think twice about saying "yes".

I fell asleep and woke up to the following:

There was flour all over the table and floor, and shoved into a half full jar of olive oil. There was a sink stacked full of dishes covered in goop that I later found out was supposed to be "cookie dough".




There was a muffin tin filled with tuna fish, olive oil, ketcup, barbecue sauce, sliced onion, pure maple syrup, orange juice, jalepenos and other substances that was to be put into the freezer.

There was BLOOD on the kitchen floor and in the bathroom.

There was a melted bowl on my counter.

And to top it all off, my husband James was here, awake, working in the office. He got Andrew a bandaid when he cut his finger on the kitchen scissors, totally overlooking the fiasco in the kitchen. Later he said he smelled something burning and asked Andrew what was going on. Andrew said, "nothing", and James WENT BACK TO THE OFFICE!!!

So what's a good homeschooling mother to do?

I lectured myself on giving permission for unsupervised science projects.

I lectured ds on safety and asking for help when problems arise.

I lectured dh on catching a clue.

I looked for the offending book of experiments, Usborne Science in the Kitchen, and made a list of Usborne books to purchase.

My list grew so long that James encouraged me to become a consultant. I've spent the last six weeks sharing Usborne books with others, and I've earned over $450 in free books for my children, as well as income for my family. It's been easy and it's been fun!

However, I've missed blogging and checking in with my online friends, and I've been anxious to get back to it. I have quite a bit I want to share with you, so please stay tuned...