Terry's 3M's
In the movie Poltergeist, it is said that the house has many hearts.
To me, the heart of the house is where the business of living/loving takes place.
The kitchen is one heart. It is the room where not only I cook for the family, but, where the kids eat their meals. The kids are at the age where they want to help with the meal preparation. Tonight I had several helpers to prepare the stir-fried beef and broccoli with rice. They helped by getting out cooking utensils, measuring out the rice and water (ok, so there was too much water and the rice had to be drained--it's the thought that counts), opening the packages of broccoli spears and running them under water to separate them, and of course, sampling the food before it was served.
They will learn by absorbtion. I learned how to cook many things by watching how my mother, my great-grandmother, and my father cook. Because I learned the basics of cooking from them, I can improvise and I can create my own recipes.
This room is another heart. It is a room where my son plays with his cars on the tile; the girls do summersaults from their step-dad's shoulders; I wrestle with Bryan (sometimes with all the other kids assisting him); I mend scratches with a little Melaleuca oil; I sign papers for school; the kids do their homework; and we all use this computer at one time or another.
This is also a great room to yell in. When the kids have been disobedient, this is a great room to yell in because the 2 story ceiling amplifies my voice so that it strikes terror in the heart of a wayward child. It's also a great room in which to sing Christmas carols!.
My bedroom is another heart.
We took the TV from downstairs and put it in my bedroom. This was because homework and chores were hardly ever done as the kids would sneak into the little living room to watch TV. In spite of the kids owning a Simpson t-shirt or two, the kids were not allowed to watch the Simpsons. The adults in this household concurred that Bart Simpson was a bad role model and that much of the humor was meant for a more mature audience. Therefore, The Simpsons was an off limit show. The night that one of the kids told me that I shouldn't be surprised that she wasn't doing her chore because the TV was on and shortly afterward Delton came in from the garage and found the kids watching a Simpson rerun became the night that the TV was disconnected. A few days later, we took it up to my room.
Now TV is watched in my room under supervision. At this time of year, it often is watched from under the blankets and my bed.
My bedroom is also the room where I read to the kids; brush hair before school; administer medicine, mend the broken hearts of kids who have been called names or been hurt by another kid; play tickle torture with the kids, make herbal tea for the kids and coffee for me; make and receive phone calls; read; write; and daydream.
Recognize the hearts of your home.
for the border background set.