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Our second child, The Flower Child, was out this morning for her birthday breakfast with Dad. Tradition is, that while the birthday child is away, the rest of us scurry around to get party preparations in order, as well as start on any other weekend work.

Since I was missing one of my biggest kitchen helpers, others had to be drafted. Over the years I have learned that the youngest child who can handle a job, gets it. This plan  frees up the older children to learn new jobs as well. I am not a big fan of "self confidence" and "self worth" that is based on nothing other than the fact that a person "is". Instead,  I teach my children their worth in the eyes of the Lord, and provide ample opportunities to learn self respect.  Mastering new skills and being aware of their valuable contribution to our family builds a child's self respect in ways that lounging around being waited on do not.

Using all my available resources, and taking into account Mr. Visionary's timeless advice to not refuse help, the boys were recruited for new kitchen duties. With a half cow coming from the butcher tomorrow and no place to put it (the two full-sized chest freezers and two refrigerator freezers are crammed), the boys learned to cook hamburger. They cooked and packaged twenty pounds without destroying the kitchen.

Also, teaching the boys cut short my time for other preparations, so The Literary Lady was able to try out cake decorating for her first time. She did a great job!

The Literary Lady decorating the cake, and Doodle "washing dishes".

Left to right: The Engineer, Little Napoleon, and The Dreamer.

Professional chefs? Maybe. Godly servant leaders? Definitely.