Bake a Cake

The project:
Help my girls bake a cake for their dad, then help them make dinner. (I'm just the sous chef today!)

Time:
An hour or so, if you don't count the wait for the cake to bake.

Why bother?
Dad's birthday + little girls who love to cook = sous chef mommy

Worth it?
Yes - I love spending time in the kitchen with the girls. It's so wonderful to see them learning a skill they can use for the rest of their lives, and to see how proud they are in their results.

Carpool

The project:
Add two more kids to our van for a lift south.

Time:
Negligible - some pickup and dropoff time. Otherwise, we were going that way anyhow.

Why bother?
Sharing our vehicle means one less car on the road (in this case) thereby saving fuel and wear and tear on another vehicle. Plus, we had an opportunity to get to know the kids better.

Worth it?
Yes.

Arts and History for All

The project:
Organize and lead a museum tour.

Time:
All day

Why bother?
The girls and I tend to find great places with fun activities and, often, some educational value. We invited other homeschool friends (and strangers) along for today's tour which included a museum and two art galleries.

Worth it?
The girls and I had a wonderfully relaxing day. Too bad no one else made it.