It was a good day.  And that's a big thing in our household, where attitudes have ranged from bad to worse lately.  John and I are tired and frustrated and knew something had to give (and hopefully not our precious sanity!)  We've been dealing with bad behavior to the point that it has affected our behavior as well.  When I heard Maryn ask Brady for help with something the other day and he sighed and said, "I'm so tired of this" (a familiar phrase...from me), I knew I had to change my ways.  Knowing that I was taking a day off from paid work today so that John could do some things for his new job, I made a plan.  The kids are much better when they are busy, so we did a "water" theme day.  We started by building a boat:

And then there was pirate fun.  We did a treasure hunt with a treasure map:

 and treasure where "X" marked the spot (I love how Maryn dug it up with her pirate hook).

 There was "ocean blue Jello" as a snack.

But my favorite part of the day is when the kids went off to create adventures on their own, making forts and bridges in the living room and playing "Three Billy Goats Gruff" (we've been reading the book recently).  I love that they're starting to play together with less direction (and intervention) from us.  I love their creativity.  And I love to catch them playing Mommy/Daddy and baby and seeing how they emulate or better us in their role play. 

Today was a good day, and I realize how much of it is due to planning and my own attitude.