One of my favorite tales occurred after Leslie and Aaron started their lives together with their six children, who ranged in age from three to thirteen. The couple had their hands full with their sweet crew, but everyone pitched in when it came time to complete their chores. Still, the best-laid plans can still go awry.

One spring, my daughter did her usual seasonal cleaning, going through closets and donating items to the local thrift store. And yes, she made the kids help.

A few days later, while I visited with my daughter on the phone, she was shopping at this local thrift store. She was going through the clothes when she stumbled across her favorite denim jacket, which she could not find. One of the kids had placed it in the donation bag! She told me she had to buy it back! At that moment, I laughed until I cried. I couldn’t speak as tears ran down my cheeks. She hung up on me since I could no longer communicate because I could not stop laughing. The clerk witnessed her actions and chastised her for hanging up on her mama. When Leslie explained what happened and how the kids “helped” with the spring cleaning chore, the clerk told her to call her mom back and tell her, “Haha, I didn’t have to pay for it.” Good Times!