1. Since latching onto the tiny house idea, I have started looking at the things we have in a whole new way. I’ve nearly stopped wanting to add to what we own at all. I’ve started purging with a new mindset. Instead of asking myself, “Is this useful? Do I use this?” I ask, “Is this standing in the way of my dream house?” It’s a lot easier to get rid of excess when you look at it that way.

2. After the first couple of days of going through our stuff, I was thinking to myself that it was a shame that there wasn’t anyone having a yard sale that we could piggyback on. Later that day, friends said they were having a yard sale that weekend and invited us to come sell too.

3. Not to step on the toes of the health/wealth crowd, but I am beginning to get the distinct feeling that God would like me to have less stuff.

4. Ephraim woke up in the middle of the night last night with a fever. Then this morning the temperature was normal again. Then at around 3 p.m. it was back. Then at bedtime it was gone. I’ve termed it “Yo-Yo Fever”. He has no other symptoms.

5. Because Ephraim’s fever was back, I vetoed our evening park plans and parked them in front of a movie instead. Clive’s obsessed with Lightning McQueen at the moment, and I like to play that for him just so I can listen to him get all wound up in the action. “McQueen, Oh NOOOOO, MCQUEEEEEEN!” It’s great.

6. The boys were playing in the other room today when Ephraim burst into tears and hollered for me. Apparently Clive bit him on the toe. Not his big toe, but the one right next to it. I say “apparently” because I didn’t witness it. However, knowing Clive’s penchant for biting when provoked, and Ephraim’s habit of provoking until bitten, I don’t doubt it one bit.

7. You know you’re a mother when you don’t think twice about kissing a dirty foot to “make it all better” if that foot belongs to your precious three-year-old who hasn’t yet learned what happens if you push your little brother too far.

8. I’ve started having the boys hug and kiss each other when they fight. It does wonders for their moods and for mine.

9. Anselm is continuing the trend of being No One But Himself by proving to be the only son of mine who has liked sweet potatoes from the get-go. He ate all I offered today, and then growled and fussed for more. So I gave him more. And when that was done he growled and fussed until he got more again. Then he was done.

10. When I first gave Ephraim sweet potatoes, he looked at them, grabbed them, stuffed some in his mouth, and gagged. The second day, he looked at them, grabbed them, stuffed some in his mouth, and gagged. The third day he looked at them.

11. I can’t remember what Clive did with his first sweet potatoes, but he didn’t like them.

12. He liked yogurt, though. He giggled while he ate yogurt.

13. Ephraim does eat sweet potatoes, now.

14. Clive doesn’t.