We love encouraging our kiddos to be involved in family decisions.  I think that it is important to teach them that they have a voice and encourage them to use it.  With that said.  Every year I have this goal challenge not to turn our heat on until November 1st.  We live in the Mid West and often that goal is long after when the weather has turned cold.  We spend evenings bundled under blankets and during the day wearing “millions” of layers to stay warm.  Yes, sounds terrible right, well I love a challenge and really enjoy striving to meet goals.  As for my family, well they sometimes question my sanity.  They are pretty easy going and often can be talked into my crazy schemes.
This year we got lucky, the weather was pretty mild through mid October.  Oct 21st (I know that was a while ago, but I am playing catch-up remember) we spent a weekend at the north shore enjoying hiking and playing with good friends.  The cabin that we stayed at was wonderful and had a cozy fireplace in every nook and cranny.  I don’t think that there could be anything better for a girl that is heat deprived than the cozy warmth of a wood fire burning stove!  Love it!
Well, I think that we all got a little too cozy and “soft” during our weekend away.  The moment we got home, there was a noticeable chill in the air.  We were all wishing to be snuggled up next to a roaring fire.  Chuck took this to be a great time to teach the kids a little social studies lesson about voting.  After a quick explanation about how the United States voting system works, we set up our own voting pole.  In order to vote you had to give both a positive and a negative argument for turning the heat on.  It was cute to listen to the kids reasoning.  Once the “debate” was finished, we were all armed with a secret ballet that simply stated…
The kids LOVED having a voice. Â Once the all ballets were turned in, it was quickly discovered that there was no reason for a recount. Â Four votes for turning the heat on and one vote for waiting a bit longer (guess who that was).
Not long after the vote, our house was all cozy warm. Â Nothing like turning a freezing moment into a teaching moment.
Just because the popular vote was for turning the heat on doesn’t mean the electoral college came out that way. If you have your own electoral vote and everyone else has to share one, it’s a tie!