What's for Supper -- Besides Elephant?

There have been more than a few occasions in my life where I failed to get something done because the task was just too daunting. When that happens, I try to recall the sage advice about tackling something larger than life...

How do you eat an elephant?

One bite at a time.

Sounds logical. But we forget sometimes.

After several late nights this school year, I have tried -- and just keep trying -- to instill this philosophy in Carter. He is awesome on the day-to-day homework, but as we found out last week with his big social studies project, he's not the best with time management and long-range planning.

When he doesn't do anything about it, he is suddenly facing elephant for supper.

On Friday, when I realized his next grading period ends Tuesday already, I said he better get done reading his book (that he has been oh-so-gradually reading for a month). I asked him yesterday -- since he didn't read on Friday -- how many pages he had left. Oh about 300.

Good grief.

So he pretty much spent most of the day in his room reading. He is not the quickest reader on the planet to begin with, but I suspect his pouting and self-pity slowed him down even further. I wisely didn't buy into it for a change. I knew I did my part weeks ago when I suggested reading a few pages a night so he could get it done in time. Who wants to sacrifice a whole weekend?

Of course, if he was any sort of chip off this old block, he would love a chance to do nothing but read all weekend! But he's not like that. Yet anyway.

He did manage to finish the book today and thoroughly enjoyed it. Do you think he'll remember this for the next grading period? Probably not. But I've got my own elephant to eat.

Spent a few hours this afternoon at my friend Becky's house scrapbooking. I'm facing lots of pages and albums on my "to do" list but as long as I keep chipping away at it and get a few pages done here and there, I feel good about the progress.

This is a good thing. I have no desire to eat an elephant.

Even if it was covered with ice cream!