In an effort to try to keep our household operating smoothly Chris and Melissa have started holding weekly meetings every Monday night. The subject matter alternates each week between family budget and emergency preparedness. Last night Melissa picked up her special notebook that she got at a stationery store in Austria and announced that it was time to start the meeting. Here are some of the minutes:

C: When do I get to run the meeting?

M: Never.

C: What if I want to run it from time to time?

M: You can request a slot as a guest speaker.

C: I see. How far in advance do I need to do that?

M: About three months.

This procedure and several others are carefully documented in Melissa’s Rules of Order for Family Meetings, which provide continuity in household operations and provide Chris with some much-needed (though not always requested) structure.

On a related subject, dinnertime last night somehow morphed into a situation where neither of the twins were in their seats. Instead, Chris had a child on each knee while trying to eat. At the same time Everett was standing next to Chris asking “Is there room for me in there?” and Gwen was providing helpful tips on the way Chris should put food in his mouth.

Finally Chris asked “Who is in charge here?!?”

“ME!!!” said Gwen

“I am in charge!!!” said Teddy.

“I’m in charge!” said Everett.

So it’s nice that we have an egalitarian society at home, and it’s also nice that Chris has a job where he is sometimes, sort of in charge of a few things.