This morning I realized I’m thankful for creaky floors!  Mike & I wake the boys up at 7AM.  We allow them 30 minutes to:  get up, get dressed, do bathroom stuff, make kefir shakes (Paul), tidy TV room (Michael), and be seated around the table for our family devotion at 7:30AM  If they take longer than 30 minutes, their consequence is going to bed at 8:30PM that night.  For each minute they are late to the table, that’s another minute BEFORE 8:30PM they go to bed.  BELIEVE ME, this is “torture” for our boys, lol!  (Funny, I actually LIKE this bedtime for myself!)  Anyways…back to creaky floors…by about 7:20AM, I find myself listening for signs that the boys are up and moving.  Following through on a punishment is definitely NOT a “fun” part of parenting, but we understand why it’s necessary.  I was sooo thankful today when I heard our upstairs floorboards squeak!  It inspired this poem: