HELLO!! I love reading the posts!! Sorry I have done such a poor job of adding my thoughts! Great job, Aaron!! I loved your picture and addition. What a guy! As per your request I am posting the recipe for the chocolate cake made in the angel good cake pan. May I suggest that when you serve this, you slice it very thinly. It is very rich. You can top it with drizzled carmel, powdered sugar, or both. 2 and 1/2 Cups sifted flour, 1/2 t. baking soda, 6 squares semi-sweet chocolate, 1 Cup chocolate syrup (from the can-found in ice cream topping isle), 1 T. vanilla, 1/2 t. almond, 1 Cup butter, 2 Cups sugar, 4 eggs, 1 and 1/2 Cups apple sauce, and 1 Cup nuts.

Grease and flour an angel good cake pan. Sift flour and baking soda. Melt chocolate. Stir in chocolate syrup, vanilla, and almond. Cool. Cream butter and sugar and eggs, 1 at a time. Stir in cooled chocolate mix. Stir in flour mix in 4 additions with applesauce alternating beginning and ending with flour. Add nuts. Bake at 325 degrees for at least 1 hour and 15 minutes. After that keep checking with a toothpick. I think it is more like 1 and 1/2 hours. Good luck!

Now your mothering tip! If only I knew then what I know now!! You guys are all GREAT moms by the way!! It seems like it is for toddlers only, but it isn't. There is some very valuable language and advice here.
Here are some tips on ways you can use chores to teach responsibility:

1) Let your child have some choices. Allow your child to choose whether to walk the dog or fold the clothes. Offer choices about when your child works on chores.
2) Do not do anything for your child that she can do for him/herself.
3) Make sure your child picks up after him/herself.
4) Praise your child for effort. Say, "Good job!" (NOT "Good boy/girl!") This is really important. Same for negative responses ("Bad behavior, not "Bad boy/girl") Can you see the difference??
5) Break large tasks into small ones. This is a skill to teach your child for homework as well as for chores.

With the exception of a few side notes, this is not my work. It is from the Parent Institute. Thanks for all of your good work. I LOVE reading what you put up!! SO FUN!! LOVEYOUALLTONSMOM