So this morning I did the usual day to day things that happen from time to time.
This morning it was simple load the washer as I wasn’t 100% sure that everyone’s white shirt made it to the wash earlier in the week when I last washed whites. All I knew with certainty is that there was a nice pile of white clothes on the floor in the master bathroom waiting to be washed. Today it was have one child (Kyle) gather the whites out of the half bath and put them in the washer. I am not sure why the clothes always end up in there, but we always have a pile going. Today it was also have another child (Lance) gather all the socks from around the living room and put them in the washer. With me being the only female in the house, there is always a collection of socks laying around the living room. The other child (Andrew) was lucky, he was not around to be told to do something.
As I am walking back into the living room to sit down and see the not so lovely mess under the dining room table. *sigh* I then announced, “someone needs to go take care of the mess under the table.” Lance declared that he would do it kind of with that reluctant tone in his voice. He dutifully goes and gets the broom and dustpan. By the way, if you don’t have a dust pan on a stick, you should go get one. They have them at Wal-mart. He totes his tools to the dining room and starts sweeping. Now I am totally rolling my eyes when he says he’ll do it. I know what is going to happen. I’ll end up doing it in the end. He is only 4 after all. I wasn’t going to dampen the desire to help, however. So he’s trying to sweep the floor and I hear this whole “I don’t like cleaning up” coming from Lance. My response was simple, “If you don’t make a mess you don’t have to clean it up.” He then responded, “I don’t like sweeping.” I am full of responses today. “Go get the vacuum.” To which I heard, “But it is too noisy.” OK, I’ll give him that, the Kirby is too noisy. It is also not the perfect vacuum for hard floors. However, it is not the only vacuum in this house. “Go get the Eureka.” So off he wanders back to the laundry room and collects the Eureka stick vac. If you don’t have one of these and you’ve got kids that hate to sweep, rush out and get you one of these!
The sight I saw next was one that every mother should have the joy of seeing. He was energetically vacuuming the dining room floor. OK, so it isn’t perfect, but it is a pretty darn good job if I do say so myself. He is only 4 after all. Now keep in mind that he was still grumbling about how he didn’t like cleaning up and how he didn’t like sweeping, but he was doing it. I can tolerate the grumbling so long as it gets done. For what it is worth, he grumbled about picking up all the dirty socks off the living room floor too. “I don’t like this job.” He did it though.
Kyle was instructed to take out the garbage while Lance was “sweeping.” I am not entirely sure why the kids think that it is cool to pile the garbage up on a clearly full garbage can. I mean, the lid is propped open with the already overflowing contents. *scratching head* Even better is when they continue to pile the garbage on top of the overflowing garbage can when there is a garbage bag on the floor next to the garbage can that has already had the previous piling put in it and all they have to do is bend over and put it in the bag. But no, they pile it on top of the garbage can. Oh and get this, they moan about having to take the trash out. Dude, when you see the garbage can overflowing, be kind and take it out and then you don’t have to be told to do that.
For what it is worth, Andrew showed himself. He has now emptied the dishwasher for me. Without so much groaning. Now we can put the dishes from today in the dishwasher without heartache and complaining.
Now to send them all to look for their church clothes…there will be plenty of grumbling then…especially when I insist that they have on socks to match the color of their dress pants and not white ones….especially when I insist that they go back and try again and actually find their belt…that is after the younger two are finished doing whatever they are doing in the bathtub. Sounds like a whole lot of fun going on in there. I haven’t had them come running out soaking wet and totally butt naked saying they are out of bubbles yet. Thank goodness for that.
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