The Ozmerican Life

Having 4 little ones plus a husband produces a lot of house work. I don't mind cleaning for the most part. I like having a clean house...makes me feel put together and the fact that I haven't showered in a few days seem a little less important...I may not be clean but my house is!!

The kids have learned that there are proper ways to clean and not so proper. When they clean up their toys...throwing everything where ever it fits it not acceptable. Everything has it's bin and that's where toys need to go. And around the house when I say clean up your toys....it means all the toys. If you're going to spend time cleaning you might as well do a good job...my mom would probably laugh at this comment. I was always known...and still am in a few areas...to take the short and easy way out. For example, when weeding pumpkins getting 5 out of 10 weeds is a job well done and when sewing if the stitch is half straight with only small buckles in the fabric it looks great!!!

The kids do a great job most of the time with a little direction. So it was Sunday morning and I had two sinks full of dishes and the dishwasher was still clean...I had made a few comments to Nathan that maybe he could do the dishes....that went over real well...and then the light bulb went on! THE KIDS!!! They can do the dishes!

So I sent all three of them to the kitchen, opened the dishwasher and simply said put all the dishes away and walked out. I listened from a distance....

Q: Jentzen, I will do the knives, they might cut you.

A: I will get the glassy ones. Jentzen you do the bowls

Q: (silverware crashing into the drawer) Jentzen, that's not where the forks go, I will put them in the right spot, thanks buddy!

J: Here Quaid, more spoons! (with another crash)

A: Jentzen, careful, that's a glassy one, I will take it.

J: No!! I do glassy!!

A: Okay buddy, careful, careful, it goes in here!

Q: Let's line them up!!

A and J: Yeah!!!

So on it went...I have to say I was impressed. And little do they know, by doing such a great job they have now awarded themselves with another chore around the house!! This was the end result. One more thing off "mom's to do list" I love it!!!! Now if I could just get Quaid a pair of stilts to reach the cupboards!!!