Chore Time Is Fun Time!

I used to have a cleaning lady. I looooooooooooooved having a cleaning lady. Coming home to the delicious aroma of Lemon Pledge applied by someone other than me, was a highlight of my week. I felt a little guilty about being a SAHM, and having a cleaning lady, but I got over it. When the kids were younger and everyone was at different schools and I was volunteering like crazy, I just didn't have a big chunk of time to clean the house each week. I may have mentioned that I'm a litte on the neat freak tidy side, so I considered it money well spent.

A few years ago, in a fit of lunacy I realized that now that the kids were older, they could help clean the house. This would a) save money and b) teach them RESPONSIBILITY and PRIDE IN THEIR WORK and HOW TO CLEAN A TOILET. I would of course pay them for their jobs (which are in addition to daily chores). It seemed like a win-win situation.

So the system now works like this: I dust and polish (I can't trust anyone else), and the rotating jobs are: kitchen and trash, bathrooms, and floors (vacuuming and polishing the laminate floors).

So, Sunday was housecleaning day. This week it happened to sound a lot like YOUR PARENTS ARE GOING TO PULL YOUR FINGERNAILS OUT WITH PLIERS DAY. This did not make the parents happy. So because we are total idiots we decided the proper course of action would be to beat them lock them out of the house have them spend the day inside with us. The reaction to that announcement sounded like NOW YOUR PARENTS ARE GOING TO BOIL YOU ALIVE.

So, what ended up happening? Everyone did a really thorough job on their assigned chore, and then they all settled down on the couch and spent the whole day watcing Rob and Big and making Rasta-themed friendship bracelets. It was love and sweetness and joy all around. To which I say, "WTF?"

Comments

[stephanie (bad mom)]

From torture to Rasta-themed friendship bracelets. Or are the bracelets part of the torture? Hard to say...But you have a clean house! Joy. Well done, parents!

I must stop being the perfectionist and let my children learn the art of toilet cleaning.

[JCK]

OH...a maid. A maid. I need a maid!

Pretty crazy on the friendship bracelets. Crazy good! You must be doing some good training, woman!

[MamaBird]

Wow, my daughter loves crafts. I see a path to sanity -- no beads until you...clear the dirty dishes. LOL. Nice twist for you all with the result. See? It *is* bonding for everyone to work as a team!

[CircusKelli]

Wow. Cool.

Oh... a cleaning lady... how nice that would be...*swoon*

[Amy the Mom]

Every once in a while, I splurge on a cleaning person. I come home, bask in the aroma of Murphy's Oil Soap for a few minutes, then watch the dogs and kids bring the house back to "normal." (weeping)

[Kellan]

I'm the cleaning lady at my house (*sigh*). I love the braclets - Little Billy has been into making those lately - cute!

Have a good day - Kellan

[Janet]

DAMN it! I KNEW I should've had kids!!!

[Domestically Challenged]

Just call me Marigold - my offspring haven't taken on board that lack of helping results in constant shrew like whining - although quite frankly I'm amazed - my shrew impression is pretty polished.

[Little Miss Sunshine State]

Mmmmm....cleaning woman. That was the topic of conversation at work Monday night.."did you hear V is getting a cleaning woman". "That lucky V is getting a cleaning woman". "How did V talk her husband into letting her get a cleaning woman?".

[Heather]

We used to have a cleaning lady also. Then we decided we needed to spend that money on other things. Now I need to decide which is cheaper: the cleaning lady, a therapist for me because all the mess is driving me crazy, a marriage counselor because my husband's lack of help is wrecking our marriage, or the lawyer that will have to defend me when I kill my husband for not helping me clean.

[Tootsie Farklepants]

I can't wait to put my kids to work!

[Fannie]

I negotiated for the cleaning service BEFORE going back to work. As in, “I’m not getting a NEW full time job AND keeping my OLD full time job”. Sheesh.

[kcinnova]

Juanita was my favorite part of living in El Paso. Unfortunately, we moved away.
Occasionally, I do a little experiment to see if anyone notices if I don't do housework. (Okay, okay, it's really just because I'm sick of doing housework, but I *DO* want to find out if anyone notices.) Unfortunately, the kids don't know the difference between clean, normal, or pigsty. My husband does. And it ain't pretty to have HIM do the cleaning. He gets REALLY grouchy. However, this does remind me to task a boy to scrub the kid toilet tonight. I assure you, I am NOT the one who pees all over it and the floor!!

[Denise]

I just let go my cleaning lady. I'm already second-guessing myself. But the kids have to learn sometime. Right? Right. :o)

[Denise]

I just let go my cleaning lady. I'm already second-guessing myself. But the kids have to learn sometime. Right? Right. :o)

[debbie]

Okay...am now officially drooling over the idea of a 'cleaning lady'!! My question is: when do little boys actually 'see' that their room resembles a war-zone and feel compelled to pick stuff up themselves? And why...oh why...can they NOT see all the crap they are walking around to get to their bed/desk/door?!?
Hell...I'd make THEM bracelets if they'd just pick up the legos and racecars!!!

[Reluctant Blogger]

I've tried getting my children to help with chores but they are hopeless. Maybe I need to wait till they are older? My ten year old (who generally climbs everything in sight) says pitifully "but I can't reach" or "it's too heavy to carry".

[Sharon]

A clean house and bracelets! Sounds win-win to me.

What is Google Reader?

[Mrs. G.]

If I ever "make it" I will hire a cleaning team right away. I like the bracelets...cool colors.

[Cheri]

I'd rather have a cleaning lady than a diamond tennis bracelet . . but those bracelets in the picture, now that might be a good trade off.

[Deb D]

I just recently rehired a cleaning lady after realizing that my dream of teaching my male teenagers to clean - was just that - a dream. Now they do clean better than 99% of their counterparts but that isn't saying much. My life is much less stressful now that I'm not reminding(nagging) to have stuff done.

[kate]

i find that putting a whole orange through the garbage disposal works just as well as cleaning the whole house. put the orange in, flip the switch, close your eyes, and it smells just like a super clean house.