Homeschooling families will more than understand why this is going on this blog and not, say, Hearth and Home....homeschooling is living with children, not from 8 to 3, not a few days a week, but always and forever, and all of us know how much the home life has to do with our days...with no janitorial crew, no recess to speak of, no lunch lady or vacations, the running of the home is a massive part of it all, and that is both normal and good. I am glad my kids are not separated into some strange place where "Somebody" cleans it all for them after hours, "Somebody" gives them food through a little opening in the wall, and "Somebody" chooses everything for them, and they have no idea why or how. Sounds like a recipe for yet another generation of people who don't know how to do anything and have to hire out, order out, etc...
We have finally come up with a wonderful new ritual, or technique, if you will. It is only day three, so I feel a little hasty posting about it already, but I am so proud and excited that I simply must report!
Monday morning I told the kids that we were going to try an experiment. I told them that nobody (meaning, Mommy pretty much) was going to clean or tidy ANYTHING until 4 o'clock. I told them over and over that I expect cheerfulness when 4pm arrives, and if I heard one sigh, huff, or puff, then there would be some loss of privileges, namely no video games. I gave them many many heads-ups during the day, "Three hours till we clean!"...."27 minutes until cleaning time!".......but I must admit, I was getting worried. What if I really just sat and played with and enjoyed my actual children all day, and then it all backfired, and they didn't clean, and they fussed and I screamed and the whole place was a disaster......but we waited it out until 4:00.
Right at 4, with clock-obsessed Mickey chiming in, and me steeling myself with the best faux-confidence ever, I called out "Its 4 o'clock!!! time to clean!!!" We all held hands in a little circle (I am not kidding) and I said "Lets not rush, lets not freak out. If you want a task, then just ask Mama. If you want to just pick up stuff and put it where it goes, then go ahead"......and I went in the kitchen, locked the baby gate behind me, and started in on my dishes.
Some kids wanted a task, and I said stuff like "Put all the garbage in the garbage cans!", "Pick up all the blankets and put them on my bed", "Bring me all the cups".....some kids wanted to just go do their own thing. Casey is an awesome, awesome vacuumer, and he got the floors cleaned with the hose attachment in no time.
I washed the dishes and cleaned the countertops and before I could even sweep the floor, they were telling me they were done. I didn't believe them, so I handed out even a few more rather random chores from behind the gate like "Polish the bathroom faucet with those wipe things" and "Swiffer the windowsills".......then they were done again! I put down my broom to come see the house. It was completely clean, every single room. The time was 4:27, and we had an enormous group-hug! I gushed on and on about what little tornadoes they were--we all were--and what a wonderful new life we could have if Mama could really be with them all day and if Daddy could play with them all night. (seriously impossible before!)
We did it again yesterday, and the house was SO messy from crafts and toys and such that I told them that it was totally ok if it took more than 27 minutes.........but I kid you not, it took 18 minutes this time!
We feel like geniuses, both proud and free. Daddy was ecstatic when he got home, and they did play all night Monday while I was at work, and last night we all had a linger-y dinner and then did a bit of Wii bowling before a very smooth bedtime...Casey at 7:30, Charlie at 7:45, Greta and Mickey at 8, but they get to watch a movie in the "kid's lounge". Tuesday is my night off work and so is like Mama+Dada's date night, really, and so we watched a funny movie of our own, and fell asleep on the couch. Hot date, huh? LOL it was actually really great to be off of my feet, unlike at work, and to lounge my pregnant tired legs up on my left side in comfy clothing, talking to my favorite person in the galaxy.
We walked through the clean hall to our clean bedroom around 2am, and slept soundly until 6:15 when the alarm and Charlie both called to us that Wednesday was here.
