Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Speaking of Chores

I mentioned yesterday that I love to have the kids help with chores. It starts very early in life with having them help picking up their toys. Usually we begin by handing them a toy and having them put it in the bucket, but it soon becomes a fun game for them. Laundry is always another favorite early chore. The kids pull dry clothes out of the dryer and then help put the wet ones in. Becca likes to help with these types of chores. She is even getting into pulling clean dishes out of the dishwasher to hand to me but it means I have to be very careful to empty sharp knives and things before she gets there. It is a bit of work to let her help, but it does keep her from getting into trouble elsewhere while I work. For example, the other day while I was folding laundry without her she pulled my laptop computer onto the floor (luckily onto a pillow an it is fine) and managed to open it up, pull up some strange web pages, and pull off two and a half keys.

Jon is still in the stage where I'd say his help with chores doesn't really save me time, but he is getting pretty good at picking up an sorting shoes. I definitely appreciate not having to bend down so many times to pick up things on the floor. Michael is now getting old enough that he can actually be very helpful with chores. He can clean up a room on his own (although we need to check under the couch to make sure he didn't just stuff everything there) and can even wipe down a bathroom pretty good. This is one of the boys favorite chores - bathroom cleaning. They each take a clorox wipe and Michael does counters and sinks while Jon does toilet tops and seats. They do a pretty surface level job but it is enough to get by so I don't have to clean them as often - perfect because bathroom cleaning is NOT one of my favorite chores.

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