She's Maid for It

This came home in the book bag today.

How she helps her family: By cleaning!

Ha!

This is how cleaning usually works here.

1. I tell her to go down and clean the family room
2. She tells me no.
3. I convince her that if she doesn't, she will never see her tablet again.
4. She begrudgingly complies
5. She gets distracted in 2 seconds and starts playing with one of the toys she is supposed to be picking up.
6. I just keep cleaning because at this point, I want this to be over.
7. She goes upstairs and shows mommy how well she cleaned.
8. Mommy is pleased, thus - I am pleased too.

There's a reason this is called Tidy Husband and not Tidy Child or Tidy Beautiful Wife. It's because I am the one that picks up the stuff. We all have our duties and mine is to make sure things are at least a 7 on the "clean enough" scale.

I have so given up on the family room downstairs though. I used to collect all the toys up and put them in ziplock bags with each toy in their own little bag. Now, after the umpteenth time I have done this, I just toss it all in the toy box and push down on the lid until it closes - just like a suitcase - push until it fits!

I also from time to time have been known to edit and prune the crap that enters the house, and I can usually get away with it. Obviously not her favorite toys, but some things go away for a bit until they are forgotten and then they are tossed or donated. (The hungry hippo game is currently on the chopping block)

There's only so much room for so much crap here and Christmas is coming and there's more crap on the way.

Then there's her birthday party in January where she invited twenty of her classmates. Want to know what we'll be getting? Twenty pink toys with two hundred pieces each.

I need to start making room.

So, if she tells you that she helps with the cleaning, don't believe her.

And lastly, don't buy her anything else. We have no more room.

And don't get me started on the dog...