Kids Underfoot

Today I began the dreaded post-vacation full house clean.  I started in the kitchen, and thought it wouldn't take too long, and planned to methodically clean the kitchen, dining, and living rooms.  I must have forgotten why these kinds of plans don't normally work.  Oh yeah, I have two kids.

The kids were both playing happily in their room until I started to clean.  Then they both "needed" my attention every two seconds.  I started to get really agitated, and was about to go down the road of mad mom, fussy kids, and messy house.  Then I decided to try something else.

I brought both the kids in the kitchen with me.  Tessie started spelling words on the fridge with magnets, and Christian sat in a booster chair next to her and tore everything off the fridge that he could.  I tried to ignore any mess they were making and focused on scrubbing the stove top.  It worked.

The kids ended up having a picnic on the newly cleaned kitchen counter, and I finished the dishes, the counters, dusted and wiped down everything, and cleaned the stove.  The kitchen was the only thing I got to today, but I actually think it was a pretty major victory.  It is becoming apparent that if I am going to get things done, it's gonna have to involve the kids somehow.  It may never work again, but for today it worked beautifully.

Tessie preparing the picnic