This is where I was last week: expecting house guests just about any minute, holding a crazy-fussy baby who desperately needed to eat and take a nap, with a bathroom that still needed to be cleaned. What to do? Hand the baby off to scream while I give the toilet and sink a once-over? Ask one kid to clean while the others get to lounge (the rest of the house was clean, so no other chores to assign)?
Once again, inspiration strikes at the moment it's needed.
I'd made a list of everything I wanted us to get done that day, and had crossed it all off as it was completed. Just one room was left:
Downstairs Bath
- toilet
- tub
- sink/counter/mirror
- closet
- sweep/mop floor
As I looked over that list, it occurred to me that there were as many items on there as I have kids (aside from the baby - he's still pretty lousy at doing household chores...). So I had them line up in front of me, in whatever order they wanted, and then gave them the chore that matched up with their spot in line.
It was a little bit fun (the not-knowing what job you were signing up for by jockeying for your spot in line), everyone knew that everyone was doing about the same amount of work (that is a major deterrent to work getting done around here - the idea that someone might possibly be doing less than you are), and I got to sit down and feed the baby while they worked.
Ten minutes later the baby was asleep, and my bathroom was spotless. Well, as spotless as it can get when a six-year-old is in charge of the toilet, anyway.
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| I didn't take a photo of all 5 of them cleaning the bathroom, so I just had my 12 year old clean the toilet so I could get a picture. :) |
When you have just a little work left, and no one wants to do it, try this. It worked at my house!
Kate
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