Helping Out

Have you ever had the moment, where your house was a disaster and you had unexpected company??

I had that moment last weekend.

I had been painting for 3 days.  I had not been keeping up with the house like I regularly do.  In fact, I ignored housework all together.  I was determined to finish painting everything I had promised the kids I'd paint.

After three days, my house (the whole house) looked like a tornado had dropped down inside it and took its fury out on it - minus the hail.  

A neighbor friend had heard that I painted Tinkerbell on Cs wall, and she brought her (adult) daughter over to see it.

What could I do?  Upon entering the door, it was obvious that the house had not seen Fantastik, a vacuum or Pledge for days.

I was very embarrassed and took them upstairs to Cs room.  I didn't realize when I was painting, but I was literally stepping on clothes, toys, paper, etc as I painted.  Her blankets & sheets on her bed were balled up and thrown about.  Her room was the worst of them all!  My friend and company entered Cs room and made a comment on Tink, but I could tell they were surveying the damage from what must have been an F-5.

Even after leaving that room, they still wanted to see all the other projects that we had done.  That meant taking them all over the house showing them our little renovations and whatnot.  I thought, why not?  They've already seen the worst of it.

I was just plain embarrassed.

Why is it that when I stop cleaning, the house falls apart?

But that embarrassment and question lit a fire under me.

It was time for a change in this house.  

Time for some long awaited help with a never ending battle.

I made up "Daily Help Charts".

We started on Thursday this week.

Every child has 5 chores to do a week.  On Sundays, everyone has off.  The kids are expected to do all of their chores or there are consequences.  As an extra on Saturdays, all bedrooms have to be cleaned.  That's putting all toys away (where they belong), clearing off their dressers, dusting dressers & windowsills and vacuuming their floors.  There is pay (or an allowance) for doing ALL chores.  Missing one chore they get half pay.  Missing two or more chores, the kids owe us 50 cents per missed chore.  This keeps the incentive to keep on going even if they miss a chore during the week.

The kids have asked for a pet.  I told them if they want a pet they have to faithfully do their chores for a month or two to show me responsibility.  They cannot have a pet if they are not showing responsibility.  And then the responsibility to chores has to continue or we will donate the pet to someone who will care for it.

We just started this yesterday, but I cannot tell you how nice it is to have those tasks done and not have to do them yourself.  This morning C unloaded the dishwasher and Gv dusted all the chair rails, windowsills, shoebench, etc.  Yesterday K vacuumed the living room carpet, Gv gathered all the garbage & Gt cleaned the bathroom sinks.  

It's so nice to finally have help with the never ending chore of running a house.

It's good for them and great for me!

Why has it taken me so long to do this?

I honestly can't answer that...Or maybe I can...Laziness on my part.

Not in work, but in enforcing my children to help contribute to the household.

I  finally have help.  And it feels good!