I got a bunch of emails on some cleaning tips and thought it might go well with the laundry idea. Many of you had such fun way of getting your kids to help with the cleaning and I am excited to try them for myself!
1. fill squirt guns with a solution of a gallon of water and a squirt of dish soap and let them go at the windows, most kids like to wipe them off as well! so they get the whole job done (well, theoretically!)
2. make it a game! give kids tongs from the kitchen and see who can pick up the most toys! my sister and I used to play this card game called 'spoons' (ok this is for the older kids)...it's a little foggy but you sit in a circle and put one less spoon out than the number of people playing, the dealer just keeps picking up cards and handing the ones that they don't need to the next person and then that person either keeps the card or passes one on, etc. the first person to get four of a kind takes a spoon (without anyone seeing) and the person without a spoon looses... well, instead of the spoons you have to run to your room, clean up five things and put them away and then run back and sit down in your chair, winner is first! (my sister sprained her ankle in this came so it can get vicious!)
3. put on some loud music and dance and clean...yay!!
4. this ones comes to me from maids.com, and I thought it was pretty funny! put old athletic socks on your kids hands and arms and squirt a little vinegar and water solution on them and let them dust away! (YOU clear off the breakables first and let them go at it!)
5. you can also do this trick...send your kids to Montessori School!!...an added benefit (besides all of the other wonderful things about Montessori School) is that your kids will magically clean up after themselves because "that's the way we do it at school" as my son says! the first time it happens you may be a little shocked, but for them it's just all in a day at school! ..no biggie!
6. as in the picture above, when you clean your car take out all of your kids trucks, dolls, whatever and have them clean their toys while you clean your car! (double whammy!)
please send more ideas in as comments so that you can share them with other parents!! --thank you for all of your help keeping our house clean!
