chores

The girls have a few responsibilities around the house. They have to put their dirty clothes in their hamper and get their jammies on before bed. They have to get dressed themselves and put their jammies away before they can eat breakfast. They have to clean up the toys in their room when quiet time is finished. They have to put their shoes away in the shoe bin when they walk into the house. 

I recently added a new "chore". I have huge problem with dirty floors. I can't stand them. But when you live in a house with two small kids, the floors tend to always be dirty. I'm so sick and tired of sweeping under the table after every meal so I decided to get the girls their own broom and dust pan so they could pick up their own mess.

While the results don't necessarily meet my standards, they do a good job of sweeping up the big pieces like blueberries, Cheerios, green beans, etc. (seriously, how do some of these things manage to get on the floor?). 

The best part is that they love to do it. All I have to do is get the broom and dustpan out and suddenly there is a conversation about using teamwork: who will hold the dustpan and who will sweep. They even walk together to the garbage can and the person not holding the dustpan opens the garbage. They declare it a job well done and are pleased when they pass my inspection. 

Now if only they were big enough to carry the groceries into the house...