Bringing Good Home

Remember that slogan? Today’s tip is a quick one from my laundry room. I hate (I really do) spending money on expensive products, they just really cut into the budget. Sometimes they’re worth it. And this one really is. A four dollar bottle of Shout Advanced Gel is definitely worth it when it helps me save half of my four-year-old’s wardrobe. (Yeah, you thought it was going to be the BOY, didn’t you?? Not this time!)

Drama Queen is notorious for stains; always has been. She stains at least half of her stuff the very first time she wears it. Can we say frustrating??

Not anymore.

I had several cute and new things with stains that didn’t come out so I took a shot and bought a bottle. And boy am I ever so glad. I’ve been using it a little over a month and it has removed every thing my four year old has thrown at it, including set in stains that got missed in the wash, AND half-removed stains from who-knows-when. The older the stain the longer you need to pre-treat it, so be prepared. I sprayed it, folded the shirt and left it on top of the washer until the next day. I just kept checking it each day and adding more gel if necessary until I felt confident enough to wash it. A couple of times I washed something and saw a small amount left and sprayed it again. But man, this stuff works.

Works for Me Wednesday is graciously hosted by Shannon at Rocks In My Dryer. Who, by the way, is currently preparing for a trip to Africa - Uganda to be exact. She sounds as excited and terrified as I would be! Stop by and catch up on the happenings and give her a word of encouragement. Oh, and she’s also gearing up for her regular giveaway carnival, which is now going to be hosted from her other site, Bloggy Giveaways. Makes sense, right?

For more Wordless Wednesday, click here.

Wordless Wednesday is hosted at 5 Minutes for Mom.

As a mother, one of the things I strive for is teaching the children to do their chores and pick up after themselves — all while trying to keep the peace. I don’t know how successful you are, but that can be a real challenge around here. The Princess earned two chores when she turned 5 as a special rite of passage I’m sure she’d just as soon live without. A year and a half later she is still complaining! In addition to cleaning up her room, she has to pick up the living room floor at the end of the day (cuz it’s usually mostly toys they have drug out) and to pick up her bathroom as it needs it (everything but scrubbing the toilet and bathtub - she cleans off the counter, wipes down the sink and countertop, takes out the trash, sweeps, and wipes the mirror.) Now that the Drama Queen is older, we have her help with the living room as well. It is still Princess’ job, but I try to get Drama Queen to help out as much as possible - since she helps make the mess and so that she can learn how to do it because one day soon that job will pass to her and Princess will graduate to a new one. (Perhaps dishes? Hmmm.)

At any rate, I am sure you can imagine the arguing and complaining that may go on - as happens with any task I try to get them to accomplish together. Princess is concerned that Drama Queen isn’t doing her share and attempts to tell her what to do. Drama Queen resents that and argues that she doesn’t have to obey Princess. Princess complains that Drama Queen is yelling at her and.. you get the point. Well no more! This week I developed a new system! And so far it is working great!! The buddy system for cleaning.

It works like this…

I have created the following checklist. Italics are for your benefit, the kids know what I mean.

• P ~ ____ Clean any loose items off the couch and put them where they belong. (throw blankets, jackets, etc.)
• DQ ~ ____ Straighten the couch cushions and pillows

• P ~ ____ Return loose movies to the shelf
• DQ ~ ____ Return loose books to the bookshelf (the baby is bad about yanking them off)

• P ~ ____ Clean off the top of the tv and put things where they belong (a clutter collector)
• DQ ~ ____ Clean off the piano and put things where they belong (a clutter collector)

• P ~ ____ Collect dirty clothes and take them to the laundry area
• DQ ~ ____ Pick up trash and throw it away

• P ~ ____ Pick up toys and put them in the toybox
• DQ ~ ____ Pick up toys and put them in the toybox

• P ~ ____ Pick up anything else that cannot be vacuumed and put it where it belongs.

The real beauty in this lies in a.) it’s specific instructions and b.) partnering the tasks together. It is Princess’ job to read the tasks to her sister (one by one as she completes them) but she no longer has to worry about Drama Queen not holding up her end of the task. Princess has to read the tasks out loud, get hers done, and encourage her sister to get hers done, and then she is finished and not responsible for what doesn’t get done. Drama Queen has to listen to what is being read and do her tasks and not worry about Princess bossing her around and yelling at her anymore. It’s a great system.

Before, I would have to stay in there every minute to keep them on task. I would constantly have to answer “what next?” I would have to keep stepping in to stop the bickering. But now I can load the dishwasher or sweep the dining room and I can be working at the same time. All I have to do is keep an eye on them and remind them to get back to work if they stop. I have set a time limit to keep them on task, but for the most part Princess keeps them going simply by doing a task and checking it off and then moving to the next one.

I realize it may not work for everybody, but it sure is working for us!

Works for Me Wednesday is hosted at Rocks In My Dryer!! Even if you don’t swing on over, you absolutely MUST check out this WFMW tip for grocery shopping at it’s smartest!

Proverbs 22: 6 Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.

#1.) A magnet that has been on my fridge for many years…

#2.) Carrot cake with cream cheese frosting. Mmm. I frosted it MYSELF - can you believe it?? (Those of you who have seen my past cake-frosting attempts know how amazing that is.)

Wordless Wednesday is hosted by 5 Minutes For Mom.