Small Changes Challenge - 12/50

Well, if you've been reading this blog for a while, or if you're the type to poke around a bit, then you will have noticed that, in Housework Plan of Attack, I specifically said "Like This Will Ever Happen". I even underlined it, used capital letters and put it in italics just to emphasize how extremely unlikely my following through on it would actually be.

And she points this out because....?

Because, dear Reader, today is my reporting day for Small Changes Challenge #12, and guess what I did?

No, Silly! I didn't try to abide by the whole darn thing! Are you nuts? I am not that kind of girl.

I DID tackle the daily 10-minute tidy with the boys though! Yes-sir-ee! And guess what? It was not the pure torture one (i.e.: me) might think it would be! ......Even when Toad would whine ("Why am I always cleaning up" - child, you aren't and don't ;-), his brother would calm him down ("It's only 10 minutes. You can handle that. Let's just get it done so we can play." - Smart kid, see? I told you I had smart kids. If I didn't, I should have. My bad.).

Now, would you believe we have actually managed a 10-minute tidy together everyday this week? EVERY day! We are RoCkIn'! And while the little dirtbags imps still have one heck of a messy playroom, little by little, it is dwindling away: the tidy starts in the Family Room/Kitchen and moves to their own spaces once the main areas are cleared of their ......stuff. I call this "prioritization": I can close their bedroom door - but the kitchen? That's public!

They are also realising that it is easier to do a little bit every day than to let it build up.... due, in part at least, to Mario clueing in that fewer toys go missing (through either natural or "suspicious" circumstances) if they put them away more frequently....

I optimistically have my fingers crossed that this will continue to be as easy to accomplish with the boys as it was this week. We have tried it in the past.... not sure if it was age, expectations, consistency, ability or what, but it never "took". Perhaps the umpteenth time's a charm?

....Let's hope so :-)


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