Occasionally a broom stick will end up in an eyeball or a three-week old carrot will end up in a mouth but for the most part, this has been not only a fantastic way to occupy my girl, but also... it makes cleaning more tolerable for me to have a buddy.
Deep cleaning is my least favorite domestic to-do. I'm all for organizing and neatening up but scrubbing bath tubs and cleaning windows and floors (Hal does most of that, actually, because I'm hopeless) is not exactly my strength. (Speaking of strength. The upper body strength of this one is otherwordly. Her muscles ripple like a gymnast. Is 2.5 too early to put a kid in Gymnastics? Anyone know of a place in LA that takes toddlers? Bo can stick a landing off a book shelf?)
Moving on!
I am here, today, to write about spring cleaning as it applies to me and my associates/helpers who CAN and DO help me clean safely and effectively thanks to Honest and their non-toxic amonia-free supplies.
Because what if they spray each other in the face accidentally on purpose?
I just laughed out loud while typing "what if" because Bo and Revi are like that scene in Zoolander when all the male models are spraying each other with gasoline. (They did this the other night with their sippy cups full of milk and regularly paint each other's hair.)
That said, toddlers seem to love helping. This is something I am quite sure they'll outgrow like their older siblings did. (Although Archer has become super into doing/ folding all the laundry and Fable is our official path sweeper outside, so... you know. That's cool.)
Anyway, here are some games we/they have invented involving cleaning the house.
We play this game daily. And, yes, sometimes someone will get pegged with a Lego in the face because of a miss but for the most part this is the fastest (and most fun) way to clean an area overwhelmed with toys.
She shoots, she scores!
And then we all high five.
Playing on the classic, "say it don't spray it," we have created a game that is SILENT and includes spraying. The rules are simple. We must try to be as quiet as we can while spraying the window/floors/wooden storage thingy that seems to attract smashed banana like it's its job.
This is kind of an ongoing game because books are always everywhere and the new thing is, "go find a book somewhere in the house and then we will read that book."
Last night we played "lets read all the books under the couch" and there were, like, SEVEN books under the couch and then it was 9:30pm because, well, there were seven books under the couch.
This one was Fable's idea because Cinderella is her fave. Basically, everyone gets to be Cinderella except for one person who gets to play the "Evil Stepmother" wherein she does nothing but perch on her changing table and go "Ah ha ha ha!
In this example, it was Revi's job to be intimidating with her rather terrifying Pita bread.
Like throwing a penny into a fountain and making a wish, in this "game," you get to make a wish after every dish has been cleaned. I don't know if Bo and Revi quite understand what that means at the moment but it rhymes so it's fun to say out loud.
... Not that I have to twist anyone's arm to wash a dish. At least a dozen dishes have perished this last year because Bo and Revi often sneak into the kitchen and wash all of the dishes themselves/drop them on the ground and go, "uh oh."
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Deep cleaning is my least favorite domestic to-do. I'm all for organizing and neatening up but scrubbing bath tubs and cleaning windows and floors (Hal does most of that, actually, because I'm hopeless) is not exactly my strength. (Speaking of strength. The upper body strength of this one is otherwordly. Her muscles ripple like a gymnast. Is 2.5 too early to put a kid in Gymnastics? Anyone know of a place in LA that takes toddlers? Bo can stick a landing off a book shelf?)
I am here, today, to write about spring cleaning as it applies to me and my associates/helpers who CAN and DO help me clean safely and effectively thanks to Honest and their non-toxic amonia-free supplies.
I just laughed out loud while typing "what if" because Bo and Revi are like that scene in Zoolander when all the male models are spraying each other with gasoline. (They did this the other night with their sippy cups full of milk and regularly paint each other's hair.)
P.S. This is what I use on apple slices in the kids' lunches so they do not brown.
1. BasketToys:
We play this game daily. And, yes, sometimes someone will get pegged with a Lego in the face because of a miss but for the most part this is the fastest (and most fun) way to clean an area overwhelmed with toys.
She shoots, she scores!
And then we all high five.
2. Spray it, Don't Say it
(Everyone ends up talking/losing the game within seconds.)
3. Collect/Organize the Books so that we Can Read Them
This is kind of an ongoing game because books are always everywhere and the new thing is, "go find a book somewhere in the house and then we will read that book."
Last night we played "lets read all the books under the couch" and there were, like, SEVEN books under the couch and then it was 9:30pm because, well, there were seven books under the couch.
4. Cinderellaville
In this example, it was Revi's job to be intimidating with her rather terrifying Pita bread.
5. Clean a Dish? Make a Wish
What about you guys? Do you clean with your kids? Any tips on making it less tedious and more fun for the fam?
GGC
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