I understand how to clean, but not when, and I find it frustrating that you have to keep doing it.
Haha, yeah. I did eventually load abridged versions of the Flylady's Flight Plan emails into Astrid, so now my phone reminds me when to clean what, and it's on about a 5-week loop so nothing gets too grody.
Aeryn is a wizard at wiping up spills, but having been through this once before I do not expect it to last. Dylan sets and clears the table. We don't have a dishwasher so he doesn't help with dishes yet. I expect both kids to put toys away when they're done with them, and if it doesn't happen we have a Ransom Box. They've both helped load the washing machine, but folding clothes I think requires more advanced fine motor skills than either of them has yet.
Stephanie, here's a pretty useful list of age-appropriate chores for kids: [link]
I grew up on a farm from 73-80, and farm kids are doing chores from a YOUNG age. First thing I learned to cook was stovetop popcorn in a pan. Because my dad loves popcorn. I was 5. And I STILL make killer old-school popcorn!
M is responsible for feeding and watering pets when he's here, picking up toys, straightening his room, putting away clean dishes, Swiffering the living room and dining room, and we've started on laundry. He also cooks one meala week with adult supervision.
What is it about lawn care guys, mine are always hot. (And I usually hire them over the phone or net.)
The guy I've been seeing owns a landscaping company. He is in smacking (i was going for amazing, but i like the phone's choice) shape and it comes from so much physical labor outside, i think. He actually cant eat enough to keep weight on. Anyway, he gets his face and shoulders rubbed and touched by all the little old ladies in their 70s and 80s that he works for.
What is it about lawn care guys, mine are always hot. (And I usually hire them over the phone or net.)
Dang. Our lawn is WAY too small to have a lawn guy. Well, a lawn guy other than Tim. Although I *do* think our current lawn guy is pretty hot.
Okay, I just watched that snake video. I almost screamed in my cube.
wiggins
I wanted to see the snake open the other door, too! That was amazing.
The fly lady made me relize why I was so bad at cleaning my room -
1) i never really learned to pick up after my self - so it was a total disaster by the end of a week
and 2) I needed things broken down into smaller task - so i had some place to start.
We started doing laundry when we started caring about which jeans were clean . and cooking started early, because I wanted to .
and I was never very good at somethings - but I got better when It was me or not done at all
I remember being astonished by a law school roommate who had never had to manage for herself: she'd gone from a house with either full-time help to a college where she could pay to get her laundry done, and then to law school, where she lived in the undergrad dorms her first year. So when she moved in with us, she'd never really cooked for herself, or done her own laundry, or anything.
She nearly set fire to the kitchen by trying to cook a hotdog in the toaster oven, without a pan to catch the drippings.
Me, I learned basic cleaning as a kid (my most hated job was vacuuming the rug, which was three floors and included the stairs), and when Mom went back to work when I was 11, I took over all the laundry for the house. Since there were 5 kids and 2 adults, that was a lot of sorting & folding.
We set the table, cleared it and did the dishes every night. I learned all about cleaning, but my mom is an indifferent cook and I didn't pick up much. I remember being in a grocery store and staring at the produce section, completely puzzled about how to choose and prepare fresh vegetables.
