Have you ever noticed that the corners of your rooms are dirtier than the rest of the house? Maybe it is because vents and breezes blow things around until they land in the corner, never to move again. Well, at least not until you vacuum them up the next day. Today, I’m cleaning all of my corners after yesterday’s big “I’m bored. What can I do? Can I do the vacuuming?” event, because they got missed and I didn’t want to re-clean in front of my helpers. (Children and some grownups tend to clean right in the middle of a …read more

For some reason, an unexpected snow day doesn’t fill people with a burning desire to rehab their family rooms. They do tend to wish they had the fireplace sleeve put it, but they don’t actually do something about it. No, they tend to go play in the snow with their kids, drink tons of cocoa and then go off four wheeling with their friends. Two snow days in a row? That starts people thinking. You don’t want to bite off more than you can chew, though. When there are two feet of snow on the ground, you don’t want to …read more

Involving the children in household chores, whether in baby steps or in giving them tasks all their own, is a great way to teach them about responsibility. How so?

Chores help build their self-confidence. Give them a task to manage all their own. For younger kids, it can be as simple as setting the table. Be there to guide them when needed, and cheer them on when they accomplish their tasks successfully. Once they realize they can manage their chores on their own, they’ll have a boost in self-esteem.
Chores help mold their attitudes towards work. Learning how to be responsible begins …read more

Youngest is down for his nap.
Everyone take your places. Ready? Set. Go!
The object of the game is to see how many household tasks you can complete in an hour and a half without making any noise.
The winner gets to do the next load of wash.