August 23, 2010

Just add water - Part 3

My husband went out of town yesterday, and I felt sorry for anyone who had to sit within ten feet of us at church.

The day passed surprisingly well as I caught up on some book reading while the kids played.

But by the time my kids were in bed last night, my kitchen floor was in complete disarray. Cheerios, bread crumbs, and pretzels were scattered and crushed every where. Several sticky spots kept them company as the many cups of juice that had been spilled and splattered had only been quickly and carelessly wiped up.

I stared at my kitchen for a very long time. 

Then I flipped the light off and went to bed.

This morning the kids were unusually grumpy, as though the the mess that was left alone last night had penetrated their very attitudes. Which it probably did.

Something had to be done, and fast.

Or my kids were going to end up as the newest exhibit at the local zoo.

Then I had an idea. An epiphany, if  you will.

Images of my childhood raced through my mind as I saw my siblings and myself, in our swimsuits with bowl and towel in hand, slip-n-sliding our way across the tile floor in our rather large family room as we "scrubbed it clean".

Oh had there ever been a more brilliant idea? 

I think not.

I quickly cleared the floor of all toys, shoes, clothes, and chairs, then I swept it clean.

I got out a bowl of water, with a drop of soap, gave each of the kids a rag, and told them to scrub the floor clean!

To say they were excited, would be a gross understatement. They all jumped at the opportunity!


We turned on some music and pretty soon it turned into a wet dance party! Even though you surprisingly can't hear the music that was blaring in the background.


And one bowl of soapy water turned into two.


And two bowls turned into three.


I finally put an end to the water as they continued to scrub away. You understand why.


Soon the scrubbing gave way to playing.

And playing gave way to throwing.


Don't worry, we scrubbed the walls and baseboards afterwards.


My child labor force. And sorry about Jacob. Eh hem, awkward....


After a while I collected all the rags and brought out the towels. They were just as excited to dry the floor as they were to get it wet.



And now, my children are off happily playing together, and my floor is cleaner now than it has probably ever been before.

The extra load of towels were SO worth it.



My only regret?



Doing it BEFORE lunch.

23 super cool people speak:

Kristina P. said...

Yes! Child labor!

Jocelyn Christensen said...

Ah yes, I woke up to a similar scene! But I like your solution better!

Welcome to the Garden of Egan said...

Well, I guess you could have fed them in the tub or outside. Then you could have hosed them off.

Don't worry I won't call CPS or anything.

CB said...

LOVE THIS SOOOOO MUCH!!
You are an insane Genious!!!!!

Elizabeth said...

I was about to say the same thing... You're a genius! I want to be like you when I grow up. Or now (since I guess I technically am grown up...) Yes, now would be good.

Neisha said...

your a cool mom!
so, any other rotten chores that you hate to do that you turned into fun for your kids and they did them for you??

Serene is my name, not my life! said...

LOL! When I can figure out how to get them to clean the toilet or do the laundry on their own, I'll let you know!

amber_mtmc said...

This is the reason I keep having children: free child labor. What's better than watching beautiful children mop and dry your dirty kitchen floor?

P.S. My kitchen floor gets disgustingly dirty every stinking night. I have to mop it daily or my feet stick to it. Yuck.

Lara Neves said...

YOU are a genius.

Totally doing this tomorrow.

Amy said...

That is the BEST idea!! We used to do that when we were kids only we'd put on two pairs of socks and "skate" the floor clean. My mom hated it when we did that. haha

Rachel Sue said...

You are BRILLIANT! Completely and totally! And possibly, a little bit, my hero.

So doing this.

The Damsel In Dis Dress said...

I LOVE IT!!! Yay! Great idea.

Cheeseboy said...

Now that is a great idea! And you have dark floors too, which hide the dirt. For some reason, my wife and I put in white tile and we see EVERYTHING.

Tomorrow is our cleaning day, so maybe we will try this...

BTW, your videos don't work. They say they are private.

Brittney said...

So cool! My favorite part of the last picture is the untouched plate of veggies. okay, maybe they ate them later.. but it's still funny. :)

Also, my mom got me to LOVE cleaning the toilet somehow. She just gave me a washcloth and a spray cleaner bottle and for some reason I thought it was so fun to dip my whole hand in the toilet and get everything wet... um GROSS!!

Letti said...

What a fabulous idea. I wonder if this will work in the bathrooms?

mCat said...

What a smart and resourceful Momma you are! Your kids will have such memories

Jess said...

I love the ending! Great comedy :) Child work force- this definitely has it up sides, eh? :)
Way to go super mom!

Mama Smith said...

Love FAMILY TRADITIONS!!!!! (smile)

Susan Anderson said...

You are such a fun mom. They are making some great memories!

=)

Larsen said...

You truly are a genius...makes it easy to hate and love you at the same time.

Teachinfourth said...

How much do they charge? Heaven knows it's easier to have somebody else do it…well, I know that; I really can't speak for heaven.

Gina said...

I'm totally doing that tomorrow.

Mikki said...

Pure genious!!

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