I'm often cleaning. It is pretty impressive how many toys can be out of place at once. It's not just toys, but dishes, mail, laundry stacks that were once folded - all that good stuff. Recently I have been pushing harder to get a little cleaning help from the kids. This particular day I encouraged them to "wash" the scribbles of chalk off the patio with one cup of water and a sponge for each kid. I ignored the dripping water from the kitchen sink to the front yard as they refilled their cups over and over. I tried not to care that their clothes became soaking wet and I would have extra laundry. I let them walk in and out with dirty barefeet, laughing and having a great time "cleaning." I went ahead and focused on a different task, all proud of myself that they were helping me move forward.
As you can see, when I came back to check on their progress, they had done a very thorough job of cleaning the mess. They took every single towel they could find and soaked it in the chalky water. I just laugh that I thought I was creating less work for myself, when really I created more. At least they tried to help...and more importantly, they had fun playing together.
