Happy Christmas Eve everyone! The kids and I are busy cleaning house this morning so that the place is nice and tidy when Santa comes tomorrow morning. We certainly don't want him to trip on any old toys that are laying around!
I have discovered that Joey and Dani really likes to help clean! Note to all moms of preschoolers: if you have a Swifter, simply remove part of the handle to make it "kid size", put the mop cloth on, and let your kid go to it! Of course, the cleaning may be done running up and down the hall, zig zagged, or some other creative way, that you as a mom have never considered, but, I say, as long as the floor is wiped down, who cares how it has been done?
Besides, swiftering for me, Joey and Dani put away lots of toys that had been laying around all around the house. All the games and puzzles are now mostly complete with the pieces back in the boxes. If Dani started to drag something out, Joey would say, "No, Dan! We just cleaned that up!" Quite funny to see that he is starting to understand about picking up and keeping things neat.
Besides, swiftering for me, Joey and Dani put away lots of toys that had been laying around all around the house. All the games and puzzles are now mostly complete with the pieces back in the boxes. If Dani started to drag something out, Joey would say, "No, Dan! We just cleaned that up!" Quite funny to see that he is starting to understand about picking up and keeping things neat.
Here is a photo of my little cleaners in front of the Christmas tree once we had finished cleaning their bedrooms, hallway, and living room. Did I tell
you that the dining room table is still covered with stuff to put away and the family room still needs to be picked up and vaccuumed? Sigh...does it ever end? Anyway, here is what our living room looks like when it is clean, in case you have never seen it that way!
And now a word or two to let you know that my children really aren't perfect. Yes, they do a lot of things right, but then we have those days where they scream and fight and act like...siblings!
In the spirit of Christmas, I have taken a Christmas song, "What Child is This?" and rewritten it to fit my own unique situation one day while we were out Christmas shopping:
What child is this who lays
in Home Depot entryway
kicking and screaming?
While shoppers peep and Mommy keeps
a watchful eye on the tantrum.
This, this is Joey Marchand who didn't
get his way in the check out lane.
Haste, haste to take him home and put
him in bed for a nap!
Many moms with older children have told me that the preschool days are long, but the years are short. Already, Joey is four and Dani is almost two! How can that be possible?? I try to remember that even on the bad days; even during the tantrum days when nothing can calm the savage beast.
Enjoy the season. Enjoy the little ones in your life. If they are your preschoolers, try to hold your smile while they cry because (1) they are tired, (2) they are overstimulated, (3) a well meaning unknown relative has touched them/picked them up/looked at them, (4) a sibling has smacked them/looked at them/taken their new toy, (5)they have thrown up from eating too many cookies. If you are just "enjoying" watching the action because you no longer have preschoolers, just remember that the child is not in their normal everyday environment and may not behave like the little angel the parents claim they are usually. Everyone take a deep breath, smile and say MERRY CHRISTMAS!
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