Cleaning party

Rather than bore you with tales of what has happened in the space of time that I've apparently fallen off the blogoshere (holidays--were good!), I'll just bore you with tales of today's happenings.

I set the kids on chores. We're trying it differently, and it's working well for the most part. I put slips of paper with chores on them in a bowl, and each kid draws out a slip of paper and then does the chore. It's having amazing success! Except for MM, who did 2 chores, then refused to do any more. That's okay I still have 3/4 of my slaves...errr I mean children....working at full speed.

While they started this new chore/cleaning/cheap labor endevour, I decided to clean off my desk. I plead temporary insanity. Cleaning off my desk doesn't just mean clearing a working area on the top. It also means pulling things out of the cubbies and tossing, filing, or putting away everything that has accumulated.

But about an hour later, I'm done (except for dusting it off and polishing it) and I found some amuzing items. First, right on the top of my desk....a piece of dog food. I have no clue how long it's been there, nor how it got there, but it's now back in the dog's dish (hey nothing waisted here).

The second item isn't so strange, except if you consider that it's January and I have cleaned off my desk at least (at most?) once since summer.....a dried up dandilion.

Also in the dark caves of said cubbies, I found 1/2 of a dollar bill. Not a hint of an idea on that one. No signs of the other half.

The most amuzing thing (IMO). I found a panty liner! No not used, you're gross! I remember when MM brought it to me, asking what it was. And I took it away and tossed it in my desk. Hahahaa, memories....guess you had to be there.

After I polish my desk, I just might attack the bookshelf. No telling what I'll find there!

The pile of junk on the other side of the desk is haunting me. I might just unfold one of the table clothes on that pile and drape it prettily over the mess.

As for the kids...they are well through the bowl of "to do" chores! And the house is rapidly getting cleaner. I like this! No need to tell them what to do, and they aren't getting burned out by doing 'their' chores. Although the thought of Shorty trying to take out the trash makes me chuckle. And the look on Bone Head's face when he drew "bathroom trash" almost made me fall off my chair laughing.

They don't know it, but I've a half gallon of yummy ice cream waiting them when they are finished. I think such great effort deserves a reward! Don't you? I mean, the whole house (minus bedrooms) is getting cleaned! Even the pets fed and the dog brushed! And all I did was write some things down! Seriously...we started about an hour and half ago, and there's only THREE chores left to do!

Oh and the desk...the horrible desk. I might have nightmares....seriously....then again maybe not cause of the nice, clean family areas that I now have!

Okay, okay. The reason that we're doing all this cleaning today, and it's so bad...I got a job cashiering at a local whare-house type store. It's a pretty good job, the people I work with are really cool. But, working leaves me so pooped at the end of the day that I can barely get myself home, let alone make dinner, spend time with kids and hubby AND clean house.

*Tales from the kids*

MM found out today that the first 3 letters of his name spells BRA. Everyone had a good laugh on that one. And I must say that I am QUITE proud of my almost 5 year old! He can recognize and WRITE the first three letters of his name and recogizes when the rest of his name isn't right. I'm such a proud mama!

School startes back up on Monday! Shall we all jump up and do the "Go Back to School" dance? I'm gunna!