The Cleaning Detectives

As I attempted to get a little cleaning done this morning,I began to get a little frustrated, as is often the case, with Big's "helpfulness". You know, helpfully un-helpful-- ie. unloading the dishwasher as fast as I can load it, unfolding the laundry as fast as (no, make that faster than) I can fold it, pulling things out of drawers while I'm trying to put things in.... it's no wonder I spend a lot of time getting nothing done! 

Well, this morning I was determined to get something done! Luckily, I was reminded of something I did a few years ago with the girls. I gave the boys each a damp rag and told them they were detectives, in search of black fingerprints on the walls and woodwork ( I think I gave the girls a magnifying glass, too). I'm sure that Big didn't understand the concept, but Bud was so excited to do it that Big caught the fever. 

That darn plan kept the boys occupied for over an hour (no, there aren't that many fingerprints-- they found plenty of other things to "clean"-- in fact, they got upset when I told them that we needed to be done, but they were wiping the floor and then moving directly to windows... can you say streaks?), thus reminding me that at this age, kids just want to be included in what you're doing-- even if it's cleaning. Too bad it doesn't last, huh?