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Mom to Mom: Clean & Tea
- January 20th, 2011
- Filed under: Come On Over
posted by Chelsea
note from me: This post is part of a link-up over at It’s Almost Naptime. You can go check out tips from other mom’s in the comments and in the links at the bottom of Missy’s post about her very creative chore charts.
When the girls and I are home during the day, I’m not one of those exceptionally “neat and tidy” moms who manages to keep toys and projects picked up throughout the day. I usually have a few projects going at once, as do my girls. While life would probably run smoother if all three of us cleaned up as we went, it just doesn’t seem to be the way we roll.
Basically, we suffer from a messy house problem. And here’s the thing… while Katelyn (2) takes her afternoon nap, Lucy (4) and I would rather not spend that precious time cleaning and picking up the house. After all, we have letters and numbers to practice and I usually try to use that time to fit in a workout, too. In other words, we can think of plenty to do besides clean. Can I get an amen? Amen.
So… in order to combat the messy house problem we have designed an afternoon routine, as soon as Miss Kate wakes up, that makes us all happy. We call it: Clean & Tea. Everyone, including the freshly-awoken Kate, helps clean. And the “icing on the cleaning cake” is that when we’re finished picking up the house and getting everything tidied up, we have tea and a little afternoon treat. The girls love fruit-flavored tea, and I’m a sucker for PGTips Black Tea, both with cream and sugar, of course.
We start by lighting a couple of candles, for ambiance…
We do it up right with tea cups…
(please excuse the curdled-looking milk in Kate’s cup… she didn’t mind and neither should you ;-)
And after 6 years of sitting on a shelf looking pretty, we go ahead and use my Polish pottery tea set…
I even go so far as to let Lucy handle it, all by herself…
Our treat varies. Somedays we make muffins; other days we have apple slices and peanut butter, and on the best days we try to get the most antioxidants we can with some dark chocolate…
Katelyn has found other ways to get antioxidants…
… or at least some extra juice and “loose leaf” tea.
Clean & Tea is a fun and motivating way for the girls (and especially for me!) to get the house cleaned up in the afternoon. I get to cook dinner and enjoy the evening hours in a clean house and Buck doesn’t come home to a mess, either. Basically, I’m talking about a win-win situation for everyone and it’s a simple way to spice up our cleanin’ up.
–Chelsea
13 Comments Leave a comment »
grandma Janie
January 20, 2011
7:58 pm
Way to go girls. I like that idea…I should stop by for tea some day! Your’re a great mom Chelsea.
Robin K
January 20, 2011
10:58 pm
That’s a great idea! My house isn’t all that clean either throughout the day. Toys are always strung everywhere when Joe gets home from work. I might have to try something like that ;) Thanks for the idea!
Bev
January 21, 2011
1:29 pm
I love it! I think you have your priorities in perfect order : ) Housework will keep, little ones don’t stay little for long.
gail
January 21, 2011
5:26 pm
Amen!! OXOXOX g
jackie m
January 22, 2011
10:40 am
good job chelsie and lucy and miss kate!!!
Kathy Young
January 23, 2011
9:28 pm
Hi, Chelsea. I love your clean and tea idea! Especially the candles! What a great way to reward yourselves and enjoy a winter afternoon. :)
I wanted to ask you if you’d like to post a link to the Refuge website on your blog. Danny looked it over and said that it looked like you’d attract folks with good hearts – and you are located not too far from Boise; home to many new refugees from all over the world – particularly Africa. Are you ready? Do you need me to do anything? Let me know – I’m new to the world of blogs. Their address is http://www.refugeboise.com
It was so good to see you and your fam the other day. How is the rug holding up? I’m currently working on another one. They’re so fun; esp. working in the different colors/patterns, and I love the idea of using “rags.” Something about that makes me feel satisfied.
Blessings on your efforts spent mothering and homemaking. It’s women like you that make our world a better place.
love, ~k
Anna @ Frye Fam Happenings
January 24, 2011
3:57 pm
This is such a wonderful idea!! I have all boys, but I’m sure they would not object to hot chocolate or something in a cool mug. Even if I just tell them we will have snack time after they finish cleaning, things will go 99 percent faster, I’m sure :)
Carole
January 25, 2011
5:46 am
This is what memories are made from. I had a boy and a girl and I remember during the winter months because we are in the dark so much that in the mornings for breakfast I’d always light a candle on the table and I’d pour milk or juice in these glasses I ‘d gotten at the grocery store that looked kind of like cut glass wine glasses. One of my sons friends had spent the night and at breakfast he said, ” Do you always eat like this?”
Tiffany
January 25, 2011
12:17 am
This is such a sweet idea! I love it! I have a girl and a boy , but I could tweek this idea a bit to make it work. -Thanks!
katrina
January 25, 2011
1:44 pm
(visiting from Missy’s blog)
I love this idea! — turn cleaning time into special time. Love it!
Tamarah Duncan
January 26, 2011
9:57 am
This is perfect, Chels! I love the idea.
missy @ It's Almost Naptime
January 26, 2011
10:17 am
Oh my gosh! I actually got teary! I LOVE this. And this is one of those things they are always going to remember. So sweet!
We have begun having hot cocoa by the fire – it is a reward after chores are done. Special memories there :)