Each afternoon, Cupcake and BabyMuffin take naps (hallelujah!). This gives me some quiet time in the house, and I generally try to cram in some chores. In the past, I’ve been frustrated trying to find ways to occupy Bito while I work–I don’t want the television to babysit too frequently. So I make it a point to play some games, do a craft, read a few books or mold PlayDoh with him during the afternoons as well. It doesn’t always work very smoothly though. Too often, we have a conversation that goes something like this:
Bito: Mommy, will you play a game with me?
Me: Not right now, sweetie. I am trying to get some work done. How about in ten minutes?or
Bito: Mommy, let’s do a puzzle!
Me: In a second darling. I would like to finish this first, okay?
Today, I was determined to get a few things done. Sure enough, Bito began to ask for my attention in a way that tugged at my heart. Oh, this mama guilt is tough stuff! So I decided to ask him if he’d like to “help” me with some of the chores. He excitedly accepted and off we went.
I decided to make each task as quick and simple as possible. Bito was all too happy to pick up a broom and sweep the kitchen floor with me. He was intrigued to see dust and other particles gather to be swept into the dustpan. Next we moved to the laundry room. Bito really helped save my back because I didn’t have to stoop down to get the clean clothes out of the dryer! He carried the damp clothes that I removed from the washer and threw them into the dryer. Then he dragged a step-stool over to the washer so he’d be tall enough to drop clothes into the washing machine. He loved watching it agitate and kick up soap bubbles.
Finally, we moved to the living room. Bito had a blast holding on to the vacuum as I attempted to push it around the room. Not the most efficient way to get it done but oh well. When we finished, we sat down to work on a giant floor puzzle on our freshly vacuumed carpet!
So maybe I didn’t get things as clean as I would have without little hands “helping” me, but it was still better than getting Nothing done! Bito had fun and hey, I can’t argue with that.
Maybe tomorrow I’ll have him help me with the trash.
