Check, Check, and Check

Much accomplished this weekend. This is what happens when you stay home and clean up after a tornado hits.

1. Girls' bedroom cleaned- check!
2. Playroom cleaned- check!
3. Hallway cleaned- check!
4. Christian's room cleaned- check!

You couldn't see an inch of floor on any of these rooms. It was probably the worse I had ever seen it. I should have really taken before and after pictures. While we were cleaning, Megan actually tripped over something in the hallway and hurt her elbow.  She actually got mad at the mess and made her more determined to clean it up.

Most of the mess is actually Courtney's. I don't say this to be mean, but it is! I have seen her make it! Matt and I decided yesterday that she will definitely need some organizational skills taught her in the future.  We also decided that the playroom will be closed indefinitely until these two girls (mostly Courtney) can prove to us that they can keep their bedroom clean first.  I went in there this morning and there are already things on the floor. :(  Matt and I have been slacking on the chore chart, so I think that would help motivate them too.

The problem is that Courtney just puts things wherever she likes.  I tell her to put barbie clothes away in the barbie box and she will put them in the toy box! Things are just mixed up and scattered everywhere.  Yesterday I was cleaning out the toy box and found her wallet. I put it on the floor and told her to come put it away. You know what she did? She threw it right back in the toy box!!!  I kind of snapped at her for that one. :(  When I ask her to get a backpack ready to take somewhere, like dance class where we have to wait for Megan, she will take various stuff and fill backpacks. Various items like glue, paint, polly pockets, pencils, colors, coloring books, some of her books and some of Christians.  So guess what we had to do yesterday? Dump out these backpacks and buckets and put everything back where it goes! It is just so sporadic  it drives me nuts! (Can you tell I am type A??)   When we cleaned the hallways, there were just miscellaneous items in a pile.  Where does this stuff come from??  I also had three laundry baskets full of stuff that I had acquired from downstairs that all belonged in their bedrooms somewhere! We dumped those out on the playroom floor and put all that away too. It's amazing that you seem to find the items you were missing! Like library books and my thermometer (could have used that this week with Christian!).

I love it when she says, "But mom, I don't want to clean!" My quote back, "Then don't make the mess!!"