Yes, you did read this right! Okay, I have to explain... the kids got a boat load of candy from an Egg Hunt at the local community event. When I say a boat load, I am talking enough for three children to have a piece of candy every day for at least a year. it was fun watching them collect the eggs, and then return only to start popping the eggs apart to go through and see if they won a really cool prize (well, to them they were really cool, some may have possibly ended up being a parent's worse nightmare). Needless to say they had enough candy between all of them that they really did not care if they won the prize. Half way through opening eggs, they were excited to see all of the different candies that were inside the eggs, that they really weren't interested in the prizes by that time. (hmmm could this be because my kids have been deprived of candy???)
Mr. Firefighter/EMT ended up having to go to work tonight, so he stopped at another community happening, the local fish fry held by the Lyons Club. He picked up his dinner and the plan was that I was going to take the kids up for dinner later. I got a hold of one of the members and pre arranged to have a dinner done early so that he could pick it up on the way into work. too funny, I got the text message that his dinner was ready only 30 seconds after he left to stop up there! Anyhow, I with the 3 children went up for dinner at the local fish fry. This was cool. many people I saw there I knew and we stopped and talked for a while after dinner was completed for both parties. I feel that I am starting to know the community that we have only been in for the last 2 - almost 3 years. It is awful nice to have a smile from people who are nice, caring and honest. Good townspeople. Staples of the community.
Anyways, after the nice peaceful outing, I came up with the plan. THE ULTIMATE PLAN!!!!!
And you would never guess, but IT WORKED!!! I told my kids on the way home that I had a surprise for them. I would actually leave the huge bowl of candy out for them to eat IF they would help me tackle the house. They were so estatic that I believe if they were not sitting in the seat and actually buckled in that they would have fell out of the seat. As I pulled the van into the garage for the last time tonight, they were all laughing, giggling, and getting along with each other. As we are getting out of the van, they were hopping skipping and jumping all the way into the house and asking what they could start doing immediately. The catch? Yeah, us mom's have to have a catch ya know, but the catch is that they could not have any candy unless they were actually working on a task. :O)
All I can say is WOW!!! I stopped for a periodic sit down and had to post this because I am hoping an idea like this can help other moms. I still have to put everything off the couch, still have to get the laundry into the laundry room, but I will have the kids sort it into piles for wash tomorrow, and really the only room I have to do is the kitchen which I can get done in about 15 minutes with all of the new found help I am now receiving!
Yep, Bribery can get you a clean house!
It can also get a bunch of bouncing kids that I will now have to put a good movie on for and have them lay down and watch it to calm them down for bed. This may be ending up to be a wild task to do but it's way better than cleaning the house hours on end to get it completed.
1 comment:
How does that work for your children but not mine? I think they would rather not eat the candy if they had to help while eating.
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