You Have A Problem With How We Do Things Around Here? See Your Grandmother.

My mom taught me how to clean a mean house. Give me your most grim tales of childhood chores woe, and 9 times out of 10 I can beat it.

You had to clean the bathrooms? Oh I'll see your bathrooms, and I'll raise you with weeding, mulching,mowing, and scrubbing the walls.

Maybe your Saturday was comprised of the myths I'm always hearing about: Sleeping in, watching cartoons, going to the movies...At the Anderson house, Saturday revolved around two words.

Chore lists.

My mom could comprise a list of chores divided up into such diverse, complex categories and ranking systems, she could very easily rival top military strategists. I remember it was a large yellow Mead notepad and every kid got their own page. Every chore listed was then sub-categorized with smaller jobs within the bigger job that then needed to be checked off before the job as a whole, could be considered done. You could easily keep track of what you had done by a small box she drew next to each task where you would checkmark it when it was complete and inspected.

Yeah, it was intense.


When most people clean the fridge, they clean the parts you can see. The outside, the inside, the shelves, the drawers, the sides. But did you know that the rubber stripping on the inside of the door has a crevice? Well, my mom does, and it's really hard to clean. But if you take a toothpick and a washcloth, that too can be "spic and span."
There were 7 of us kids. The more kids you have, the more hands to get things done, the more hands you have to get things done, the more jobs you can take on. When I was young I thought my mom and dad must have spent hours plotting behind closed doors of all the things they could dream up for us to do... followed of course, by lots of diabolical laughter.

Now, as an adult, with a household of my own to run, I have noticed two main results to this element of my childhood.

One-I only know how to clean in bulk. Cleaning the house, to me, is something I tackle once a week because I only know how to do it when I devote an entire day and make myself lists of chores and sub-chores, that rank in order of importance and most efficient time management.

Second-I do know how to work. You could never have convinced me when I was 13 that this was either important or a good thing. Thankfully with age comes understanding. I'm not saying I always like it; most of the time I loathe it, but I know how to do it, I know it has to get done, and I know of the pride and sense of accomplishment that I'll have when the task is done.

I mentioned that 9 times out of 10 I can beat people when it comes to childhood chores, and Rhett is that 10 that beats me. He essentially grew up on his grandparents Ranch. Maybe it's just me, but I think if your chores ever include shoveling horse poo, you just win.

Now, enter our children.

Given our backgrounds, we're astounded at what our kids consider "hard labor" and the amount of complaining and griping we get about doing work. I was once lectured by a child who will remain nameless (COUGH! Hannah) that we have 15 stairs, and did I realize that every time I have her put things away, she has to go up and down 15 stairs?! Rhett and I are usually left speechless with our mouths just gaping open.

When we regain the ability to speak, it's usually in a disjointed temper tantrum of disbelief: You-have-no-idea-what it means to work hard! When I was your age, I had the lists--the checkmarks!--and fridge crevices--and---are you friggen kidding me with this stair nonsense?!----for crying out loud child--YOUR DAD CLEANED UP HORSE POO!

Upon calming down and regaining ourselves, we have come to realize that our kids need some serious Old School 101. My thirteen year old self would be astonished to know this, but I believe learning how to work, and appreciating that work is a massive part of life, is one of the most important things we can instill in our kids. So. It's time. I'm pulling out the chore lists. Oh yeah. It's about to get crazy up in here.


What helps you with your kids and chores?

Some of that Saturday joy...







I didn't have any pictures of Rhett on his grandparent's Ranch, but I found a cute one of his sister Heather, feeding the cows.