Clean up time

I love learning through natural consequences. Tonight all the kids scattered after supper so they could avoid cleaning. This happens every night and it drives me crazy! Honestly they are so stealthy about it, I take my plate into the kitchen to rinse it and put it in the dishwasher, I turn around to the table and presto!...all kids are gone...silently. This is the only thing they do silently. No that's a lie, they also find and eat all sugar products in the house silently. 

Anyway, they were gone, I was peeved. 

So, it just so happened that there were some brownies in the oven (thanks to Emma who asks to make brownies almost daily...asks...not actually makes). I decided a lesson with kind of natural consequences was due. I called the kids over and over and over and over and over to come help clean up. Two kids came. Emma and Will did the dishes and put them away, loaded the dishwasher and collected any stray dishes around the house. Then we sat to play cards. When the brownies were done the little sniffers came out from hiding to feast. They were quite upset that only the cleaners got the treats. But I held strong...and ate my brownie.

Twenty minutes later was bedtime. I went to see how the twins were doing with their nightly routine and was met with a sign on their door in Michael's writing. It said, "Mom is not allowed in Allison and Michael's room ever again. If mom comes in she has to clean up the whole room herself." I sensed some anger in my brownie loving boy. Nathan started to take the sign down and explain that this was not okay and the kids could not ever treat mom that way. I stopped him before he could get it out. I smiled at Michael who was standing there in his pajamas and said, "that's okay Mike, it time for bed so since I can't come in your room I can't read you a story...goodnight." and I closed the door. I love natural consequences. 

About two minutes later Michael opened the door and took off the sign and threw it in the garbage.