Get the kids in the game!

Get the kids involved as soon as you can! Aiden has been "helping" with laundry and dishes since he was about 22 mos old. He's 3 now. The help they offer may not really be that helpful, and it may make the task take longer, but in the end they will eventually learn the routines and they will become self sufficient in areas that will help them and mom & dad down the road!

A perfect example-and so glad I snapped a photo of this tonight...Aiden likes to help put dishes away. He had to take an early bath due to a mess he made (lol) and after his bath I sat him on the couch to warm up in his towel and I decided to unload the dishes. He heard the sounds of dishes being put away and came in to help me. He refused to get dressed first when I told him "Go get on your jammies" because I'm guessing he knew I would get it done before he got back!

So...in his towel dress he helped stack the kids cups together for me, he put up the spatulas and rubber scrapers in the drawer, put the silverware away, and stacked the ramekins from tonights applesauce!

I also suggest you put the baby in a high chair if you can and give the baby something to do for 5-15 minutes while you do the small stuff, like clearing the table, wiping down the counters, etc. The baby could color, or play with a puzzle, etc. in the high chair.

The toddler can either help you with small stuff, which will totally make him feel big and important, or you can give the toddler a bowl and spoon to pretend to cook while you clean up in the kitchen. It's the little things we moms need to learn in order to give us 5-15 mins of uninterrupted time to get the jobs done!

I take advantage of bath time with Aiden to clean up the bathroom while he plays in the tub. I'm already in there, so I spend a few minutes washing him and playing and then I move onto cleaning stuff while he plays with bath toys.

Naptime is a nother big one. I can do the hustle during a nap time! It's a great time to get stuff done, and if housework is caught up I steal naptime for a good book, to watch a show on TV, or to spend some time talking with a friend.