Killing Cinderella

I have started to give the twins more responsibility around the house. I would like to say that I have carefully thought out this new stage in our lives, that I took their skills and abilities into consideration while presenting them with age-appropriate chores that I consistently enforce. But that would be a lie.

Truthfully, I run around this house like Cinderella cooking, cleaning, wiping, and tidying. I do this all day long, every single day. The house never gets cleaner because I live with four hurricanes (yes, I have included Dan, despite the fact that he participates in cleaning). As I finish cleaning up the kitchen, Hurricane Katie will have created a "nest" in the living room made out of various items. Hurricane Bethie will have gone upstairs to look for treasures (aka junk) to bring downstairs to add to Katie's nest. Wee Sarah walks and drops. She leaves a trail of rubble behind her. I walk into the living room and lose my mind!

I yell. Loudly. I tell the children that they are killing me slowly! I can't possible keep up! I need some help! Three little faces look up at me like I've asked them to tap dance on the ceiling. Then they go back to whatever they were destroying. I demand that they pick up their toys. The twins cry and shout back, "We're not Cinderella!". Ummmm....obviously not! I'm Cinderella!

The other night, I cracked. I was too tired to yell. As I watched my family enjoy their ice cream and participate in pleasant conversation, I plotted my attack. I went to the front door and picked up the Christmas lights that Dan promised to put away months ago. I picked up several toys. Then I threw everything out. Dan went berserk. He said, "If you throw those lights out, I won't buy any more". Really? Because I absolutely love having the lights up until March and then on my front step until May. What on Earth would we talk about next year if we didn't have me saying "Please put the lights away" followed by Dan's response of "Later"? I'm willing to find out.

The children didn't like having their toys thrown out. I put the timer on the microwave and said that they had three minutes to clean up or everything gets tossed. They finished their ice cream before they started cleaning. I can't even begin to tell you how much that annoyed me. It was their way of saying "Later". AHHHH! But everyone did clean up. Everyone, except for me. I felt slightly better.

The victory was short-lived. I am still Cinderella. One day, I aspire to be Snow White. Eventually, the dwarfs appreciated her efforts!