Thursday, December 01, 2005

My Son's Idea Of Pre-Rinsing The Dishes...


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All of our kids have chores to do. The basic jobs of dishes, laundry, and kitchen cleanup fall to them on a rotating basis. There is a little chart on the fridge so everyone knows their duties.

The problem lately is...basketball season. We have Emma cheering, Kate on the girl's team and cheering, and Jr. playing on the middle school team. Basketball season is not like football season. Football is a Friday night thing. Predictable. Reasonable.

Basketball games are played on 3-4 nights per week, with practice on the inbetween evenings. The games are stacked so that we don't finish until past 9 pm. Then it's 20 miles home for homework, supper, and chores. Madness.

With such a schedule, shortcuts must be found and we have found it necessary to assign chores to our dogs as well as our children. Flounder has chipped in with his potcleaning skills.

Good dog, Flounder, good dog!
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11 comments:

Thunder said...

What a good dog! Our cat chipped in on the dusting for the holidays. She was sort of minding her own business, laying on the piano bench in the sun, and I thought why not. No more dust on that piano bench!

Anonymous said...

There are so many untapped resources. At my former job, when I had to host "tours" for local grade schoolers, I always wanted to spray their little backsides with a dusting compound as they came in the door, because invariably, they ended up scooting through every bit of accumulated dust in the place!

robin andrea said...

It's nice to see the whole family get involved. Such a good dog doing his share.

That is quite a schedule, FC. I don't know how parents (or kids for that matter) can manage.

Deb said...

Good dog! I'm sure he's more than happy to pitch in.

I've avoided the organized sports rush thus far, but yesterday my daughter said she wants to play soccer, and my older son eats, sleeps, and breathes baseball...uh ohhh....

Suzanne said...

Good dog Flounder, good dog.

This is certainly a busy times in your lives. It won't be long before they're in college ($$$$) and scatter to the four winds, so enjoy as best you can while it lasts.

Four several years my kids were in competition level gymnastics, practicing three days per week - of course DIFFERENT days! We live way out too - it's 9 miles to anything and almost 20 miles to the gymnastics place.

It's pretty quiet and lonely when they leave. Sigh.

Anonymous said...

I need that dog. My dishwasher is rebelling because I keep treating it simultaneously like a garbage disposal.

When Abby was playing basketball and lacrosse and Dan was touring with the high school jazz band life was chaotic and hard to put on a schedule. I'm with Zanne- it gets very quiet all too soon- so holidays when they pile in from college are great.

20 miles- you're out there! That's a lot of driving. I suspect your setting makes it worthwhile.

Karen Schmautz said...

Ha! That is a great picture. We do the very same thing in our home. Great minds and all...

We drive less miles (about 16), but it takes me 30 minutes to get to my daughter's school and 35 minutes to get to church. I love where I live, but it is an ordeal to get to civilization.

swamp4me said...

Well duh, that's what dogs are for! ;) That and unconditional love...

R.Powers said...

ThunderD,
I knew there must be some use for cats...

OA,
I remember polishing my Nana's bannister with my jeans.

RD,
You hit the nail on the head. Parent's are always full of selfdoubt as to the job they are doing. My concern is that they have time to just be. Just be free, just be a kid while it lasts. They have chosen their activities and we have supported rather than pushed, so they seem to have it all balanced in a positive way.

DPR,
15 miles to the nearest town. It's small with about 3000 souls. 20 miles to work and school, 45 miles to nearest real city with all the big stores, restaurants, etc.
...and yes, Flounder is quite skilled at the art of pot licking.

Deb,
Hang on, it's one hell of a ride!

Zanne and Vicki,
I hear you both and I am refusing to accept that my Katie turns 18 in 11 days...sigh.

Hick,
I know, but it's worth it, isn't it.

Swampy,
You know dogs.

Anonymous said...

The good thing about cats is that they have rough tongues and can get things REALLY clean - why, you almost don't have to wash them afterwards!

The only thing cats won't eat is dog poop; the reciprocal isn't true.

Anonymous said...

works for me everytime almost clean enough to put back in the cabinet