Compromise

Anyone who has been to our house more than once will know that we struggle to keep the play room cleaned up.  I will often ask the boys to pick up, but it gets so messy that they get overwhelmed, and it is such a battle.  Lately I've been asking them to pick up 10 things, or 20, or 30, every hour or so.  But when there are 200 crayons lying askew on the floor, picking up 10 things at a time doesn't make much of a dent.

I'm trying a new tactic this week. 

This morning at breakfast, I announced to the boys that we were going to make a deal.  I would pick up the entire play room, ALL BY MYSELF, if they would pick up their room, all by themselves.  It sounds like a pretty good deal, don't you think?  There's one small caveat.  The boys are not allowed to be in the newly cleaned up playroom UNTIL their room is completely cleaned up.  And, as many of you know, our computer is in the playroom.  Lego.com is in the playroom.  Curious George online is in the playroom.  I'm hopeful that the incentive to use the computer again will be enough to get the boys' room picked up.  And if not, I'm going to have a refreshingly clean playroom for days on end!!!