Breakthrough...

I don't know how things are at your place, but around here there's almost always a mess waiting to get picked up! Sometimes it's in the bedrooms, other times it's in the kitchen (who am I kidding, it's ALWAYS in the kitchen), and then there is the "play" room... I know that's what we call it, but I'm not sure it's possible to use that room for "play" about 99.9% of the time. Unless you were playing FEMA disaster assessment, or maybe tornado alley? That would be fun... right?
Whatever you call it, the kids don't seem to mind. That is until I tell them it's time to clean up. Then there is much wailing and gnashing of teeth (I thought it sounded good), also some screaming, panicking, and plenty of blaming to go around. Sometimes it will take them literally all day to clean it up. That sounds worse than it actually is, believe me when I say that I get the raw end of the deal. They usually spend all day pretending to clean (while they are actually playing) and I spend ALL day nagging and making empty threats - "If you don't get this cleaned up in the next 20 minutes, I'm going to [fill in the blank] and I MEAN IT THIS TIME!" Bottom line, when Dad pulls in the driveway after work they kick into high gear and it's clean in less than 10 minutes! SERIOUSLY!
Believe me when I say that I have tried everything. I tried the "set the timer" trick, and I tried rewarding them, I've tried punishing them. I tried the "monkey see, monkey do" trick also (this is where you clean alongside them and then they just start doing it with you - following your example. Let me tell you that this does not work if your kids possess even a tiny smidgeon of genius! They will work as slowly as humanly possible while watching with carefully contained glee as YOU clean the entire room right before their very eyes.
Yesterday I told the children that they couldn't go out and play with friends until it was clean. Just as Will was starting in on his famous "But, that will take FOREEEEEEEVER" wail, I looked up and saw my camera. Then I had one of those lightbulb moments... a breakthrough at last! I asked the kids to take the camera downstairs and take a before picture and an after picture and bring it up to me when there was a noticeable difference (note that I didn't even say it had to be all clean - just different), then I would let them go play. Well, I don't know if it was the excitement of using the "forbidden" camera (I never let them touch it) or if it was fun trying to see the difference on the screen. But whatever it was... IT WORKED! They wanted to see a big difference so they (without me even nagging, crying, and otherwise acting insane) cleaned up the whole room by themselves - and they did it quickly too boot! Forgive me for boasting, but I am just loving myself right now!

Here is the before shot...


And here is the after...

Of course even the most genius of ideas can backfire.

This is the "before" picture Liv took of my office (really I'm sorting through years of pictures... don't ask)...

And yes, it looks EXACTLY THE SAME today...