Chores.

Not my first choice of a fun Sunday activity, alas the gardens desperately needed tidying and interspersing it with a few games of bat and ball, make it pretty fun.  Rye helped with tidying all the toys in the garden away so I could mow.  I must get him some gardening gloves; he wanted to help pull the weeds up from the drive - but cleavers are spiky and can cause skin rashes, so instead he watched, asked loads of questions and ran around, as little boys tend to.

Now, I'm a firm believer in chores - and that the waldorf way is to also include children in chores, is just added bonus.  A fellow blogger and online mama friend, Fiona over at Living in the Land of Chocolate, posted an entry on her girls helping to clean - and it seems some  people think it's a tad child labourish to do so.  Really?  How bizzare.  How else are children to learn those essential domestic skills?  Do you involve and encourage your kids to help around the house/garden/home office etc - and honestly, with little ones there's not often much encouragement needed, they LIKE to help.

Rye is expected daily to help tidy his toys away.  He's expected to put his plate after meals in the kitchen.  He's expected to take his nighttime nappy downstairs and put it in the wash bag next to the washer... and anything else is bonus.  That we often have music on and the chores are mixed with wrestling, splashing each other with water etc.. means he often gets involved in other chores.. washing windows, the glass panels in the interior doors, helping load the dishwasher and the washing machine.  Helping to prepare meals etc.  After all, how else is he suppose to learn these skills, and as I commented on Fiona's blog, I'll dye of shame if Rye is ever on a "How clean is your home" type of show - you know the one where dirty little toerags haven't cleaned or thrown rubbish away for years and the house is revolting.  Now I'm not a domestic goddess when it comes to cleaniness and I do firmly believe in the health benefits of a bit of dirt.... but there's a big difference between a bit of dust on the shelves and it been a week or so since I last mopped the kitchen floor to a house that is so dirty it ought to be classed a biohazard.

So chores, we've managed a fair bit today, both lawns have been mowed.  The drive has been deforested of boob height weeds (mostly cleavers), logs have been removed from drive to the back garden for sawing, worst of the weeds have been removed from the boarders of the back garden, had a shuffle round with the outdoor toys so the garden, in general, looks tidier.  The kitchen has been cleaned down, alas not the floor as I remembered when I went to do it, that the kids had broken the mop the other week, and I'd broken the mop bucket a wee bit before that.  Oops.  Where's the betterware folks, when you need em, eh?
Laundry was done - and note to self - do not take a meter reading when washing machine is on, it's depressing to see the dial turning like that.

Hehehe, and I would like to say the impulse to do all these chores today was pure domestic pride.. alas, it was more necessity; I have a mama coming to see me tomorrrow about possibly minding her baby come January, when the baby will be 10 months old.  Its a part time arrangement, 2 days a week, so I thought it probably best to have the gardens and drive looking a bit more respectable.

And finally, another fellow blogger and online mama friend has just opened a misi shop selling her beautiful dollies.. for a very reasonable price considering these are hand made and the stuffing is organic wool!

Go have a look here  Beautiful, beautiful... tho it looks like the dolls are selling like hot cakes, so be quick!

Edited to add:  I think I've bought the last doll - so here's a link to Pippa's blog where you can see the dolls:

Pippa's beautiful dolls.