“The last fling of winter is over … The earth, the soil itself, has a dreaming quality about it. It is warm now to the touch; it has come alive; it hides secrets that in a moment, in a little while, it will tell.”
– Donald Culross Peattie
It’s that time of the year, again. The birds wake us with a song, the scent of grape Hyacinth hangs in the air, and the breeze finally blows warm. Yes, there she is, – Mother Nature! She is telling us that it’s time to clean out closets.
Um…I beg your pardon?
I really can’t tell you what it is about spring that ignites the desire in people to dive into that breeding ground of dust bunnies. All I know is, the other day I was about to come out of my skin I wanted to clean so badly. I don’t know if it’s ever been scientifically proven, but there must be something in our genes -the warm body/clean house gene, or something like that. Does everyone have it? I’m not sure, but check with me later because I am doing my own science experiment in my home. I’m testing to see whether or not my children have the gene. Either way, they will clean. Either way, I’m using this opportunity to teach a lesson.
My kids are spoiled rotten.
There, I said it. I admit it. They go to school, do homework, practice music, play outside, take a shower and go to bed. The most I ask of them during the school week is help unloading the dishwasher, putting away their own laundry and setting the table. Despite the fact I’m easy on them while they need to be focusing on schoolwork, my thought on this matter is this: as a member of the family, it is their responsibility to gladly help when asked. Admittedly, we’re still a little sketchy on the “gladly” part. “Here are my hands, how can I help,” is a phrase they are very familiar with. Spring allows them an opportunity to really discover the meaning of that phrase {I honestly tried to write that line without too much of a sense of delight}.
Quite frankly, it takes effort and sometimes very hard work to run a household. As future adults, they need to have an understanding of this. Work is work and nothing we do will change that, but it doesn’t mean we can’t make it fun.
“There’s no use in grumbling, when raindrops come tumbling. Remember you’re the one who can fill the world with sunshine.” –Snow White
What else do springtime trills and birdsong remind us of? Why, Disney princesses of course! I remember being a young girl, cleaning my room and pretending to be Cinderella. It made the time pass quickly, and before I knew it, my room was sparkling! I would even put on a dress and listen to the soundtrack on my little record player. I have implemented the same ideas with my own children. I will gladly play the part of the evil stepmother for an afternoon if it means no more clutter!
Disney has given us the gift of several songs to help move things along. My girls and I usually just sing them ourselves, but having them on CD would certainly do the trick. Some examples are “Whistle While you Work,” “The Happy Working Song,” and “With a Smile and a Song.” These will surely get you going with a beam on your face!
My goal is to teach my children the importance of politely doing their part as members of a family as well as offering their services as residents of a community. So many opportunities are out there! Kids are certainly able to volunteer at a food pantry, or animal shelter. They can rake the yards of the elderly or offer to walk the dogs of the ill. With some very helpful Disney princesses like Cinderella, Snow White, and Giselle as excellent examples of those with servant hearts, I think this lesson is an easy one!
Dust bunnies, here we come! Just let me just grab my tiara first!
Contributed by: Ami B. (NDM#381) Ami is the DDL Ethics and Marriage Blogger. She is also the creator of Disney Park Goddess.
Princess Ami grew up going to Disney World when it was young and very small in comparison to today. It was a “World” that spanned only the Magic Kingdom resort area and the E-ticket was king! Disney World grew and Ami did with it, savoring every moment and change. Now that they are both knocking on 40, Magic Kingdom does its Disney magic with 3 more parks. It’s probably not a coincidence that Ami now experiences that new magic with 3 more princesses in tow. The girls are growing up addicted to the magic just as their mom did. Married to Prince Scott, Ami is gradually converting him over to the pixie dusted side! In addition to writing Disney infused blogs like www.disneyparkgoddess.blogspot.com and www.faithtrustandpixiedusted.blogspot.com, Ami is a singer in her Virginia church’s contemporary praise band and a self-proclaimed foodie.
Ahhh, Ami, I love this! Your house sounds very familiar to my house. My kids are always complaining that “we always have to clean”. I just set up my iPod with the 3 “working songs” you mentioned and started playing them and said “hey guys, lets clean up the living room real quick while these fun songs are playing”. Hairy eyeball central. Guess it’s gonna take a while! LOL! 🙂
What a good idea, Jackie! Like a “ten minute tidy” only to Disney music! Short enough to use when you just need to straighten up before bedtime ~ I love it! I think they’ll get used to it 😉