What to expect from your husband and children

Is There Life After Housework? By Don Aslett

On Page 48 of his great book, Don Aslett describes how we can train our children to pick up after themselves - leaving much less cleaning for YOU to do afterwards. He describes two school canteens - in one canteen the dinner ladies clear up in two hours, and the other they take 15 minutes!

Same amount of children... same area... same size of building... but what's the difference? The boss!

"Any lady who clears and cleans up after her husband or kids older than two years deserves the trash she lugs out." (paraphrased)

He provides two suggestions:

1) Refuse to pick up your husband's and children's messes. Insist that they clean it themselves.

2) Write down & display jobs to do.

I purchased a cheap A4 photo frame, and printed out three columns (one for each child) with their names at the top of each column. I put this paper inside the frame and use it as a chore list. I use white board markers which can be rubbed off with a wet cloth.

And for the husband... ask him sweetly to take out the trash - but for all of the big stuff - use your wish list ;)