How to Get it all Done when you're Sick!

Haha!  Maybe you thought I actually had the answer to this.  Nope!  I've had a terrible cold/flu/respiratory infection/crud/whatever you want to call it for about a week and a half, now.  I'll spare you the gory details, but I haven't felt this bad in a really long time.  The good news is, I've been able to stay awake all day since Tuesday.  Believe me, this is reason to celebrate when I think of what was going on before Tuesday.  The thing I noticed was, when you are home all day by yourself with two little kids and can't get off the couch, nothing actually gets done.  Hmmm.  I mean, nobody starved or anything, although I vaguely remember one meal consisting of pickles, crackers, and raisins on the coffee table with a movie.  Poor Hubby ended up having to do three dishwasher loads of dishes on his day off, when it finally came.  So, I thought, there has to be a better way.

The Idea:  Forced Child Labor!  Why didn't I think of this before?  I have an almost-nine year old and a three year old here.  It occurred to me that if this happens again, they need to be ready to take over.

The Plan:  Teach the kids to cook and clean!

Now, I don't want you to think my kids are helpless.  Here is a list of their current skills:

Rory:  Dress self, put clothes in hamper separated by color, make bed, pick up room, vacuum and sweep, wipe dishes, get breakfast (cereal or toast), bathe self, feed dog, cat, chickens, collect eggs, shovel snow, make sandwiches, get mail from box.

Lily:  Dress self, put clothes somewhere, get in bed, play in room, look cute, wipe 2 dishes, eat breakfast, sit in bathtub, feed dog, cat, self, get things out of pantry and refrigerator, get mail from box.

So, I have once again set up a daily schedule (I know, I know, but I try at least!).  This time, it includes time for me to actually spend teaching each kid to do housework and cooking.  We've been doing it since Tuesday, yes, the day I could actually stay awake, and it's amazing what you can accomplish in 3 days!  Lily has learned how to make her bed and clean her room with only verbal directions from me, and Rory has learned how to completely clean off the dinner table and wash the dishes.  Lily has helped me make quesadillas and egg drop soup,  and Rory made tacos with just a little help (he later claimed that he can make anything, as long as he has a recipe, ingredients, and a mom!)  We also managed to keep the living room cleaned up, get our regular school work done, and make and paint a volcano - and I'm still not feeling quite as good as normal.  We did skip a couple outings that we usually have during the week, but I think we've done pretty well, all told.  I still have to figure in the laundry, though.

Maybe if I don't get sick again for another two years or so, things will go better!