A Fortunate Turn of Events

We, like all sane parents, give chores to our kids.  We have a little chart on which we keep up with what the chores are, whose turn it is to do what, who doesn't do their chores, etc...

One of the kids' chores is always "Clean up the kitchen after lunch."  (Lunch is our big meal of the day - it's a Brazilian tradition.)  The kids LOVE this chore.  Just as much as I LOVED it when I had to do it everyday after supper as I was growing up.

 My sister and I cleaning the kitchen together, sometime in the early 80's.

(I hope you are hearing my sarcasm here, they really hate this chore.  I wasn't too fond of it either.)  Anyway.... During the summer months, the kids (obviously) aren't in school and so they have been helping cook lunch, also.  I decided that if someone helps cook, then they should be exempt from the cleaning up afterward.  So the chore list now says:  "Cook lunch or clean up afterward."

 Well, you would not believe the race to cook, or help cook, lunch.  They are getting out cookbooks, planning meals and giving me grocery lists.

We have eaten (so far), chicken spaghetti with roasted vegetables, ranch chicken with mashed potatoes and cornbread,  orange chicken in the crockpot, hamburgers, homemade pizza, chocolate sheet cake, blackberry cobbler, apple pie, brownies, and more that I can't even remember right now.  They even set the table.

And, funny thing, all of a sudden some who kind of want to pick at each other all the time are best buds when they are the ones getting to cook together.  (like they say, politics makes strange bedfellows.)

All of this to avoid having to clean up afterward.

Bronwyn has been taking French class for the past two weeks, so she is gone during the cooking time and hasn't been able to help.  Everyday when she comes in the house, the cooks of the day give her a smug smile and say "You get to do the dishes today!".  She loves that.

When they all start back to school, I'll be back to the normal routine of cooking every day.  But for now, I'm enjoying the extra help.  Moms are exempt from the chore list, so even if I don't cook lunch, I don't have to help clean up.  Hey, I'm just doing what my mom taught me!  Kind of a mother's privilege.  I deserve it.