kids cleaning their rooms - the never ending battle!

Ah, the always present, messy kid room. The bane of all mother's exsistance. I'm wondering if cavekids had messy rooms too, you know, a pile of leaves under their sleeping mat, some old animal bones strewn across the floor like prehistoric Legos?? Anyway, silly me, I tried to tame the messy kid rooms in my house, what was I thinking?

We were at the library and Marci wanted to check out a movie. "Fine, but you have to clean your room before you watch it." Ok, and into the check-out pile it goes. Max comes up with a movie and gets the same response, he promptly turns on his heel and puts the movie back on the shelf! Ellen never even tried, she knows better.

So, Monday Marci asked for my help cleaning her room. I really would rather help and then I know that all the trash is actually thrown away and items are really put away. We pitched in and by nightfall her room was spic and span and rearranged to her liking. Several loads of laundry to do, but for the most part it's DONE! Max tackled his too and it is way better, but still has some clutter to pick up/throw away/put away, and a load or two of laundry. But Ellen, oh my sweet little Ellen . . . . she spent more than an hour sorting out tons of little Polly Pocket purses, shoes and tiny accesories!!!!! Her room is still a pig pen, but she wants me to be all excited about her "progress" . . . . . . . seriously! I helped some yesterday and got more done in an hour than she has in two days. Her version of cleaning is to move stuff in piles on her floor, over to the other side of the room, but still in piles on the floor. I guess the concept of put away does not exsist in her creative little world *sigh*. Us working together in her room always ends in bickering and fighting and tears on her part. So an hour is about all we're good for. Maybe tonight's hour will be even more productive - perhaps we can find her bed ;)