Up, up and away!

It’s a whole new world over here. A new record has been set. My house has been clean – really clean and organized – for three days. In a row. What is my secret, you ask? Amelia learned a new concept: away. Prior to this week, “away” referred specifically to the spot by the door where her shoes belong, but on Tuesday as she watched me unload the dishwasher (narrating my every move, as always. After eighteen months I do it in my head even when she’s not around) she kept saying “away.” Eager to reinforce this concept, I took her to her play kitchen and we organized it a bit before she took her bath, after which we revisited the idea of “away” by picking up her bath toys while the water drained.

To be fair, if I wanted her to learn to put things away I had to first make sure everything had a designated resting place, a task I hadn’t yet faced since the Christmas inventory turnover. We moved into this townhouse last May, and Amelia started walking at about the same time we finished unpacking. Consequently, I don’t think there has ever been a time when both floors have been simultaneously organized. Cleaning usually means “hurry up and shove everything in a closet, the in-laws are coming!” Just kidding, my in-laws live 900 miles away and have six kids; I doubt they are impressed at my ability to clean up after my one tiny toddler. But you get the point. Regardless, I am unreasonably ecstatic to report that the concept stuck, and now before we change activities we put things away. It’s almost as much an adjustment for me as it is for her, but I am very pleased with the results. Now if I can only get my husband on board…