The bathroom is clean!

I was certainly not the best mom but when we lived on 40 acres in Missouri (1992 to 2004), it was part of my mission in life to teach my kids to work. I was trying to emulate my Mennonite neighbors who aim to teach their boys to do everything the father can do by age 16 and for the girls to be able to do everything the mother can do by age 16. There were no sexist divisions in our household though. We had, in fairly quick succession, Richard, Alden, Taylor, and Spencer. (Their acronym: RATS—we didn’t get a girl.) They hauled wood and split and cut it when they got old enough. They hauled hay and fed horses and milked the cow and weeded long rows of raspberries and blueberries. But they also had to do dishes and mop floors.

All four of them are such good dads now who help clean the house and change diapers. I am very proud of them, as that was my goal.

My one regret though is that I didn’t teach them to clean the bathroom the way my mom taught me. I’m so sorry I did you this disservice. I can only make up for it by teaching the last four. Today was 16 year old Nathan’s turn. Nathan has been the “inept” one who always wanted to be waited on but this year, that has changed. (He was born with TAPVR—total anomalous pulmonary veinous return but I didn’t know until his father and I separated; Nathan had open heart surgery three years ago and is finally becoming strong like a normal kid.) Nathan did so well cleaning the bathroom! It was practically effortless. Okay, maybe it felt that way because I was mostly talking and pointing. :-) I do have talents and sometimes, I use them.

I picture my mom learning this from her mom or Old Gram (my mom’s grandmother). I am typing this for the benefit of my posterity.

1.  Wipe the entire floor with a paper towel. This gets all the nasty dust and hair. If you have never done this, you will be shocked at what comes off an otherwise clean-looking floor.  Yes, I know you can sweep it but this is how my mother taught me.

2. Fill the sink with hot water. Pour in a couple of tablespoons’ worth of Pine Sol. Or whatever cleaner you like.

3. Dip your rag in the water, wring it out, and wipe down faucet and counter, door knobs, light switch.

4. Using the same sink of water, keep cleaning and wringing your rag; clean toilet seat, cover and all of the outside of porcelain. Scrub inside of toilet with brush.

5. Last, wipe entire floor with the rag.

6.  Clean out sink and you are done.

One of  my childhood memories is walking in the front door and being hit by the smell of pine sol. I knew my mom was upstairs cleaning bathrooms. I have been influenced by FlyLady and switched to Windex so my kids won't have this memory.

That’s right, we didn’t do the tub/shower. That’s a task for a different day. If it’s too big of a job, it will just get procrastinated. Surely I’m not the only one who can procrastinate cleaning a bathroom?? Melody, my dear daughter, you are next. I wonder what kind of bathrooms you’ll encounter in the rain forest of Peru?