#16 - Cleaning House by Kay Wills Wyma

This was one of those books that I kind of backed myself into.  I had meant to transfer a light and fluffy book to my audiobook files but, for some reason, the sync to my iphone didn't go as planned.  As a result I turned to my library's online audiobook offerings and found "Cleaning House: A Mom's 12 month Experiment to Rid Her Home of Youth Entitlement" by Kay Wills Wyma.  It was a God thing.  It had to have been.  This book addressed so many of the issues I had been struggling with between both my three year old and my eight year old.  The "I can't - you do it for me" attitude.  The whining, complaining, eye rolling and disrespecting of others and of their toys.  I was tired of yelling, cajoling, standing over them and finally doing it myself.  Until I read (listened to) this book.

Wyma takes you through an experiment with her and her five kids where she adds mandatory responsibility to each of her children each month for a year.  Each month carried a theme such as, cleaning rooms, cooking for the family, gainful employment, laundry and cleaning bathrooms.  All tasks that can overwhelm even the most organized moms and leave Stay At Homes exhausted at the end of bedtime.  Her story resonated with me because she, too, is a recovering slob.  I have always kept my spaces "clean but cluttered" so it really gave me the attitude as I went through this book that, if she can do it - so can I!

If you have kids - you need to read this book! If you don't have kids but are planning to in the future, read this as a preemptive strike! If you don't have kids and don't want any, read it anyway - it may just change your approach to work around your own home.

If you would like to see what my family is doing as a result, feel free to visit my personal blog at http://scrapandsniff.blogspot.com and click on the Tag word "Cleaning House"

Goodreads Rating: 5 stars
In Progress: Cutting for Stone (yes still)
On Deck: Lot's of things...I still have readers A.D.D.