Tomorrow we’re going on a camping trip.

If at all possible, I like to get our house in order before we head out of town. Knowing I will return to a tidy home makes it a little easier to accept the fleeting nature of an awesome vacation!

Usually I’ll stay up late the night before a trip to fold laundry, clean up, and pack. During waking hours, my kids are not particularly interested in manual labor, and I’m not particularly interested in multi-tasking with them underfoot!

But today, we tried this game:

Mommy is the queen, and I give the orders. If you follow all of my orders without complaining, then you can watch a Disney movie of your choice.

We’re not above bribery around here.

The game started with a snack. Remember to feed your subjects, or they’ll eat you!

The queen’s orders included:

Carry bags and toys from the car into the house.
Sort the stack of books teetering off the shelf.
Return stuffed animals to their home in the play room.
Choose 3 stuffed animals to give away to other children.

I am pleased to report that all of my orders were fulfilled! We had a little trouble with item #4, because “these are my best friends I ever had, Mommy.” Anyway, it’s feeling like the queen reigns supreme around here (for now).

Now the big girls are watching Aladdin while the baby naps. (On a separate note — my heart swells when I see my kids laughing at the comic genius of Robin Williams as the Genie. We will always cherish you, Robin!)

Later on, my five-year-old decided (without being “ordered”) that it was time to sort and organize the toy kitchen. Our fourteen-month-old has been the chef-in-residence lately, so this area is basically a disaster zone.

When I noticed Grace sorting away, we had a chat.

Mom: What do you think will happen when Megan finds this?

Grace: (frowns) She will mess it all up.

Mom: Haha! You’re probably right. How many times do you think I have cleaned up after you?

Grace: Probably one hundred times!

Mom: But when you make a mess, I know you’ve been having fun. So what does it mean when Megan comes over and ruins your tidy kitchen?

Grace: (smiles) She was having fun. So I guess I’ll just clean it up again.

JOY!

To quote the Genie: “[They] CAN be taught!”