Chores for Johnny

I'm working on reformatting the "Homemaking Tips o' the Day" section of my blog. As I organize, please bear with me as I post these tips in the main section. Soon I will have a link where they will all be together, but for now, you'll have to look at them whether you care to or not!

Because I have nine children, including a set of four-month-old twins, and have opted to live maid-free here in Mexico, the world of cheap labor, I have had to organize a work force peopled by my children. Here is a short list of chores my two-year-old, Johnny, is expected to do.

-Bring me his diaper when he needs to be changed, including wet wipes and bag balm (Don't worry, the thirteen-year-old will be potty-training him this summer. Yay for teenaged girls, even if they are a little moody and sullen at times)


-Throw away his dirty diaper and put away his wet wipes and bag balm

-Pick up his toys and put them in his toy basket

-Wipe up any spills he might make during meal time

-Take his dishes to the sink. We try to use plastic, as he usually ends up pushing them over the edge into the sink

-Wipe his hands and face after a meal

-Unload the silverware from the dishwasher. (Even though Johnny doesn't get each fork, spoon, or butter knife in the correct cubby, he does this just as well as his grandpa, who simply dumps the silverware from the dishwasher basket into the drawer)


-Talk to the babies in their swings or playpen if they are fussy



-Wipe down our stainless steel kitchen trashcan (it usually looks worse after he is finished, but at least he is learning)

-Bring me his clothes and shoes to get dressed in the morning

We'll just leave it at that for now. Perhaps we'll add more when he's three!

P.S. He does wear attire other than Huggies every so often....Johnny, that is.