How do you make what you “have to do” (otherwise known as WORK) fun?

A short (well, maybe not so much...) story for your entertainment….

In keeping with my question for today’s consideration…..

We have decided on a course of action for our after supper kitchen clean-up.

Our Dear Daughter #1, has had some issues with attitudes toward work. She comes by it honestly….as we have also discussed on this blog before…..

We have been ahead in most of our schooling in the past month or so….except one area where we are drastically behind-our Sonlight (our curriculum that we use for History, Geography & Culture). This curriculum (which is by far my favorite of anything we do) is all taught from literature.

As a teacher w/ History & English minors, and as someone who reads just about anything I can get my hands on….I’m sure you can see why I love this part of school……

So why are we behind here?

Well, all this reading takes time & organization…..or a better way of putting it is……time organization.

But, I digress….

This is also Ana’s favorite part of school…& it was just being forgotten….

She needs to learn how to WILLINGLY work with her hands (Proverbs 31).

She needs close supervision while doing her work.

We need to read together.

After a long day, the LAST thing I want to do is jump up & clean up the kitchen from supper.

Anyway, the other day….a flash of brilliance hit me!

(or really…..I’m sure the idea did come from above-but not a bolt of lightening…….probably has more to do with the praying I mentioned the other day…)

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So…..all that to say….

I now sit at the kitchen table & read while she cleans up.

(the stack that never gets any smaller!)

So, this is one way we have made work fun…..

But, yesterday brought about an opportunity for me to do "what had to be done" w/ an attitude of making it fun as well….

It was at the very end of the reading/cleaning time…..when I told Ana to run the garbage disposal…..yeah…keep reading…

No, food didn’t explode all over the (now clean) kitchen….

Instead…..horrors!

That vital part of our kitchen (since we have no dog….ha! ha!!!) gave off the sound you know is trouble…..and started to groan…..

Something was stuck in there…..

I reached my hand down inside (which I read later in the fix-it-manual you should never do….but really, let's face it, do YOU always unplug your disposal to grab out that mangled spoon????)

& came up with….NOTHING!!!!

Huh? How does that happen?

So, my hubby, rescuer of all damsels in distress, came to our aid.

After dragging out what he needed to from under the sink & getting to the disposal, he disconnected the entire thing to get at what was inside.

We procured a flashlight, & were finally able to see what was lodged in the side.

A SCREW!!! What?

How did a screw end up in the sink unbeknownst to me????

Placing the disposal on the floor, we Dave & I both tried sticking our hands in there to get the screw out…..but it was lodged fast.

And all we got out of that attempt was, well…..hands that were…..let’s just say, in need of a wash….

So, where do I turn on water to wash my hands?

The kitchen sink!

Oh, wait, there is a big gaping hole where the disposal should be!!!!

The disposal is on the kitchen floor!!!!

Do you ever feel like your hands won’t move as fast as your brain is telling them to move?

That’s how I felt with the water pouring into the cabinet under the sink!

After the flood of the kitchen was averted, I hopelessly burst into laughter…..& realized, this comedy of errors was at the very least making this job that had to be done-fun!

We then got out a pair of needle nosed pliers & got the screw out of the disposal through teamwork & muscle, & the disposal back in place & running, much to my delight!



So, all that to ask you….how do you make work fun? For you & for your kids?

I’m off to fold laundry….the bane of my existence…..made much more fun by doing it in front of the TV, watching some of my favorite shows….thanks to my dear hubby TIVOing them for me….

(did you know that Microsoft WORD thinks that “TIVOing” needs to be spelled “Diving?” Ha!! Ha!!!)

Any ideas??? Let’s share!