How many times have we all joked about scuffing around the house in sock feet, picking up dust bunnies and dog fur on the soles of once-clean socks all the while, due to the fact that it never seems to be Anybody’s turn to do the sweeping up? Answer: about a kajillion times.

So what do I see when surfing the internets instead of doing the housework this weekend? Dust mop slippers! Seriously.

Microfiber fluffliness for the feet, toasty toes plus impressively clean floors, all in one swell foop. Throw a little bit of slipper rumba or ballrooom dancing in there, too, and you’ve got super-clean floors and burn off enough calories to justify a second piece of bacon. Bonus, if you’ve got a kitten on the premises, who likes to chase random string-like things, you might even get a little cat exercise into the dustmop action as well.

Where to buy?

This is the Evriholder Slipper Genie for Women (with Bow!) for Woman, one size fits size 6-9, found on Amazon.com – but I think it’s vitally important to note that you can get all kinds of dust mop slippers (who knew?) and they have them for MEN and kids, too. Just mentioning that last bit in passing, y’know…

Whoever actually got off his duff long enough to put “invent cleaning slippers” onto his to-do list is a flipping genius, and I bow graciously (with a little dusting footwork) in his general direction.

Dance while you clean! Listening to music makes an exercise program go better, so why not bop your way through the housework chores, too?

Yes, we’ve harped on this before — the power of blasting Benatar (or whoever) to make cleaning fun and trim down those little rolls of fat around the belly and butt — but a few things came up recently to bring it back to mind:

1. My New Shiny Shoes spotted a CD made for the purpose — Housework Songs — with 42 upbeat songs to get your dustpan in gear.
2. Joey Moggie turned onto my old favourite Montreal radio station, CHOM-FM — Spirit of Rock — and mentioned that they’re streaming the classic rock online.
3. And for the great giggle of truth, Alison May posted the funniest piece over at Brocante Home — The Skinny Housewife — this week’s must read:

… work up a bit of a sweat, go at a steady speed, don’t sit down to debate the rights and wrongs of men with too many wives on Jeremy Kyle/Jerry Springer, stretch more than you need to, jig about with the hoover and your housekeeping music of choice and don’t stop for a “rest”…

Do the things you can’t be bothered to do like cleaning out the cupboard under the stairs and getting in the bath naked and scrubbing the grouting with a toothbrush. Put your bum into it. Make a song and dance out of it. Take the rugs and bash the hell out of them in garden.

It takes effort, but if the thought of a perky bottom gets you through the daily grind, then I say all the better…

Really, go read it.

And then, the very second that you’re done reading, get up and do what the lady says — blast the tunes that get your motor running, and get on with it. Those dust bunnies won’t chase themselves, you know!

While I’m off riding the Tilt-A-Whirl and eating candy apples on the midway at the Exhibition, my good friend Sharon Hurley Hall has kindly offered to share a piece of her practical parenting wisdom. Sharon manages to balance a busy freelance career with busy motherhood — and last time I checked, she still wasn’t locked up in a padded room — so you can see that the woman knows whereof she speaks! ~ Jen

How To Get Your Kids To Tidy Up Without Going Insane

Clean up your room – NOW!

If you don’t want to scream that at your kids every day then you need to make cleaning up fun. There are lots of ways that you can help your children to enjoy the tidying up process, restoring both your living space and your sanity. There are a couple of things you will need first, though.

Getting Arty

Consider getting some clear plastic bins for toy storage. These aren’t very exciting, so get your kids to help to decorate them with stickers, paint or whatever you dare to use. Decide what type of toy is going into each box and get your kids to draw a picture which represents those toys. Stick it onto the visible face of the box so that even when friends come to play, everyone will know where things go when it’s time to tidy up. Your kids will feel better about the process too, as they will be using something that they have created.

Scoring Points

If your house has enough space, consider combining tidying up with a throwing game (non breakable toys only, obviously). I did this the other day with my daughter and two friends. We took the box which holds her plastic blocks, placed it in the centre of the room and took turns throwing blocks into it to score points. We had a great time, and all the blocks were off the floor without me having to mention the words ‘clean up.’

Speed Thrills

Another option at clean up time is to make it into a competition. You’ve got all those toy containers to be filled. Use a kitchen timer to see how many toys the kids can get in the right box before the timer goes off. You can do this a few times before the thrill wears off. And you can offer an extra incentive such as a sticker as a prize for winning the overall competition.

Sharing The Chores

Children will clean up more readily if you help, too. I always ask my daughter which type of toy she will clean up and say which kind I will clean up. So if she offers to tidy away the dolls, then I might put away the play food. I don’t have to put it away quickly, but I do need to do enough so that she knows that I’m taking part.

Choose Your Time

There’s nothing like scheduling clean-up before a favourite television program to make sure that it’s done quickly. That system also works if you are planning an outing and want the room tidy before you leave. (Sneaky, isn’t it?)

Offer A Reward

We all need an incentive now and then, and kids are no exception. Offering a treat such as an extra 10 minutes of television, or a favourite activity the next day can help to sweeten the deal – and their mood. Best of all, it will help get things tidy before you need to scream.

Sharon Hurley Hall is a freelance writer and ghostwriter. Find more of Sharon’s creative writing on Sharon’s writing blog or check out her freelance mentoring blog, Get Paid To Write Online.