Go With the Flow

I hope I'm not the only one who has to pretend I'm a ninja simply to unload the dishwasher. I gotta be quick and quiet, or Jude hears me and has to "help". I swear, our dishwasher has some kind of silent alarm that only babies can hear--seriously, it's like a dog whistle for babies! Any time I open the door to unload the dishes, Jude comes running! I'm not sure if it's the sparkly dishes or the potential drums,

 but as soon as he hears the clang of dishes he comes out of his hiding place to "help". 

I've decided this year I'm going to go with the flow. Maybe that should be my new motto? Sometimes it's just easier to let the kids do what they want..to an extent, of course.

Sooo, instead of taking the risk of waking Jude by emptying the dishwasher during nap time today, I went with the flow--Yup, I decided to let him "help".

As you can see, he was very excited.

So here are some tips and tricks (and oh-well's) on letting your toddler help unload the dishwasher:

 ~Remove all breakables and sharp objects. (Duh..)

~Have a "safe" cabinet/drawer--only store unbreakables in there.

~Don't freak out the next time you can't find a certain dish...it's somewhere!

Jude likes to hide our silverware in here..

 ~Your toddler might surprise you! It sure surprised me when Jude started drying dishes!

 Then he knew where these bowls went!

~Sure, you might have to rewash a few dishes that were dropped on the floor (or licked..) 

 but it'll totally be worth it. 

a happy toddler = a happy momma

Right?

So next time, go with the flow! Let your little guy or girl help with the dishes, and let me know how it goes! :)