What a Great Helper!

Alexandra just LOVES helping me around the house - and hey - I won't complain about it. Any time I am doing some housework she wants to help. After dinner tonight she was playing with her Little people and I said that I was going to do some dishes. She immediately got up from what she was doing and came over and went right to the dishwasher. I was going to hand wash dishes but since she was over here I emptied out the dishwasher that already had dishes in it. She just loves unloading/loading it up. She opens it by herself and pulls out the drawers and each time she does I tell her not to touch anything until I get out all of the knives and other sharp objects. If I happen to miss a knife she will say " ohhh a knife!" and will just point to it. (I have never forgotten real sharp knives, only butter knives).

So she starts emptying out the dishwasher. As she pulls things out she names them. Here's the spatula, Here's the tongs, and yeah she uses the correct names. She is with me cooking in the kitchen alot and we always talk about what I am doing. If she doesn't know what she is pulling out I tell her what it is and she repeats it. She has such a good memory that chances are she will remember the names next time. She doesn't pick out the plates or bowls or glasses because she knows they are breakable. She'll even say "that's breakable!"

After she gets out her bowls and cups she actually puts them away where they go. I put all of her food containers on a bottom cabinet - I did this because I know she likes to pretend and play with them and stack them and stuff and this was like "her cabinet" that she could play in. So when she pulls out a bowl of hers I say - you know where it goes - put it with your bowls - and she will walk over, open the cupboard and put it in the plastic bin. She will also name the silverware and when she comes to one of hers she says "MY fork!"

What was funny today though was that some of the things had some water left over from the dishwasher and as she was getting it out it dripped on the floor. She said " Oh know - it's wet!" and then she got a dish towel that was hanging and went over and was wiping up the floor and said "I'm cleaning!" I just laughed when she did that because I though she was just going to wipe her hands - if she has something on her hands she always wants them wiped or dried off.

So when she is older, I'm thinking that loading/unloading the dishes will be a great chore for her!

She also helps me with the laundry. Whereas before when she was a baby she would throw the clothes all over now she will now take the clothes out of the dryer and put the clothes into piles - Mommy's clothes and her clothes. ( I prompt her but she is great at following the directions). She even helped by carrying her clothes to her room.

She loves throwing things in the trash too. I still don't really like her to do that right now just because of germs but this morning we were sharing a banana and after I took the peel off when we were done I had it in my hand and I said "this is garbage" and she took it from me and said "I throw it away" and took it to the garbage can. I thought that perhaps it would not make it there but sure enough as I checked she did put the peel into the garbage can. Now she is wanting to throw away her diapers when I am done changing them. Here is where I draw the line!!! haha.

I am hoping that love of wanting to help continues to when she is older and I say "Clean your room" and she does it without hesitation. We shall see if that happens in about 5 years!