Train, teach, help - isn't that what we Moms do?

So far, so good with the boys' rooms. Daelyn is taking great pride in keeping his spotlessly clean. This morning, after breakfast, he had to hurry back to his room to put away his box of Lord of the Rings trading cards (which he left out on his game table) before I "inspected".

Lest you think I'm way more OCD than I am, both boys are demanding that I inspect their rooms daily. They're so proud of the care they're taking with them, "inspection" is a way of showing it off and getting that much-desired pat on the back.

I took the railing off Dane's top bunkbed (we moved him to the bottom, which is much easier to make) and removed the ladder, which is stored neatly between his closet door and his bin shelf for when we need it. His Rubbermaid bin full of balls and his laundry hamper are in his closet. The ONLY furniture in his room, other than his bunkbeds, are his dresser, his air purifier (a MUST with Dane's asthma), and his bin shelf. Last night, he told me that he wants to clean out all his bins after school today, which would be great. We use these for books, small toys, and miscellaneous "stuff". They need to be cleaned out at least once a month.

I'm re-teaching both boys how to make their beds. It seems they've forgotten. And I'm working with both of them to train them to stand at the door of their room, look around, and notice anything out of place. If they can train their eyes to pick up on the little things, we'll have won a huge victory and two women will thank me in future years.

They're both very pleased with their new rooms and I'm pleased with the condition of the two rooms. My nephew felt very strongly that we needed to put the boys together back when we rebuilt, which was part of the reason we took Daelyn out of the spare room to begin with. But their relationship seems to be in better shape now that they're not under each other's feet constantly. Perhaps, in a couple of years, once they've both learned to take better care of their things and be responsible about their rooms, we'll be able to put them back in the same room for their teen years, when they'll need each other the most.

In the meanwhile, much training is needed . . . and happening!