Miss 3 Helps Mummy and why not to buy a washer/dryer

Miss 3 is an incredibly helpful child. I can ask her to do pretty much any household chore and she has got it covered. (Yes, I might have to go over the areas she has vacuumed, but she does a pretty good job). She is particularly handy with hanging washing on the rack. It's got to the point that I can say 'Can you please hang the washing for me?' and she gets it out of washing machine and hangs it all. (Guys, guys, before you freak out at the thought of a 3 year old precariously leaning into a washing machine to get the washing out, I will reassure you that we have a front loader!!!)

Handy Hint Number 8: DO NOT buy a combination washer/dryer. They may seem like a brilliant idea, but they are a painful product invented by someone who has never actually had to do any washing and drying.

OK, I can tell there are some of you who would like an explanation of the above hint. The first time I required the services of a dryer up here I had to wash my sheets and mattress protector urgently before going to bed. There had been a slight accident (NOT FROM ME - for the love!!!!!) Anyway, I put the load on and washed it and came back to put it onto dry and realised you had to press 'Dry' before you washed. ARRGGGGHHHHHHhhhhh! So I had to wash it again and press dry - I pressed 2 hours drying, thinking that would be plenty. Alas NO! After 4 hours (yes that's how long the stupid machine takes to wash/dry) I took out the mattress protector and sheets to discover they were still quite wet. Do you think you can just put them in to dry for another little space of time????? NO. So, I had to start the machine again, from scratch, and wash again and then dry. You could possibly think that would be the end of the story..... well, have you ever known me to tell a short story??!!!! Anyway, the machine unbalances - it makes a funny beeping noise for about 5 seconds - and if you don't get to the machine and re-balance everything within 5 minutes, the machine turns itself off and you have to, you got it......START FROM SCRATCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You can't put a load on at night, because Murphy's Law or something must compel it to unbalance, no matter how balanced it was! Anyway my sheets and mattress protector were extremely clean after being washed 4 TIMES! And that is part of why I do not recommend combined washer/dryers. (If you want more info, feel free to contact me, cause I could go on at length about how bad they are!!!)

Anyway, back to Miss 3 and her help. She is actually pretty good at washing the dishes, dusting, and can even cook! If Mr 2 hurts himself, she runs to him and cradles him in her arms while yelling out 'Mum, quick! He needs you!' Yesterday I was using a dustpan and broom in kitchen, and Miss 3 came in and said 'Mum, well done. You've done a really good job!' (I wonder who she's copying!) And that brings me to:

Handy Hint Number 9: The earlier you get your kids doing chores the better! Make it seem like something fun, and then praise them heaps, and accept it might not be up to your brilliant standards at first, but it will get there eventually!

It would be easy to forget how young Miss 3 is, because she's so capable and helpful, but she is definitely still only 3. The other day when asked by a tradesman what she wanted to be when she grew up, she answered very seriously: 'A duck. I want to go quack, quack, quack.'

I love her.