The Help = The Best

No, this is not a post about the book or movie, though I loved the book and really want to see the movie...guessing it's probably available through On Demand by now since I have not been to a movie in forever.

Tommy is such a good helper around the house for me.  I realize he is only 2 (soon to be 2 1/2 in March), and that may not be the case in 3 or 4 or 10 years, so I'm going to enjoy it for now and take his help. He enjoys sorting the laundry with me, and throwing it into the washer and dryer. He also hands items to me to be folded. He has his own cleaning supplies and gets upset if we don't let him sweep/mop the crumbs on the floor for us to vacuum up. At bathtime/bedtime, Tommy has to be the one to put his clothes in the hamper and also now likes to put his diapers in the Diaper Champ (I think he just gets a thrill running across the hall naked from the bathroom to the bedroom).

He is pretty good about picking up his toys when we say it's clean up time.  Not all the time, but his teachers at school have always told us that he is their best helper when it comes time to cleaning up.

The latest chore that he's added to his list is helping with the dishes - specifically putting dishes in the dishwasher and then emptying them when they are all clean.

Am I crazy for letting my 2 year old handle my Lenox (casual) china? Funny, I've had these dishes since the late 90s before we were even engaged because my Aunt Denise worked at Lenox at the time and had the same dishes, and they made a white kitchen very colorful.  The pattern is a discontinued one called Bedazzled, and as you can see in the pics, they come in a variety of colors. My aunt got me a bunch of pieces through her employee discount, and I also picked up several at the Lenox Warehouse Sale when I used to go to that every year with my mom and sister.  I think the dinner plates cost $1.00 each...which is how i ended up with 18 (yes, 18) casual place settings. So if THE HELP ever drops one, I think we'll still be able to put plates on the table.

Yes, he honestly knew how to stack them and put them together based on their size. And I did not even have to tell him that...definitely my little boy!