Huey, Dewey and Louie and a Box of Trix

Okay... I understand that boys must play and discover... I get that! I also get that with three small boys in the house, I am NEVER really going to have a super clean home for more than 5 minutes after the housekeeper leaves. Actually, they start to trash the upstairs as she's working on the downstairs... OY! So goes my life. However, I was unaware of exactly how much fun a box of Trix could be as a tool to trash the (mostly) clean house right after housekeeper leaves. So, because I am a fan of lists, here is a small sample of all the fun a box of Trix can bring when you are short, male, and really, really creative!

1. Let's start with the obvious.... Trix are just plain yummy. Except the yellow ones. For some reason the yellow ones are to be shunned while the orange ones are devoured. (what? this is a surprise to you?)

2. Once you've had your fill of eating all the orange ones and shunning the yellow... It's super fun to watch them cascade from the box and bounce all over a (formerly) super clean kitchen floor. If you can get away with pouring the ENTIRE box on the floor... that's even better!

3. Once the "pellets" have stopped bouncing all over the no-longer-clean kitchen floor, it is entertaining to drive Thomas and his friends through them, pretending that the pellets are giant boulders ready to derail an unsuspecting train.

4. After you've become bored with derailing trains, it's fun to flick the tiny little balls of yummy goodness like marbles.

5. During this creative play time... it's also good to eat them right from the floor. "What?... the floor is (er... was) clean, mom!" They just seem to taste better right off the floor anyway.

6. Eventually, after you've had your fill of Trix du floor, there is more fun than imaginable right there under your feet. It's AWESOME to stomp them and create an entire room of Trix dust! There really is nothing more entertaining when you're four. (um.. or two... or one!)

7. When you are finished pretending to be a GIANT Trix-stomping toddler, there is much amusement to be had if you just lay right there in the middle of the Trix dust facing your brother, and blow Trix dust into your brother's face. (This can provide HOURS of entertainment... or minutes anyway!)

8. Trix dust on a hard wood floor is slippery...so eventually you will discover it's SUPER FUN to run and slide across a floor covered in Trix dust like an indoor slip-in-slide without the water. It's really fun if you spread the dust out as much as possible and see who can slide the furthest. Chances are one of you will be able to slide the entire length of the entry hall and slam yourself against the front door.

9. Trix dust is really yummy if you just lick it straight off the floor.

10. When mom has finally had enough and brings out the vacuum with instructions to "clean up every last spec of Trix dust" it's amazingly fun to feed any remaining pellets into the super suction Dyson one at a time, all the while pretending the Dyson is going to suck your entire arm up too. This NEVER gets old!

11. Since mom has introduced a new toy (called the Dyson)... it's really fun to wander the house with this awesome discovery... attempting to suck up everything... including your brother's face!

So the question remains.... "is it worth the money to have someone clean if this is the result only an hour later?". I've come to the conclusion that it really is. Because the point is this... "If you must lick Trix dust directly from the floor, at least it's a clean floor." This somehow gives me comfort. So really... the housekeeper is just my way of assuring their "safety". It's all for them. I'm such a good mom to hire a housekeeper for them! :o)