Sometimes, you need to add more index cards.

When I started The List, I told them that by “tidy” I just wanted to be able to look in the room and not want to cry. As the kids have started getting the hang of making the bed and then hiding all the mess behind the bed, it was clear it was time to up the ante. And so, this reminder hangs in each of their rooms now:

I’m trying not to ask for too much… but I hope that by laying out some basic benchmarks, they’ll gradually learn some good habits. So far, Himself is meeting these criteria on 5 out of 7 days. Herself? Not so much. A confession: I’m not really meeting them all on a regular basis, either. We’re all in this together.