The House Fairy Strikes Again

I heard about the House Fairy in some of the emails that I've been getting from flylady (my attempts at getting more organized). Anyway, I checked out her website (http://www.housefairy.org/) and thought it was a good idea.

The House Fairy is Santa's younger sister who was born with wings. She was going to go to Tooth Fairy college, but because she was so unorganized and messy, she didn't have the grades. She got really sad. One day Santa called her to cheer her up and asked her to be his helper to make sure that children's rooms were clean; but she would need to learn to keep her room clean if she was going to check other children's rooms. Once she cleaned up her room, she was sooooo much happier and loved being in her room. Now she goes around checking the rooms of children whose parents sign them up for her services. If the room is clean, she leaves a surprise. If it's not clean, you will only see the fairy dust that shoots out of her wand, but no surprise.

I figured for only $13 it was worth a try. Maddy especially has a hard time keeping her room clean. So 2 weeks ago, after I signed up, we watched a couple of the little video clips that the House Fairy has made. We watched the story of how she came to be, about her magic wand, and how sad she is if she can't leave a surprise in your room. My kids were soooooo excited and wanted to clean their rooms right that instant! Maddy said she was sooooo excited that she could hardly breathe! Well the boys got their room cleaned up right away. Maddy has quite a bit more accumulated in her room and she got everything out to sort. Well of course she couldn't get it all done in one night, but she kept working on it. The "House Fairy" sent them a letter explaining the rules of a clean room. She came in a few days and left the boys some bubbles and a note for Maddy to keep up the good work. The next time she came Jacob had left his room messy in the morning, but Bryson cleaned it up in case the H. F. came, but not Jacob's clean clothes that were in a pile to be put a way. This time it was Jacob who missed out on a surprise. No one has forgotten to put dirty clothes in the hamper or clean clothes away since! It's amazing! Maddy even got rid of a laundry basket full of toys and things she wants to give away and a whole huge trash bag full of stuffed animals. Now it will be easier for her to keep her room clean, plus you never know when the H. F. will come! :-)

Here are pictures of their clean rooms. Even Maddy's closet is spotless! (It's one of the rules.)

The boys room doesn't look too bad either!
Here was their surprise today, alongside the fairy dust she always leaves behind. Who would have thought that a little snack that mom doesn't buy would be such a hit?!
I told the kids that if they kept the playroom clean too, I'd ask the H. F. to check there too.
Look what she brought the whole family for keeping the playroom so nice and clean! Thanks House Fairy!
I've got to say that the House Fairy is definitely worth the $13. I don't ever nag the kids about cleaning their rooms anymore. All I say is, "I hope the H. F. doesn't come today" and they hop to it, or they don't get a surprise. It's that simple. You are rewarded for being responsible. It's great! I've heard that older kids like to play along as well because they aren't getting nagged and still get rewarded for being responsible. I don't know how long the magic will last with Maddy, but it sure got her started and moving in the right direction. The kids think they'd the H. F. to bring bigger surprises sometimes too, so I told them that they may need to collect tickets for having a clean room to earn bigger surprises. They thought this was a great idea too. Only time will tell if this motivation really lasts, but at least their rooms are clean today and they are learning that clean rooms are more fun and more calming than messy ones. (I think the H. F. may bring movie tickets next week during spring break if everyone's room is clean.)