What Happened to All the Windex?

I have noticed that my laundry piles are multicolored now that Noah is no longer in school uniforms. Forever, it seemed I washed whites and grays, grays and whites, and a lot more whites. Now there is a rainbow of colors and my sorting the laundry has become more challenging as well as the laundry cycles.

Noah is loving the fact that he can wear play clothes to school and also save the black soled shoes for Sundays. His tennis shoes are getting the most wear. They are sketchers with little lights that flash when he takes a step. I hope it is not a distraction in the classroom.  He insists that these shoes help him run extra fast.  Most often, they are strewn in the middle of the floor after school. I am constantly on Noah and Rick to put their things away. My laundry, an array of colors, my home, an array of clutter...Noah's clutter, my clutter, Da Vinci's clutter, and Rick's clutter.  It is enough to make me bonkers.

The other day, Noah asked where I had placed the Windex. I told him it was left in the Master Bathroom (Hint to Rick: It's okay to follow through and clean the bathrooms today) When he came down with the Windex in his hand, he said rather disgustingly..."What happened to all the Windex?" Wouldn't I like to know? It didn't appear that any one was using it at our home. Noah sighed, "This will have to do."  I was thinking, " Yea, my little boy is going to clean the TV, alas."  I kept busy working on a few of my own piles.

Noah asked me to shut my eyes. He had a grand surprise for me. I did as requested and there in the center of the family rooms was a roll's worth of paper towels. Two sheets were spread nicely on the carpet and each of his sketcher light up tennis shoes, had been placed strategically for show. Noah had worked hard on getting those shoes to sparkle...to radiate cleanliness. The Windex, now empty, was used as the magical polish to clean those shoes. I had never thought to use Windex to shine my shoes. It is an all purpose cleaner. The TV still thick with dust and smudges, would have to wait until another time. Though I hoped for a sparkling TV, the smile on Noah's face was enough to brighten any room. He was so proud of the time and effort he put into shining his shoes.

His shoes were clean and life was good for him now.

What I learned from Noah: Shiney Shoes equals happy boy. Windex equals shoe shines. Empty Windex bottle equals no housework :)