As I tie my apron around my waist, it is as though I am saying to myself, it is cleaning time. Although I have a love-hate relationship with cleaning. And not just the results versus the work. Sometimes I get in a cleaning mode and sometimes I embrace mess (or ignore it anyway)!
We try to make cleaning up a bit of fun by singing our cleaning song or putting on music so we can sing and dance while we work. We even made up our own cleaning song ~
We met a little Wookie dog, who said it’s time to play. Ah no no Wookie, ah no no Wookie, it’s time to tidy up!
The kids crack up with laughter as we sing it and our Wookie dog will run around excitedly at hearing his name. My son finds it the funniest because we sing our song to the tune of the cleaning up song he sings at school ~
I met a little dusty gnome, who said it’s time to tidy up. A round, round, round, a swish, swish, swish. It’s time to tidy up.
At my son’s Waldorf school the kindergarten teachers typically wear aprons. An apron is wonderfully practical. Flowers and vegetables can be held within its folds, while tears can be gently wiped away from the corners. An apron is also an outward representation of the mother archetype.
Archetypes are used in Waldorf education to provide experiences and imagery through stories, songs and games that children can absorb without the need for explanation (you can read more about this here). An apron is also said to help the teacher maintain their energy through the day.
For me, wearing an apron provides a protective physical barrier, but is is also a step in mindfully committing myself to the task of cleaning. A signal to myself and others.
I’ve just started working from home again and one of the first things that has slipped in doing this is the housework. So I have treated us to a cleaner. And oh my, what they can achieve in an hour I can’t even achieve in a day! What is their secret I wonder?
Blessings, Kelly
