My Odd Couple

When I think ahead to the future, I can picture the twins' bedroom: One side is completely disheveled with clothes strewn about on the floor, empty cups littering the furniture, blankets balled up on the bed . . . The other side is immaculate.

Of all of the gifts received on Christmas and Chanukah, Kyle has shown the most interest in his child-sized cleaning supplies. He loves to take his broom and sweep, sweep, sweep the kitchen floor alongside me. His sweeps may be less stroke-like and more like banging the broom on the floor, but you've got to give him credit for his effort.

This evening while I was making dinner and chatting on the phone, the boys were busying themselves with taking pieces of food out of Daisy's bowl and bringing them to her mouth (Daisy has got to be the most patient and tolerant cat in the world. How on Earth did we luck out with her?).

I went to check on them, and apparently they had scattered bits of Daisy's food on the carpet, and Kyle was attempting to vaccuum the food up with his toy Dirt Devil. I was happy to see him trying to clean up the mess, but there's no doubt in my mind that Kyle had purposely scattered food about so he could clean it (Over the weekend I caught him wandering around, spilling his milk onto the kitchen floor and wiping the floor clean with a towel).

Now I've got to plan their second birthday party, and here's what I'm thinking: I'll give Dylan a bunch of paper that he can rip up and scatter around the house, and I'll give Kyle a trash can so he can throw it all away . . . Or maybe a bucket with some sponges and a pair of rubber gloves . . . Or a feather duster . . . A toilet brush?