It is often difficult to get children to put away their toys and clothes before they go to bed. My mother invented a game that had the house clean, and the dirty clothes in the laundry hamper in ten minutes flat. After dinner we would brush our teeth and put our PJ's on; Mom would be hiding quarters in a few pockets, a treat in someone's pile of toys, or a note saying "You get to choose the story tonight" pinned to a sock. Then she would say "Time for the Ten minute-Ten-cent pickup!"

She would give us each a garbage bag and then set the stove timer for ten minutes. We would all race madly from room to room picking up our things. Mom would meet us in the kitchen when the timer went off with a roll of dimes. We were paid a dime for each item in our bag. Dirty clothes went to the laundry room, toys were put away, dimes went into our piggy banks and we were ready to hear our bedtime story.




Janet Milliron