Yesterday, 4-year-old Madalin helped me clean out my junk drawer. I wonder if most people have one. It’s in the kitchen and now it just has potholders, a couple recipe books, a recipe box, a few tools, a pair of scissors, clothespins for closing bags, duct tape, masking tape, a flashlight, and a bag of rubber bands. It’s so nice!

That drawer had not been cleaned out in years. Anyway, while little 2-year-old Bex was asleep, Maddie and I brought that drawer into the living room, sat on the floor and started sorting out all kinds of junk! There were popsicle sticks, paper clips, toys, baggie ties, coupons for school–the ones off the cereal boxes, lids, keys, cards, string, more tools, magnets, crayons, chalk, miscellaneous pieces of metal…including money! :)

Yeh, when Maddie’s dad came to get her and little sister, she showed him the money she had gotten and said, “And I didn’t have to do anything to get it.” I started to correct her, and she added, “except find it.” Actually she helped a lot. She had a good eye for seeing rubberbands, paper clips, etc. and sorting them out.

Well, she “earned” about 98 cents (about 17 coins) and was a happy girl. ;) It was a great activity to do together. When I can come up with a project that I never have time to do and I/we can do it while babysitting, it is all gain. It reminds me of this little sign I’ve seen: “Time spent fishing is not deducted from one’s lifespan.” Same idea, right?