Slim Jims and Circus Peanuts...

The Valenta decluttering home tour continues...

On our journey there was a stop off at Jacob's room.

I had have no words for Jacob's bedroom. It is that perplexing, that awful, that much of a mess. I've asked, begged and pleaded for him to clean it up, even just a little. You can see how far I got...

(When asked why he would block his closet with his desk and side table even he didn't have an answer. And the sheet over the window, such style! He really does have a curtain under there!)

...Until I decided to bribe him. Who says a parent can't bribe their kid? Not me. I've stooped lower than that in my years of mothering. I decided I would offer to pay him to clean his room. His first question, "How much?" Guess he had to decide if it was going to be worth it to him to make me happy. I was thinking $5 but then knowing my son as I do I said $10. I could see right away that appealed to him. :)

But also knowing my son as I do, I knew that money alone was not going to do the trick. I knew if I was to keep him with me through the cleaning/dejunking process I would need more ammo than money. I know the way to Jacob's heart....Slim Jims and Circus Peanuts! So like a chimp on display in zoo, I had to feed him to get him to perform.

And, perform he did! Of course, I was there the whole time prodding him along but 4 hours later Jacob had a clean room and a happy mom. :D

This is a very small sampling of a few of the treasures that were found under Jacob's bed....

All kinds of pens and pencils.. (This is a fraction of what was under there!)

Many CD's and DVD's...

Contact case, dice, bottle caps, electronic cords...

And a few my personal favorites

Ear Muffs...

A school excuse from FEBRUARY.....Ummm, maybe that explains the truancy notice he got.

And his Faith in God for Boys booklet with the word boys scratched out and replaced with the word Men.

BWHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Now that Jacob has officailly gone from boy to man let's hope he has turned over a new leaf and will never have to have his mother bribe him to clean his room again. Maybe if I periodically get him Slim Jim's and Circus Peanuts he'll keep it clean on his own. Well, a mother can dream, can't she?

Stay tuned.... Tim has done a little cleaning out of his own! :)