A Neat and Clean House vs Children

iVillage Member
Registered: 07-17-2007
A Neat and Clean House vs Children
2597
Tue, 07-27-2010 - 8:35am

For those of you who like a neat and clean house, how do you keep it that way with children?

I find that if I am tied to goal of having a neat and clean house, I become a raging shrew against my children as they proceed to undo all the neatness I have worked so hard to attain. If I made a "neat and clean house" my goal, my children would not have their messy projects that take days/weeks to complete. My children would not pick up a book (casually left out)as they walk through the family room and browse through- discovering once again the mother actually knows about a few good books. I would let them watch more tv/computer time, as they don't make things as messy when they do. I would squash their ideas if I thought it would make too much of a mess. I wouldn't let them cook/experiment in the kitchen- as it is usually more work for me to clean up after they have "cleaned up". So, how do you inspire creativity and imagination in a neat and clean house? Are you on top of them to put things away as soon as they are done even if it is temporary? Where do you put the legos?....... Have you ever allowed them to take over the living room with all of their toys arranged in a city complex (thomas the train things were the Metro, legos and blocks were the buildings....)? How long would it stay up? Would let it be up for the summer so they could add to and change tings around as they got new ideas? Or allowed them to take over half of the family room for a month+ while they build and live in a beaver lodge (using all the empty shoe and other boxes and some that weren't empty)? Even if you have to walk around it everyday to get to the kitchen? Or do you require that all toys be put away everyday?

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iVillage Member
Registered: 04-16-2010
Mon, 08-02-2010 - 7:25pm

that would not be a meal for me.


The question is ...WHY?

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-02-2010
Mon, 08-02-2010 - 7:26pm
Really? I have seen sugar in many sauce recipes to cut down the acidity.
iVillage Member
Registered: 05-13-2009
Mon, 08-02-2010 - 7:32pm

I looked through Costco coupons and they had one thing (Cheerios) I might buy out of the 100 or so coupons they sent me. There's 10 minutes of my life I will never get back.

I use the 5% off at S&S every week, and the gas savings. That's about it.

We spent about $150 max on summer clothes for 5 of us this summer. Thrift store shorts, Ts, and polos, TJ Maxx bathing suits and trunks, and Old Navy flipflops for a buck.

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-22-2005
Mon, 08-02-2010 - 7:34pm
I'm still going with the meat/sauce theory.











iVillage Member
Registered: 12-07-2003
Mon, 08-02-2010 - 7:38pm
Don't New Jerseyians call marinara sauce "gravy"? Maybe there's some kind of Official North Eastern United States Italian Descendant Equation that's something like: Spaghetti sauce is called gravy. Gravy is made from meat. Therefore, spaghetti sauce is meat.
Avatar for turtleemom
iVillage Member
Registered: 07-25-2007
Mon, 08-02-2010 - 7:38pm

I would question the vague term natural flavor and the

iVillage Member
Registered: 12-07-2003
Mon, 08-02-2010 - 7:43pm
To be fair, Ragu used to have much worse ingredients. Definitely had high fructose corn syrup, and it may have had some hydrogenated oils. I think they changed their ingredient list in response to consumer feedback. The sugar doesn't bother me too much, because a serving still only has 6 grams of sugar and a little sugar does cut the acidity. That's probably more than you'd need, but not terrible. The thing that gets me about pretty much all commercial tomato products is the sodium. 580mg per serving is really high.
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-02-2010
Mon, 08-02-2010 - 7:46pm

I looked through Costco coupons and they had one thing (Cheerios) I might buy out of the 100 or so coupons they sent me. There's 10 minutes of my life I will never get back.


This week I used: Cheerios, Bounce, Listerine, Dish Detergent (Kirkland "Green"), Green Tea as just a few as I know I am forgetting some.


I use the 5% off at S&S every week, and the gas savings. That's about it.


Stop and Shop? I use Peapod and get discounts when I use them and no gas :)


We spent about $150 max on summer clothes for 5 of us this summer. Thrift store shorts, Ts, and polos, TJ Maxx bathing suits and trunks, and Old Navy flipflops for a buck.


We all needed clothes, shoes,

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-02-2010
Mon, 08-02-2010 - 7:48pm
Not all sauce and/or gravy is made with meat. I either make my own sauce with or without meat or buy it jarred (the horror-lol!!) with or without meat. My husband prefers meat though.
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-02-2010
Mon, 08-02-2010 - 7:50pm

Why question the oils and sugar? When I make my own sauce, I put oil and sugar in it.


Because that is what I had in the house this week. Yes, the horror of using jarred sauce besides making your own-lol!!

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