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: 02-04-2009
Mon, 08-02-2010 - 8:24pm
Or maybe she's just really confused about the beefsteak tomato ;)

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Kitty

Proud member of the Rainbow Poop Debate Squad

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Kitty

"If you can't annoy somebody with what you write, I think there's little point in writing."-- Kingsley Amis, British novelist, 1971 t .

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-02-2010
Mon, 08-02-2010 - 8:24pm
Again, to each his own. I like 2 jarred sauces, Ragu and Francesco Rinaldi. I make my own homemade alfredo and vodka sauce and on occasion marinara or meat sauce.
iVillage Member
Registered: 04-16-2010
Mon, 08-02-2010 - 8:27pm
Which all natural mix?
Avatar for turtleemom
iVillage Member
Registered: 07-25-2007
Mon, 08-02-2010 - 8:27pm
I just looked at our sauce-365 organic and it has 2 g of sugar and 430 mg of sodium- less but still not as good as if I made my own.

Avatar for turtleemom
iVillage Member
Registered: 07-25-2007
Mon, 08-02-2010 - 8:28pm

I use jarred sauce- I

iVillage Member
Registered: 02-04-2009
Mon, 08-02-2010 - 8:29pm

So....you use coupons. Doesn't seem that hard to say.

I did ROFL over the 'cupcaking' (Cupcake is not a verb ;P)

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Kitty

Proud member of the Rainbow Poop Debate Squad

Meez 3D avatar avatars games

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Kitty

"If you can't annoy somebody with what you write, I think there's little point in writing."-- Kingsley Amis, British novelist, 1971 t .

iVillage Member
Registered: 05-13-2009
Mon, 08-02-2010 - 8:34pm

I guess the children tollhouse baked today!

Looking forward to cookies.

iVillage Member
Registered: 07-09-2010
Mon, 08-02-2010 - 8:36pm

No, not necessarily if you watch how you shop.


Bag of potatoes 1.39


Package of 6 ears of corn 1.99


Package of chicken - minus coupon $5.86 (6 pieces)


Can of biscuits on sale w/coupon (grands) 67 cents


$9.91


(of course, the butter, flour, seasonings I have in stock, as always no need to pay for those, I buy with sale with coupon and buy extras)


Polkadots&FlipFlops

Polkadotandflipflops

 

 

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-02-2010
Mon, 08-02-2010 - 8:36pm
I also posted
iVillage Member
Registered: 07-12-2005
Mon, 08-02-2010 - 8:37pm

I am having fun thinking of all the new verbs I can create. I am currently laptopping. I mean, it would be just as easy to say I am web surfing. But I kind of like laptopping. or Internetting. or Interwebbing...I can't decide.

I'm also going to start bedtiming. I mean, when people call and I tell them we are in middle of the bedtime routine, that is 5 extra words. I could just say bedtiming, and they will know exactly what I mean.

Time is money. If I can save myself an hour a day by eliminating unnecessary words, that's 365 extra hours a year. At an hourly rate of $50/hour, that's enough for an $8,600 vacation without making my kids engage in underage baking to raise funds for it. Or charging them rent.

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