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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Avatar for turtleemom
iVillage Member
Registered: 07-25-2007
Mon, 08-02-2010 - 9:19pm
So you don't cook 7 days a week 3 meals a day?

Avatar for mom34101
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-27-2003
Mon, 08-02-2010 - 9:25pm
Right, so fast food or frozen nuggets & fries are okay in moderation for dinner, but the healthier alternative of yogurt & fruit isn't.
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-02-2010
Mon, 08-02-2010 - 9:27pm

Is this a double post?

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-29-1999
Mon, 08-02-2010 - 9:35pm
It's because it is Italian.
iVillage Member
Registered: 01-05-2000
Mon, 08-02-2010 - 10:35pm

Nope. Not according to my grocery receipts.

Chris

The truth may be out there but lies are in your head. Terry Pratchett

iVillage Member
Registered: 01-05-2000
Mon, 08-02-2010 - 10:44pm

Or get a can/jar of diced/crushed tomatoes and add my own seasonings, mushrooms, zucchini, and any other veggies I feel like and I only have to add a salad. Or even skip the salad, there's so many veggies in the sauce. Way more inexpensive and less sugar than Ragu (which I don't add and I only use one oil--EVO). We fed 8-9 people (5 adults, one pre-teen, and 4 under 5) on $600 a month. Almost everything from scratch.

Chris

The truth may be out there but lies are in your head. Terry Pratchett

iVillage Member
Registered: 05-13-2009
Mon, 08-02-2010 - 10:47pm

What is dress up clothing for your children?

My dd has a few skirts and tops, one dress. and my sons have khaki shorts, polos, and one white button down shirt and a tie. Kind of summer church or wedding clothes, IMO, and appropriate for fairly formal events that kids may attend. How many do they need? What am I missing?

I guess it may be because I don't spend $8600 a year on vacation. We're going to NYC for vacation, hotel in Manhattan, tickets to a play and ballgame and walking around money. We also spent a week at Loon Mt in March. Our vacation budget, including clothes, was 1/4 of your city's average.

iVillage Member
Registered: 01-05-2000
Mon, 08-02-2010 - 10:55pm

I see your pork chops and applesauce and raise you baked beans and applesauce. The baked beans are my mom's recipe. And I've been known to make my own applesauce.

Chris

The truth may be out there but lies are in your head. Terry Pratchett

iVillage Member
Registered: 01-05-2000
Mon, 08-02-2010 - 11:03pm

Now, while I really don't like cooking, I do like to bake. Now that I'm not at the bridal shop on a regular basis, I've gone back to baking bread weekly. And since Joy started fermenting kefir (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kefir), I use kefir in place of the buttermilk in recipes that call for buttermilk.

Chris

The truth may be out there but lies are in your head. Terry Pratchett

iVillage Member
Registered: 07-09-2010
Mon, 08-02-2010 - 11:06pm

You don't work and don't go out too much. That is the reason you rarely have to put gas in your truck.


Woh or not I don't think plays entirely in it. I have sah friends who are on the go-go-go and fill up more than some of my woh friends do. I think it all depends on lifestyle, what's going on and where/if you go places. For me, personality plays a BIG role.


Polkadotandflipflops

 

 

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