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: 12-07-2003
Tue, 08-03-2010 - 10:08am
We use the word "booking" at work. But we use it to mean reserving a video for a future date.
iVillage Member
Registered: 07-09-2010
Tue, 08-03-2010 - 10:09am

The school is very clean, everywhere you go. I'm impressed really.


We have a peanut allergy and they have been good so far other than some little things even about that.


I know the classrooms go through sooo much disinfectant wipes, trigger spray cleaners, and purell.....how do I know this? Because I see it all over when we go in and it is we parents who supply the majority of it (in fact, it is on the wish list and school supply list and we get requests thru the school year for it).


We have some sickness in the summer. I was in the dr office twice in June w/2 of the 3 kids and I thought I had a sinus infection a couple of times so I had almost dr visits, they didn't go into full sinus infections so I was able to recover quickly.


Allergies are such big factors too.


No, love our physicians. He is absolute in my opinion the greatest. He says the same thing my dr says and the same thing my 3 doctors said as I and my brother grew up. My brother's kids are always sick (different doctors, different school system) and they hear the same thing. Again, seems like all of my girlfriends, woh and sah deal with this and they hear same thing (in fact, one is married to a doctor and he says it & another is a pediatrician herself) from their drs and their kids drs and two girlfriends are nurses and they say gosh, we see so much of this and it really heats up the phone lines when school starts until is done for the year.

Polkadotandflipflops

 

 

iVillage Member
Registered: 01-05-2000
Tue, 08-03-2010 - 10:10am

I do the run to the regular grocery store Sat. afternoon around 2pm. It's become a habit from when I took my mil grocery shopping. That's when she wanted to go. I still go then because the store isn't very crowded then. The moms with small children have all gone home then for nap time. And it's before the before dinner rush.

Chris

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

iVillage Member
Registered: 01-05-2000
Tue, 08-03-2010 - 10:13am

It must be regional. Here beans and rice are not unusual for dinner or any meal for that matter. And San Diego county isn't some 3rd world county'

Chris

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

iVillage Member
Registered: 07-09-2010
Tue, 08-03-2010 - 10:16am

Beans are very popular here. In the way of reference "brown beans, relish and cornbread" or "white beans, relish and cornbread". Grandmothers and Mother always called them "soup beans".


Mom likes just the beans, she can take or leave things like burger, steak, chicken.


Dad is like my family , my brother's family and my grandmother & grandfathers (both sides) he has to have a hamburger steak, pork chop, piece of country ham or something to go w/it. Mom has never in over 45 years been able to convince him otherwise and believe me the woman has tried to convince us ALL on many food things ha


Polkadots&FlipFlops

Polkadotandflipflops

 

 

iVillage Member
Registered: 01-05-2000
Tue, 08-03-2010 - 10:19am

I don't make it nearly as often as I did when the girls were growing up. With Dylan, I worked ft and now I can't keep even granny smith apples in the house because the grandkids love all kinds of apples, not just the red ones that the girls and dh love. They would leave my granny smith apples alone.

Chris

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

Avatar for rollmops2009
iVillage Member
Registered: 02-24-2009
Tue, 08-03-2010 - 10:25am
Yes, that is how I know the word, booking a table, booking a ticket etc. Of course, dh likes the term "book-*ucking" which means going around the library and browsing the stacks.

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Men can only be happy when they do not assume that the object of life is happiness.
– George Orwell
iVillage Member
Registered: 07-17-2007
Tue, 08-03-2010 - 10:32am
Hey, I am a heathen AND I go to church!
iVillage Member
Registered: 04-16-2010
Tue, 08-03-2010 - 10:36am

I'm not sure what describes us, lol.

iVillage Member
Registered: 07-17-2007
Tue, 08-03-2010 - 10:36am
I think it depends on the age of the children too. The younger ones tend to get sick more often IME.

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