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: 05-10-2009
Fri, 07-30-2010 - 11:51am

5 min to make a sandwich, if that, wouldn't result in my kids missing time with me or their dad.

iVillage Member
Registered: 05-10-2009
Fri, 07-30-2010 - 11:53am

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I find the flavors are richer when they slowly simmer on the stovetop than if they slowly simmer in a crockpot.


iVillage Member
Registered: 05-10-2009
Fri, 07-30-2010 - 11:54am
Well the sandwiches my kids make if they don't want my planned meal are peanut butter or nutella.
iVillage Member
Registered: 05-10-2009
Fri, 07-30-2010 - 11:55am
Really? I don't find using the stovetop heats up my kitchen. Oven, yes. Stovetop, no.
iVillage Member
Registered: 04-22-2005
Fri, 07-30-2010 - 11:58am

Electric. And I agree that the oven heats up the kitchen WAY more than the stove.
Upon further thought, it may not be that it's heating up the kitchen - it might just be making me feel warmer since I'm standing by the stove to cook. Either way, I just like using the slow cooker (shrug).




Edited 7/30/2010 12:00 pm ET by finally.me




iVillage Member
Registered: 06-24-2008
Fri, 07-30-2010 - 12:00pm
The distinction for me is that a sandwich takes little time (2 min?) when the kids are little adn no time when the kids are older (they do it themselves) to prepare. So providing an alternate meal of a sandwich isn't a burden. Making a complete other meal? time. effort. Not gonna happen.



I think it's no effort at all to plan a meal so everyone has something they will eat. It's not like you have to wait until the meal is on the table to make the extra food. It's not a burden for me. Besides, burden itself is very subjective. Like I said, I have to do it anyway for one child who sometimes can't eat what everyone else is having, not a bigger deal to do it for the child who just has the preference to not eat the food everyone else loves.

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iVillage Member
Registered: 05-10-2009
Fri, 07-30-2010 - 12:02pm
I have gas. I think the electric stoves retain and give off more heat.
iVillage Member
Registered: 02-24-2010
Fri, 07-30-2010 - 12:04pm

I had a flat tire in a snowstorm once. My dh was out of the country but I had my cell phone and could call AAA. But it would be like 5 hours until they could come because of the snowstorm. No less than 50 people stopped and offered to let me use their phone, so the cell phone in the one emergency type situation I had didn't do much good, lol. If I hadn't had one I could have used one of those 50+.

Yet I still have a cell phone and take it everywhere. But that was 10 years ago and I have no doubt if I ever have an emergency again the use of a cellphone won't be a problem, if mine was dead I'm sure someone would call somewhere for me.

“Clearly," said Arthur,"you're an idiot- but you're our kind of idiot. Come on.” 
― Markus ZusakThe Book Thief

iVillage Member
Registered: 05-10-2009
Fri, 07-30-2010 - 12:05pm

<<I think it's no effort at all to plan a meal so everyone has something they will eat.>>


That's what I do.

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-27-2000
Fri, 07-30-2010 - 12:09pm

I don't make that many "one-dish" dinners either, but for something like a roast or chili, I just find it redundant to use one pan to brown everything, then put it in another to cook, when I can just cook everything in that one pan. I'm not sure what a kettle is - is that like a dutch oven? If so, why can't you brown the meat in that? That's what I use when I make chili. I brown it in that dutch oven, then put everything into that pan to simmer it. Mine still simmers, just as yours, except I'm doing it all in one pot rather than two. Not a big deal, but I like to simplify when possibly, so having one less big pot to wash not only saves time, but also resources.

I'm not sure how your way is much different though - mine simmers such that if I were making sandwiches or hot dogs or cutting up fruit, I'd still be able to do that.

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