Fess up: How many of the home schoolers here...

[Peela]

I would say my home is generally fairly neat and tidy, however, its not particularly clean if you look deeply. Its a huge house. The schoolroom gets the messiest and it's the main living area.

I am ok with decluttering (although dh is a pack rat so its hard to keep up), and I like clear surfaces- it makes all the difference. And I vacuum regularly, and keep the bathrooms clean. But I dont wash floors very often, or dust behind furniture. And no one but me keeps the cupboards tidied out and ordered, so they often get messy before I get around to them.

[schsmom]

Sorry to say I homeschool and my house is usually very clean. Mostly because I am a clean freek and will give up sleep to keep it clean:blushing:

[mcconnellboys]

LOL, I believe that might be a subjective thing! I know some people who think my house is clean and neat even when I think it's filthy. I think we might need some parameters here for what "really clean" really means.....

[5knights3maidens]

At the moment...no way! I have books and papers all over the homeschool room. Every room needs vaccuming and all the clothes need to be put away. Oh yeah, my dh is ripping out (everything!) the upstairs laundry room and the downstairs mudroom (due to washer breaking while washing :glare:), so we are far from clean at the moment. :tongue_smilie:

I will probably try and post pictures as he works on these rooms.

;)

[mommydearest]

I've heard people say that a clean house is a sign of a wasted life.

Unfortunately, I fall into the "clean freak" category, but I actually feel like a mad woman when my house is not in order. WIsh it didn't bother me so much, but I need everything in it's place and no clutter to be a good mama. I don't mind messes as long as they're picked up afterwards.

[Audrey]

LOL, I believe that might be a subjective thing! I know some people who think my house is clean and neat even when I think it's filthy. I think we might need some parameters here for what "really clean" really means.....

 

 

That's an excellent point. I get snitty when I think it's not clean enough, but usually when I say something, dh will wonder what the heck I'm talking about, as what he is seeing is a perfectly clean house, thankyouverymuch. It is sometimes a bone of contention between us, and I realize that is mostly my fault for being so picky about it. :001_unsure:

[SLH in ND]

I am not one of those people who function well in the midst of clutter, misplaced items, etc. I was much more of a neatnick "before family" but I am not sure what happened along the way! :tongue_smilie:

 

Our house is clean (especially the kitchen and bathrooms), but lived in. There's a little more clutter than I like, but I'm working on it. I just implemented, this summer, a new rotating chore system for the girls, which have made things better. There's still some tweaking to do with the chores, but not much.

 

Sheri :)

[stephanie]

I wouldn't call my home perfect, but it's very neat and clean. I can't handle a lot of clutter everywhere so I don't have a lot of clutter. I don't like a lot of "things" on the kitchen counters that aren't kitchen related. I keep everything on my bathroom counters put in cabinets. I believe everything has its place where it "lives". The kids and I pick up the house throughout the day as much as it needs to be. Also, my kids each have their set of chores that they do every morning that helps in the upkeep of the house. I wouldn't call myself all that organized either, I just pick up as needed and make sure everything has a place. I think that clutter is what tends to make homes look messy, even when they are clean.

[phathui5]

She also doesn't have pets contributing to the mess/dirt.

 

That certainly helps.

 

We have one cat, and no more pets. The cat actually helps keep it neater here, since we had mice before we got her and she keeps them away.

[2cents]

Always real clean but not always neat, especially after projects.

[Tony'sMom]

I am on the road to neat and organized. Right now we are purging. Sort of like that show on television where they drag everything out in the yard and make you go through it 3 times - dividing it into keep, trash and sell. Only we are not dragging it out into the yard for all the neighbors to see - until the yard sell that is. Wish me luck. Does anyone have a bulldozer I can borrow for our 14 year olds room????

[siloam]

have a really clean house. I know you have to be out there somewhere. You know, those born organized people who can do 6 things at once, are always prepared, etc. I certainly am not one them, but I'd like to learn your secrets. I do Flylady, but there's always room for improvement! So fess up!

 

I refuse to comment on the grounds it might incriminate me. :blink:

 

Actually the house is usually cleaner when I am hsing because I have a routine that works, on weeks of I am either planning or playing and any house work that doesn't "need" to be done gets dropped (need-dishes, laundry). We have been off for two weeks. I will let you guess what state my house is in. :smilielol5:

 

Heather

[kmacnchs]

have a really clean house. I know you have to be out there somewhere. You know, those born organized people who can do 6 things at once, are always prepared, etc. I certainly am not one them, but I'd like to learn your secrets. I do Flylady, but there's always room for improvement! So fess up!

 

NO NO NO

What is frustrating is that I AM one of those "born organized people...are always prepared..."

Any tips?

I have asked others how they did it when they had children who were not old enough to help (I mean really help) and they ashamedly said they did not spend as much time with their kids as I do and only did housework but would not do that if they had a "do over"...that's all well and good but...I WANT A CLEAN HOUSE!!!

[kmacnchs]

Always real clean but not always neat, especially after projects.

 

I am the complete OPPOSITE :D

[MOM24WONDERS]

Ok, first off, I will admit that I am a certified CLEAN FREAK. My personality is very Type-A and I like things neat. Everything has it's place and I like it to be there - you know a place for everything and everything in it's place?

 

My biggest secret is that we do a good clean each night - we sweep and mop the entire house, clean the bathrooms, of course clean the kitchen after supper, put away the day's laundry, and just make sure things are generally clean and picked up.

 

Like another poster said, we don't have a ton of stuff. I like simplicity so we just keep things SIMPLE. On Mondays, I strip all the beds and wash all the covers, I sweep and mop under the furniture (sectional in living room), I clean the fridge, and I dust the entire house.

 

Things that really help are doing it when it needs doing - don't procrastinate. I take laundry from the dryer while it's hot and fold it or hang it up. I put it in their hamper and they take it at the end of the day to their room to put away. All of my kids help with the laundry, too.

 

We have some pretty strict rules about things at our house, too...no and I mean NO shoes in the house. They get taken off on the porch and hung on a shoe rack. No eating anywhere but the kitchen (we do make some exceptions like popcorn during a movie - but they can't sit on the furniture while eating it). We have other things like that...you can't go to bed at night unless your room is clean, etc. This REALLY helps.

 

I can NOT function in chaos or messiness. I wouldn't be able to get anything done - no school, nothing. I just can't work and live where things are not neat. It drives me nuts!

[Tree House Academy]

I have OCD and when I worked outside the home, my house was absolutely immaculate. However, I have been divorced, remarried, and had another child, become a SAHM mom, and started homeschooling since then. My house is clean - the laundry and dishes are done, the floors are vacuumed or dustmopped daily, but it is not nearly the immaculate house I used to keep. I swear, you could have eaten off the floor and it was likely cleaner than most people's dishes!

 

However, the other side to that immaculate house was that I had no animals to love on, my son was in daycare all the time, and when he was home, I was cleaning. I have to admit that having a "decently clean" house and saving time to be a good mom to my kids is something I would take over immaculate any day. :)

[KidsHappen]

My crayons are organized! :tongue_smilie:

 

I usually keep my house pretty neat, organized and clutter free. The dishes and the laundry are done. Things like that so that if you were to walk into my house you would think that it looked pretty neat and clean but if you really started looking you would notice dust, dirty baseboards and dog hair everywhere (even if I just finished sweeping). That sort of thing, so no deep cleaning is not my strong suit. I wouldn't be ashamed to have people over though. If they didn't like it, I could always put a broom in their hand. :)

[MeAndTheBoys]

My house is very clean. But I'm very OCD, I think, and I can't function if there is a lot of clutter--so I'm constantly cleaning it up.

 

I learned a few day ago that both my 6 1/2 year old and 5 year old can (and love to) sweep under the table, which I have been doing THREE TIMES A DAY. If I can find more things like that to reassign, my stress level will go down :)

 

Believe me, you don't want the anxiety that goes along with the clean house. I love having it tidy, but I hate feeling like I always have to straighten something up.

 

Betsy

 

have a really clean house. I know you have to be out there somewhere. You know, those born organized people who can do 6 things at once, are always prepared, etc. I certainly am not one them, but I'd like to learn your secrets. I do Flylady, but there's always room for improvement! So fess up!

[Guest collisa]

I can't function in a messy house, so I learned to keep a small index-card file with dividers. I have daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, biannual and annual chores listed in there on index cards. (Not that I usually get to the daily ones! lol) This gives me peace of mind so I can focus on important things, like s'mores and school. If something's messy, it doesn't bother me as much because I know it's in the chore file and its day will come.

Every summer I sort the closets, the shed, the kids' toys, the kitchen, as well as tackling projects around the house (I'm a single mom). The kids help as I ask them; I've found chore charts add more stress than they're worth. I do pay the kids to sweep our driveways. They fold and put away their laundry, take out trash, sometimes vacuum, put away things (everything has a place), etc.

Our house is fairly neat, but not perfect. I did learn an interesting twist on storing things this summer. I went through those many boxes of treasured baby items that I thought I would never part with. To my surprise, many of these items no longer held such a strong emotional attachment for me (how about a hollow tubby-toy shark lined with mold!?), so I was able to jettison some of them without regrets. It's a great feeling having less stuff!

I recommend devising some sort of written schedule of your chores, all in one place. Even if you can't follow through, it gives you a sense of control. Gosh - even a false sense of control is better than nothing! lol!

Edited August 4, 2009 by collisa

[cin]

I didn't read all the posts, but most that I did read were about clean houses. I'll take the flip side. I have ADD and I homeschool 2 kids. One with RAD. You can only guess. Right now, I"m sitting in my recliner and I have 2 kids sitting on the couch, 2 plates in the middle of the floor with broccoli 'stems' on them (they finished eating only 15 minutes ago!), 2 remotes, a 5 yr old wrapped in 2 blankes, adn various craft items. And a couple of DVD cases. That's just the living room. :tongue_smilie:

[LivingUnderGrace]

Ok. Yes, my house is *very* neat and clean. I am not bragging, but I'll be honest...I have gotten comments from moms who are amazed that even with 1 or 2 children (who are in school all day, not making messes) cannot believe how I keep it that way. And yes, I do have time to read good books! :lol:

[johnandtinagilbert]

I'm def. not born organized, but with the help of super organized dh, I have learned and have gone through:

 

Phase 1: clueless on home care. too occupied with baby and learning to cook to keep the house too clean...lots of dh help

 

Phase 2: totally overwhelmed with kids and school, but training enough that the house stayed tidy, but not deep cleaned. saving grace here was de-cluttering and purging regularly, along with dh's help.

 

Phase 3: Kids gradually age and as I improve, they can help out with more cleaning and are more independent. Don't need dh anymore in house.

 

Phase 4: All dc can clean, so now, I train them on big stuff, then they are responsible for it. I now spend Saturdays doing laundry and dusting my room. Everthing else is done by dc. I no longer dust, mop, sweep, vacuum, clean bathrooms, wash dishes, nada. I walk about helping here or there to encourage in 10 min. shifts of helping and chatting and spend the rest of the time training where necessary. Dh directs outdoor chores with dc, and I take care of the home.

 

At this point we are neat, clean and organized...we def, grew into it! I am still amazed at how order of environment brings peace of mind.

Edited August 7, 2009 by johnandtinagilbert

[CLHCO]

So many here are saying they can't function in a messy house. Mine is always a mess because I just can't function. Hmmm... can't figure out how to break that little conundrum. :tongue_smilie:

[Carol in Cal.]

...what do you do with it? Is it just easy for you to let go of old books? I have such a hard time getting rid of books, which have really taken over the house. Thick wall paper doesn't begin to characterize them adequately. They are on the mantle, filling all the book shelves, on the piano, piled up on the floor next to my bed, piled up behind the couch. Don't you have a lot of books??? How can anyone homeschool without having 'too many books?'

[johnandtinagilbert]

...what do you do with it? Is it just easy for you to let go of old books? I have such a hard time getting rid of books, which have really taken over the house. Thick wall paper doesn't begin to characterize them adequately. They are on the mantle, filling all the book shelves, on the piano, piled up on the floor next to my bed, piled up behind the couch. Don't you have a lot of books??? How can anyone homeschool without having 'too many books?'

 

If I can get it at the library, with the exception of classics, I only keep what I need for school. As the baby grows past it...it goes :)

 

One day, I just decided to give a purge a try. If I hadn't used it for 3 months, it went. Little by little, room by room, it went and I hardly noticed. Something simple, although a foreign thought to some, like....I need one special event serving tray. I don't need a serving tray for every holiday (Easter, Halloween, Christmas, Birthdays, 4th of July). You have to be willing to bring practicality into your purging. I know that can be a tough practice, but with time, it works and the clutter goes away.

 

Less clutter = less dusting....great motivation for me!

[johnandtinagilbert]

...what do you do with it? Is it just easy for you to let go of old books? I have such a hard time getting rid of books, which have really taken over the house. Thick wall paper doesn't begin to characterize them adequately. They are on the mantle, filling all the book shelves, on the piano, piled up on the floor next to my bed, piled up behind the couch. Don't you have a lot of books??? How can anyone homeschool without having 'too many books?'

 

donate to the library, shelters, Salvation Army, etc...wherever your charity is well suited!

 

I love to offer free books to local home schoolers!

[johnandtinagilbert]

So many here are saying they can't function in a messy house. Mine is always a mess because I just can't function. Hmmm... can't figure out how to break that little conundrum. :tongue_smilie:

honestly, A M A Z I N G the difference in mental clarity and quiet joy I now get from a clean home. I never understood, but when I can sit down to a book and know there is nothing left to do (cuz it hangs over my head), I am so calm...much nicer momma too!

[Carol in Cal.]

I love to offer free books to local home schoolers!

 

I love donating old curricula to other homeschoolers. But the books, the books, it's so hard to give up the books...

[Peri]

Sorry to say I homeschool and my house is usually very clean. Mostly because I am a clean freek and will give up sleep to keep it clean:blushing:

 

Oh don't feel bad. I'm the same way. I can go to sleep in a messy house but i find that the sleep I get when the house is clean is of a better quality. So I too try to go to sleep with the house spotless.

[Tess in the Burbs]

My dh likes a tidy house. he gets that my focus is the kids and school. But it better not be cluttered. we pick up daily. so at first glance my house is 'clean'. but I don't dust as much as my allergist told me too. I clean bathrooms weekly. The kitchen floor is always in need of attention.

 

but again, first glance....

[Peri]

...what do you do with it? Is it just easy for you to let go of old books? I have such a hard time getting rid of books, which have really taken over the house. Thick wall paper doesn't begin to characterize them adequately. They are on the mantle, filling all the book shelves, on the piano, piled up on the floor next to my bed, piled up behind the couch. Don't you have a lot of books??? How can anyone homeschool without having 'too many books?'

 

I have to be realistic about where I live and what I have room for. I like to keep my books displayed on a nice bookshelf in the family room and each of my kids also has they're own book shelf in their room for hteir own personal books. We have a bookshelf in the school room for our school books. If I find that i am overcrowding the shelves ... and I don;t just have books on there, I also like to put pretty vases and stuff like that on there too ... I will go through my books and get out the books that I either didn't find too helpful, like, or need anymore. I will take those books to one of those places that buys old books. If they won't buy it then I give it away to anyone I think may need it. I treat everything else in my home that way too ... clothes, dishes, furniture ... you name it.

 

Look at it this way: You are allowing someone else to benefit from what you no longer have room for or need. Plus, You have to let go of things in order to make room for newer and better things.

 

I could never understand why people are so into memorobilia. I just can't stand little knick knacks. My dh will always buy a whole bunch of memorobilia whenever we take a trip. You know where that stuff ends up? You guessed it! In the trash! It's always cheap stuff that you just can't use anyway and there is more memory in a photo then there is in a knick knack that will only take up valuable space that I need for something better and prettier.

 

Anotherway that I see it is this: i also don't have the time to pick little things up to dust around and clean under. It is so much easier to clean if you have less stuff to pick up and clean around. Its about simplifying your life.

 

Someone on here mentioned that somepeople say that keeping a clean and organized home is a wasted life. Well I think that someone who doesn't care about their surroundings simply can't care enough about themselves to take life more serously.

[kmacnchs]

I'm def. not born organized, but with the help of super organized dh, I have learned and have gone through:

 

Phase 1: clueless on home care. too occupied with baby and learning to cook to keep the house too clean...lots of dh help

 

Phase 2: totally overwhelmed with kids and school, but training enough that the house stayed tidy, but not deep cleaned. saving grace here was de-cluttering and purging regularly, along with dh's help.

 

Phase 3: Kids gradually age and as I improve, they can help out with more cleaning and are more independent. Don't need dh anymore in house.

 

Phase 4: All dc can clean, so now, I train them on big stuff, then they are responsible for it. I now spend Saturdays doing laundry and dusting my room. Everthing else is done by dc. I no longer dust, mop, sweep, vacuum, clean bathrooms, wash dishes, nada. I walk about helping here or there to encourage in 10 min. shifts of helping and chatting and spend the rest of the time training where necessary. Dh directs outdoor chores with dc, and I take care of the home.

 

At this point we are neat, clean and organized...we def, grew into it! I am still amazed at how order of environment brings peace of mind.

 

I envy you and long for Phase 4...I myself am still in phase 2:willy_nilly:

[sweetstitches]

Well the main floor is still relatively clean, but that is because I cleaned it before bed last night and we have barely been home. THe upper level and the basement, I would hide my head in shame if anyone actually saw them right now. Hopefully by the end of the weekend my upper floor will be cleaned up again. Of course it never lasts long with these little tornadoes living here.

 

That's how my house usually is.....it's really hard to have it all clean at the same time.

[lauracolumbus]

I try to keep our main level presentable b/c we have lots of folks drop by. After a day of homeschooling, there isn't too much time before our evening activities hit. Ds plays football 4 nights/week, dd9's sports are at least 2-3 nights and dd5 at least 1 night. Throw in Girl Scouts, meetings, volunteer activities, and keeping a clean house becomes a lower priority. We do a major cleaning once/week, but no one would ever confuse me w/the queen of clean. I'm not that big on cooking either.

 

Laura