Ottakee Posted August 29, 2015 Share Posted August 29, 2015 One child told me today that "Our house will NEVER be as clean as ............house as she has 6 kids to do all of the work and we only have 4" :confused1: ............hmm, that should make LESS mess to clean up. Granted hers are 13-21 with only some emotional impairments and LDs while mine are 11-27 with LDs, cognitive impairments, and emotional impairments........but still, that does not negate the fact at all that they can clean up their own messes and help keep the house up. I guess the answer is to take in 2 more kids as I am sure that will help. :closedeyes: 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daria Posted August 29, 2015 Share Posted August 29, 2015 That's why my house is a mess! I only have one! I think you should try the strategy of adding two kids, and report back. Alternately, perhaps you could lend the other mother two of yours. If her house wins a housekeeping award then you will have proof that this strategy works. 13 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carol in Cal. Posted August 29, 2015 Share Posted August 29, 2015 Mine is not clean because: 1) We have too much stuff. We have big hobbies and we like to read, and we like antique gadgets, and it adds up. It's not that big of a house to start with. Every time I start going through things to get rid of stuff, I find cool things that I had kind of forgotten, and have to stop to figure out how to display them, and and and... 2) I hate to clean--it makes me feel like a slave. Plus I fundamentally don't think I should have to do it if everyone else does not pitch in. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merry gardens Posted August 29, 2015 Share Posted August 29, 2015 Two more children beyond six is clearly the reason why my house isn't clean. (We'll conveniently ignore the fact that two of mine no longer live at home because they leave their stuff here.) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HRAAB Posted August 29, 2015 Share Posted August 29, 2015 I don't like housework; there's too much living to be done. Surprise, surprise, my girls all take after me. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommymilkies Posted August 29, 2015 Share Posted August 29, 2015 We are in the process of moving, so with most of our stuff in boxes and all akimbo, it doesn't seem worth it to do much real cleaning besides the sanitation stuff. :/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kerileanne99 Posted August 29, 2015 Share Posted August 29, 2015 Because I made a conscious decision that I will embrace my messy house and instead of keeping it it immaculate will devote that time to playing with my kids, catching up on missed sleep, lounging when ai need it, and the occasional margarita. At least, that's my official story and I am sticking to it😉 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foxbridgeacademy Posted August 29, 2015 Share Posted August 29, 2015 My house is not clean because I usually can find better things to do. Right now DD and I are seeing how many countries in Europe/states in US we can name on a blank map. I did better with Europe (19 right :scared: ) she did better on US map.... all 50 :thumbup: . 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ottakee Posted August 29, 2015 Author Share Posted August 29, 2015 Said friend does come across as super mom------and her house is always been neat and clean when we are there. That said, she does spend a TON of time with her kids and she works 32 hours a week to boot. I am sure it is because her 6 kids do all of the work..........NOT. My kitchen has been really clean, company clean twice today and now is a disaster. I have made 4 loaves of banana bread, 2 batches of oatmeal banana cookies, make fresh tortillas for lunch, and cleaned out several cupboards. Give me a bit and it will be cleaner again.........just in time to start supper. I am just not thinking that if I can't keep up with the messes of 4 kids and dh then adding more kids like dd suggests isn't likely to help with the clean factor. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
displace Posted August 29, 2015 Share Posted August 29, 2015 Mine is too big. :). I told DH this house would be too big and too hard to keep up and I was right. And DH works too many hours. And I'm frequently doing more important things like studying on how to be the best teacher and prepping stuff like stories to help DS memorize sight word spellings. School will always be more important than house work. But now we have a fairly clean school office that we enjoy being in for school so I may possibly branch out into the family room. Or not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted August 29, 2015 Share Posted August 29, 2015 If you had 50% more kids, would you have 50% less funding per kid for projects, hobbies, etc.? Therefore each dc would have less to clean up, therefore you would in fact have a cleaner house. Look at the Duggars: 18-20 kids, no books, only toys in one room, very clean. I think you should give her the sibling this dd clearly wants. :) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BooksandBoys Posted August 29, 2015 Share Posted August 29, 2015 Does supermother homeschool too? That would be downright shocking! I used to have a clean house...when I had one child who was in full time day care and both DH and I worked full-time outside the home. I found it much easier to clean up after ourselves when we only cooked one meal at home most days and only had three or fewer hours that our one child was awake to make messes. Since he spent most of that time eating and bring bathed, the messes were just not an issue. Now, I am at home full-time, we have three kids, two of whom have significant issues, and I homeschool. My house will never be neat again. I do work very hard to keep the kitchen clean. When it's a mess, I find myself unconsciously muttering things abut hating my house. When it's clean, I don't mutter. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SnMomof7 Posted August 29, 2015 Share Posted August 29, 2015 More kids does not a clean house make. EBF baby twins. The house could look better. ;) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ottakee Posted August 29, 2015 Author Share Posted August 29, 2015 Does supermother homeschool too? No, she doesn't. Her youngest is 13 and she runs a tight ship at home. Sadly though my kids are in school too and it still isn't as clean as her house. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wheres Toto Posted August 29, 2015 Share Posted August 29, 2015 Mine is too small and has no storage. And we have too much stuff. And I hate to clean. And I work full time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kbutton Posted August 29, 2015 Share Posted August 29, 2015 Mine is not clean because: ...I fundamentally don't think I should have to do it if everyone else does not pitch in. :iagree: I'm also a fairly low energy kind of gal, so that doesn't help. My kids have issues. My husband works weird hours. It's about the whole package, lol! I am a clean up as I go along person unless pressed for time. Sadly, I am the only person in the house who even knows what that means. On the flip side, I don't necessarily pick something up until I am finished with it, so sometimes ongoing stuff is in the way. When I do clean, it's a lot at once, and houses stay neater if they are picked up more or less constantly. We like to can produce and do things that take a lot of time at already busy times of year. We don't hire out for many jobs but we don't have enough time to be do-it-yourself folks (we are slowly able to budget for more things to be hired out than in the past). The good news is that we've made great strides...the bad news is that it takes SO LITTLE to derail things. I am okay about our current level of cleanliness because we are on a good trajectory (significant decluttering and reorganization has been working, and we're getting a shed for things that we need to keep but are cluttering up otherwise usable areas (we have no basement, attic, or garage). (The canning and other things we do involve tools that take up space we don't have in the house.) Other than naturally neat people who just don't make messes, most people i know with a super clean house spend more time on it than I will EVER in a million years be willing to spend on cleaning and straightening up. I think that's okay. I wish I could say I spend it doing something super cool, but I'm pretty boring. I do spend a lot of time learning things that help my family out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted August 29, 2015 Share Posted August 29, 2015 My house is not clean because it's too old. The plaster is sheddy, the floors are scuffy, the woodwork is not so perfect, nothing is at a right angle. That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baseball mom Posted August 29, 2015 Share Posted August 29, 2015 To much stuff Not enough closets (old house = small closets & no closets) I am lazy -- there I admitted it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MelAR05 Posted August 29, 2015 Share Posted August 29, 2015 I don't like housework; there's too much living to be done. Surprise, surprise, my girls all take after me. This. :) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ottakee Posted August 29, 2015 Author Share Posted August 29, 2015 I don't like housework; there's too much living to be done. Surprise, surprise, my girls all take after me. I am right there with you. I am trying to find a good balance. As we are foster parents we do have to maintain a level of cleanliness as we can have surprise social worker visits at any given moment (but usually scheduled). I just enjoy walking, kayaking, horseback riding, etc. much more than cleaning. I would rather clean stalls/pastures than clean my house. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 29, 2015 Share Posted August 29, 2015 Said friend does come across as super mom------and her house is always been neat and clean when we are there. That said, she does spend a TON of time with her kids and she works 32 hours a week to boot. I am sure it is because her 6 kids do all of the work..........NOT. My kitchen has been really clean, company clean twice today and now is a disaster. I have made 4 loaves of banana bread, 2 batches of oatmeal banana cookies, make fresh tortillas for lunch, and cleaned out several cupboards. Give me a bit and it will be cleaner again.........just in time to start supper. I am just not thinking that if I can't keep up with the messes of 4 kids and dh then adding more kids like dd suggests isn't likely to help with the clean factor. Some seasons of life just stink for this. I'm neat as a pin normally, but have been behind the ball for six months. I'm just not getting it together again as my health allows and my baby is a little older and sleeping marginally better. And I have it on good authority from friends with older children that it is actually HARDER to manage messes with big people, because they are so busy they cannot really help with the chores anymore like they could when they were a little younger, and they generate their own piles. Don't feel bad. You just do the best you can and so does your friend. It's not a contest for cleanest house OR the most kids ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ottakee Posted August 29, 2015 Author Share Posted August 29, 2015 Don't feel bad. You just do the best you can and so does your friend. It's not a contest for cleanest house OR the most kids ;) I don't really feel bad at all. She is a bit of a motivation, but certainly not a contest at all. They have their own struggles that we don't deal with and we have ours that they don't have. I was just blessed to have 4 kids here who don't see messes. One of mine does somewhat but the other 3 just think clutter and mess is "clean". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AuNaturel Posted August 30, 2015 Share Posted August 30, 2015 My house isn't clean because I have a toddler. Boys are little tornadoes! I just can't keep up with his ongoing path of destruction. It would be a full time job in itself and I have better things to do. My kitchen is perfectly clean once a day. My floor is perfectly free and clear of toys once a day. But it never lasts. :'( My house stays cleaner on days my husband works. On his days off I dread the mess that will follow. Time spent at home, meals home cooked, and age of children all really matters. I could keep up with it before my son was born. Not now. I give my daughter extra allowance money for helping me to pick up after her brother when company is coming over. That helps a lot. Maybe super mom pays her kids to clean? It's cheaper than a maid service and they try harder when there is money involved. [emoji14] Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Junie Posted August 30, 2015 Share Posted August 30, 2015 The other day when we were doing our "15 minutes of cleaning", littlest dd asked why we were cleaning because it was just going to get messy again. :001_rolleyes: 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FaithManor Posted August 30, 2015 Share Posted August 30, 2015 Male #1 Male #2 Male #3 Male #4 The dog The cat The lionhead bunny who sheds enough to sweep up a whole bunny every.other.day. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DesertBlossom Posted August 30, 2015 Share Posted August 30, 2015 DS was complaining because I've been slowly increasing their daily chores. He tells me "so you want to some day make it so we do ALL the work and you sit around and do nothing?!" Exactly. Baby #6 is on his way and my set of cleaning minions is almost complete. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AK_Mom4 Posted August 30, 2015 Share Posted August 30, 2015 My house is not clean because Thing 1 and Thing 2 are shedding heavily. Again. Fluffing up for winter I suppose. Vacuuming is twice a day right now and still not keeping up. My kids have all reached the age of neatness or at least picking up after themselves most days. No worse than the adults around here anyways. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MomtoCandJ Posted August 30, 2015 Share Posted August 30, 2015 Because I don't like to, I have a 6 yr old who doesn't like to listen and a 19 month old mistress of destruction. I'm a full time college student (though right now all my classes are online). Too much crap and not enough room (4 people plus a dog in a 2 bedroom single wide). Dd1 goes to a private school on scholarship and with that comes volunteering commitments and she also has Girl Scouts and soccer (so far). And now that dh's boss is married, all business trips are now family adventures (like we went to Missouri last week and depending on my classes we may go to Chicago in February and there is another possible trip in there somewhere just not sure where). 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reefgazer Posted August 30, 2015 Share Posted August 30, 2015 I'm straight up about why my house is a mess- because I hate housework and I will find anything to do besides that, and because DH doesnt want a housecleaner. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foxbridgeacademy Posted August 30, 2015 Share Posted August 30, 2015 Reason my house is not clean: Current edition...... I'm sore from going to the gym on Friday and tired from have Drama Queen Hay-Hay (niece) here all weekend. Wonder what will keep me from cleaning tomorrow? oh yeah it's a Monday, that's reason enough. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ewe Mama Posted August 31, 2015 Share Posted August 31, 2015 5 kids + 4 dogs + 1 cat + 1 depressed/depressing husband + 1 exhausted mama = a very untidy house. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kewb Posted August 31, 2015 Share Posted August 31, 2015 My house is not clean because I would rather read a book. The dust bunnies can wait. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rebcoola Posted August 31, 2015 Share Posted August 31, 2015 My house is not clean because it takes time away from my dream of reading every book in the world. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted August 31, 2015 Share Posted August 31, 2015 And now... my house is not clean because there's no company coming. Whew! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiwik Posted August 31, 2015 Share Posted August 31, 2015 My house is not clean because I would rather read a book. The dust bunnies can wait. This. I have a free hour and can read a book or vacuam. The book wins every time. At least I am well read. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekland Posted August 31, 2015 Share Posted August 31, 2015 My house is never clean because neither I nor my family members care. We often wonder why others need things spotless rather than lived in. There is a point though. We don't care to be a Hoarder's model. I want clean dishes, laundry, and places to sit without having to clean off chairs. No "paths" either - as long as you don't look in our attic. But that hardly counts as "clean" to most and we're ok with that. We'd much rather be doing things we like than spending time dusting, mopping, vacuuming, or similar. When they were home, my boys could have games/toys (in use) left out for play the next day. Why pick them up just to get them back out again? I'd rather read, check out things online, play a game, do a puzzle, or head outside than clean. I'm actually about to go outside and do critter chores plus pick peppers in our garden now. Daylight helps with these things or I'd be out there already. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted August 31, 2015 Share Posted August 31, 2015 My house is not clean because it's too old. The plaster is sheddy, the floors are scuffy, the woodwork is not so perfect, nothing is at a right angle. That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it. I have an old house too. What is it with old houses and dust! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SproutMamaK Posted August 31, 2015 Share Posted August 31, 2015 My house is not clean because I grew up in a clean house with a clean mother, and it was extremely stressful/maddening for everyone. I'll take "acceptable and happy" over that any day. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ikslo Posted August 31, 2015 Share Posted August 31, 2015 My house is neat, but it doesn't sparkle. And DS' most recent allergy results came back the other day. He's allergic to a boat load of outdoor environmental stuff, but none of the indoor stuff like dust mites! So now I don't have to feel bad that I don't dust every day. :) As long as there aren't dirty dishes in the sink and I don't cringe stepping into the shower, I'm good. ETA: Reading books definitely plays a role here, as well. As does homeschooling and a 40+ hr/wk job. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MomOfABunch Posted September 1, 2015 Share Posted September 1, 2015 Hahaha. I've got 5 and trust me, the extra one doesn't magically make the house clean! The fact that 7 people and their stuff live here make the messes. Having the toddler does motivate me to keep things reasonably picked up because anything that gets left down gets destroyed by said toddler. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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