Just checking in to give a quick update. We had a very busy weekend working on the house. We rearranged a lot of stuff, and it looks great! We moved the bookshelves/craft cupboards to the landing on the stairs, which will hopefully help keep the living room free of all the little bits that seem to always surround the cupboards. The living room is a lot more open now too. We hope that it will help Judith to learn to just take 1 thing out at a time, and put it away before getting something new, since it's kind of separated from the work space now. I also completely organized everything in the cupboards, which was quite the ordeal, but now it's all in order and things aren't spilling out anymore. I got rid of a garbage bag full of stuff too, which I think makes up for my week of slacking... I hadn't even looked in the cupboards for probably a year, I always get Judith to put her own stuff away, and she has learned the fine art of shoving stuff in and quickly closing the doors. She learned that from me, though, so I need to stop doing that before I can expect her to.
Once we get the house all in order again (it's almost there, which is super exciting!), I'm thinking of having a family meeting and coming up with some basic rules. I'm not a huge fan of lots of rules, or being The Enforcer, but I think a few standards that we can all agree on would be helpful. Right now our basic rules are No Food in the Basement and No Feet or Bums on the Tables/Counters. Judith seems to obey those just fine, and with the others I have to watch them and make sure because they don't really understand yet. I want to start tidying up before bed, and getting the kids to put their own stuff away all the time (toys, crafts, dishes, etc). I should probably make a rule that food stays at the table too, not in the living room or at the computer. That would probably be helpful for my carpets. The kids always willingly help with chores because they think it's fun, so I don't want to put rules in that area which would probably wreck it. Bed time is never an issue too because it's routine and consistent.
Are there any other rules/routines that you have found to be helpful?
Now that the weather is nicer I feel like I have more energy and ability to have more control over my life. I just want to have some more order, so that there is less work for me, and my brain (and therefore my house) is less cluttered and chaotic.
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Hey Kelly!
So, let me know what people respond for this. because I could definitely use the pointers as we're transitioning to more time at home right now.--we're home until June, can you believe it?!--right now, I clean an awful lot for the whole team--that's our family plus four girls.
I've been talking to my girls and trying to establish for our family, helping, and cleaning, and that sort of thing. but it's definitely nothing organized and I'm debating in my mind if it needs to be. That's why I'm interested in what others say here.
And then! I want to e-mail you, but I don't have you're e-mail address and you're facebook free right now.
Will you shoot me an e-mail?
mammabrindle at gmail dot com ? I have a friend who's asked me to be there for her birth, and I could realize use your ideas! ^_^
When Cheyenne is a little older and can understand more, we are going to be hardcore with no sippy cups leaving the kitchen. Right now, it'd be too much to deal with having her carry one around the house and fighting Matt on why he can't carry one around. Right now, we at least don't allow juice outside the kitchen because otherwise it stains up the carpet. Their juice is very limited anyway.
Oh, I don't allow things like Twinkies, hot dogs, or other processed snack-y stuff in the house. I haven't bought them for a long time. I'm thinking about making it a VERY permanent house rule so the kids just LEARN that snacks can be whatever fruit or vegetables that they want. Even applesauce, but not crap snacks as I call them.
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