Tidy playing area=happy children!!

[dropinthe]

I'm making a statement here but I firmly believe that children who are wallowing in toys/mess/rubbish are not happy ones!!

my sister is obsessively tidy and her children would plump up the cushions if you disturbed one. Happy mummy = children afriad to play for fear of making a mess. If you can tidy even hour, or even every day, I shall admire your energy but secretly wonder about your peculiar obsession.

If houses were less clean (not tidy, clean - there is a difference) when kids are small there might be fewer allergies around. I wish I'd done LESS cleaning.

is this still going?

I bet poor old CD wished she'd dropped that she smokes crack in to the conversation rather than tidying every hour , tee hee!

I think it's all to do with being able to find toys. Lost toys = unhappy child and unhappy me as I then risk a fall out tantrum or we all spend ages lookig for said toy. I tidy my house so the toys have a nice, secure home. It's not about me or my chidren any more.

Agree with tigermoth - nothing worse than trying to find a toy out of a set of something. I don't like having to wade through toys and I think a child can just be overwhelmed by too much. I always just take a selection of toys into the living room. Any more and they just get thrown around.

As for all the other things, dishes, clothes etc - well they don't seem to notice that and there are plenty of 'tidy' piles of washing to be put away

Well tatt we should be alright then. Yesterday morning I tidied up after DS's craft activity of making Easter cards but omitted to clean. The thing is though that we had been using glitter on the kitchen table. I think we all consumed a little glitter before I cleaned the kitchen at 8 pm and then DH swept the floor. Actually I agree that a little tidying as you go along is no bad thing. Sometimes DS remembers to do this spontaneously but not always. The days when he goes from one room to another getting things out (so his bedroom, DD's bedroom, hte living room, the kitchen and outside) and not doing much with them are the bad days.

BTW Prufrock I think I aim for a similar balance (LOL at the spreadsheet though). Always try to ensure DS gets some exercise, usually do an "activity" while DD has nap although have started letting her join in with colouring, and I suppose the rest of the time could be classed as social. Spent ages yesterday playing with his playmobil airport, plane and bus.

i just think they can't play properly with stuff everywhere. I tend to get them one set of things out at a time- thomas/bob etc.Otherwise they can't see the floor and what they've got!

I once went to a friends house where every bit of floor was covered in toys, every worktop was covered, even the high chair had stuff on it! I felt so mithered that I just wanted to tidy up for her! There wasn't even room to sit in a chair! Isnt there a saying about a tidy house tidy mind?

I have decided NOT to debunk this myth that I have a tidy house, I rather like it acutally!

heh heh

Can i just jump in to say that we have visitors coming to stay tomorrow and when ds asked me "what you doing mummy?" and i said tidying up a little bit, he replied "oooooh just like in play school"

Out of the mouths of babes.... :-)

@ prufrock

I have a computerised to do list (also covers household chores). Mondays is Monkey Music & a long walk (okay, so yesterday the walk took us to NdP's house, but the thought was there , Tuesdays Tumbletots, Wednesdays puzzles & games, etc... Every day I try and fit in some reading time. Not that we don't do stuff out of its set day, but ds1 leads on that...

joins the anal club

Do you think its ever too late to 'get tidy'. I am totally and utterly untidy. (Think its a reaction to my mum and dads manic tidying) Anyway want to turn over a new leaf but my DSx2 are nearly 6 now and not sure how best to 'start again' with them. TBH Ive allowed them to be as messy as me and I dont want to make their lives a misery by suddenly changing all the gound rules.
At the moment feel abit of a fraud because house is usually a bit of a pickle when just us there but then do a mad tidy up if anyone coming round and they always say how immaculate it is!!

Yep this is me too, whenever anyone comes round I have a mad rush through the house tidying and cleaning the toilets. Generally tho I am a hypocrite cos I insist that the kids keep their rooms tidy and if they don't they lose their sweet rations!!!

Prufrock - completely unrelated (sorry!), but I have to ask - are you a member of DVDForums? I used to be there all the time BK (before kids) and spoke to a "Prufrock" quite often - was that you or are there two of you going around? In which case, I must ask - does Prufrock mean something (in case I run into another one somewhere on the net and ask the same stupid question)?

Now, related to the subject - I always make sure my dd (20 months) tidies up whatever she's doing - eating, playing etc. before moving onto the next thing. She really enjoys it but she can be quite annoying with her obsessive cleaning! We'd be in our coats and shoes ready to go out and she'd be putting beakers, spoons, dummies etc. in the sink, tidying up her toys and books, making sure teddy, dummy and snacks are in her bag... and washing her hands afterwards (he he he). I don't know if I should be grateful or not, but we are the envy of our friends at the moment. They seem to be battling a lot with their kids about tidying up and can't understand that we can get remotely annoyed about our daughter's cleanlines.

Good thread this. I live in despair of ever having a truely tidy house. I am chronically disorganised (all my life) and struggle just with the everyday organization of household tasks.

I love my DS to bits but do worry that the chaos which sometimes surrounds him may send him mad.

Just don't know what the answer is (getting off Mumsnet and getting out the hoover may help )

My DS appears happy, healthy, active and outgoing. I'm not frightened of him making a mess and playing creatively - we have great fun but I do wonder if he'll struggle with organization in the way I do.

Two years ago I was diagnosed with ADD (in retrospect the signs were there as a child) - medication has helped with some of the organisation stuff but not all. In the long term I suspect we may need a cleaner to help.

I bet you see the inside of plenty of madly tidied up houses though don't you Amanda when you are working? Think ours is generally tidy when the HV puts in an appearance.

Hi Bozza,

As a HV myself I always tell the Mums on my books not to bother tidying up as it's doubtful any of them will be more untidy than me.

My other half is in the army & fanatical about tidying up & teaching our nearly 3 yr old to be the same. Problem is that I am very untidy & disorganised & while he's away during the week she lives in chaos. I promise myself every week to turn over a new leaf but dont have the willpower or energy to keep tidying up all the time. Any tips on getting organised as for the sake of all it has to change!!!

Yep - I'd be open to suggestions too. Have just bought a copy of "The Procrastinator's Guide to a tidy house" (called something like that anyway). Haven't got around to reading it yet.

I had a friend stay over, and the first thing she said was "God your house is a tip!" Now I wouldn't mind, but she is single, has no kids, works 9-5 monday-friday, and her mum still does her washing!

The root of it all is not that I have a toddler though. I simply dislike housework to thew point where I would rather live in a pig sty than get up and tuidy up. My mother was a feminist and as a result my sister and I are complete slatterns, and my brother is a stepford wife!

Amanda - would you be terribly offended if I used ADD as an excuse to DH in future . He is very annoyingly tidy and thinks I have some serious genetic defect because I am such an incapable housewife. (Hes actually very sweet about it but it does drive him to distraction.)
Kizziex

Id better get a copy of that book, for the last 9 months hes only been home on the weekends so doesnt realise how bad ive actually become! He'll be here everyday in 2 months tho so need to get into a good routine. Does it actually work if all the toys are kept in one room?? I dont want to stop dd from playing in the living room but shes got toys throughout the house & it drives him mad!!

My SIL has a sign on the wall in her kitchen saying "Dull women have immaculate houses." Which I always thought a bit odd as her house is always immaculately tidy (unlike mine).

ive started using a website www.flylady.net. If you join she sends you e-mails telling you how to organise your house. I can't do all the routines because ds3 is still tiny but it has made a difference. The tone of it can be a bit annoying, i.e gushing americanspeak but overall its not bad.

Mrs Wood - no it's not me. I took my nickname from "The love song of J. Alfred Prufrock" , a poem by TS Elliot. It was also used by a city columnist in the Times I think.