I went to the house of some people who didn't have children yesterday

[Cappuccino]

it was like an oasis of calm

it was all grown up and there were fresh flowers in vases at coffee table height

and there was carpet (we can't have carpet because of dd1's walking frame, no 'shoes at the door' for us because her wheels are unwipeable and covered in crud)

there was a little table with a laptop on and some lovely stationery

it looked like to clean it you would just need to wander around with a feather duster and run a vac round

you wouldn't have to move a load of shite and then pry up squashed raisins

I came home quite depressed

Think it is sad to say christmas morning is wrong when there are no children.

My cousin and his wife are desperate to have kids, but so far no joy - after 15 years of trying and 3 IVF attempts. If she read this she would no doubt be gutted. She waould swap her cram carpets and coffee tables in a heartbeat.

I'm sooo glad I'm not hte only one whos who eats in the bathroom or climbsinto the fridge

I know Jodie, I don't understand all this moaning

I don't see it as moaning per say, just a 'how the other half live' kinda thing. I get embarassed (sp?) when my BIL comes over as his house is soooo tidy and white and cream and beautiful (could be in a magazine) and our house is caos, but I love my life and we can all 'moan' about all the washing up/stair gates/sleepless nights/not being able to go to the toilet by ourselves etc (and I;m one of the worse for it!!!! But I think (well I hope) we are all horribly aware that the alternative would be worse!

Never had an immaculate house before kids - it was cleanish and tidyish but not obsessional. I have a cream carpet but managed to keep it pretty much that way. Odd spillage but I have a no lids off drinks rule in the lounge

I too eat my secret stash with fridge door open. DS is only 2 and at my waist height so if he's pre-occupied doesn't always spot what I'm up too ! I didn't realise we were all at it ! Unfortunately ds insists on wandering into the loo with me so there's not a hope of that being my secret eating location....

Pippy - my DH is one of the use it drop it culprits in my house too!
What gets me is the length of time it takes to tidy means there's no actual time left to clean - so i am left with an occasionally tidy but basically grubby household.
As for the 'count yourself lucky you've got kids' etc - yes I do count myself lucky, esp as struggling ttc again at mo; nevertheless its still good to have a moan every now and again!

at mrsb's reminder of what christmas is like with no children

ok i am SO depressed now! My house is not AT ALL like the op but it NEEDS TO BE cos we are putting it on the market soon. I am actually sinking into a deep depression thinking of the impossible task of creating a SHOW HOME type house. (DC's are 3y, 2y and 4mths- EEK)

There are little hand prints over all the cream walls and glass, there is crayon/pen over areas of wall and the coffee table. The kitchen floor is vile. Everything is sticky and there is clutter everywhere. The sofas are ruined by the next door neighbour's cat using them as a scratching post!

sigh!

Got to say, my house a bit like that. DS is 4 and does spread lego all over the floor and gets his toys out, but when he's gone to bed I always have to tidy it away..I thinK i am a bit anal about it tbh

we also have new cream kitchen, glass tables, cream stone floor, cream carpets, gorgeous voile length curtains to the floor and wall mounted plasma..I am shocked that somehow he hasnt broken anything, he is pretty bositerous and runs around alot..so must just be luck.

I do like a nice immaculate looking home and end up tidying up alot --not to the neglect of ds though as I do loads with him.

If anything did get broken or damaged I wouldnt worry too much, at the end of the day everthings insured..and you have to except nice stuff to get damaged. There's nothing wrong with being house proud as long as your kids can still play freeley, it teaches them to respect things in the home. Though must say if i worked full time, my house would probably be a tip!

I went to visit friends this weekend whose house was quite cluttered with photos, pictures, paintings, books objects from thier travels, inherited pieces of furniture, musical intruments and things they had made.

There was so much to talk about just looking at thier stuff.

The furnitute didn't match.

Nothing was deisgned.

The kitchen was full of open sheleves stuffed with intersting foof stuff.

It was such a relaxed interesting house, so full of character, welcoming and refletive of them.

It was cleanish and tidyish.

Made me think we have really lost the plot with our aspiration to clinical white and cream show homes that look good in photos but feel essentially quite souless.

I am now aspiring to a realxed,informal house that reflets my interests and interesting life.

Now I just ned to get an intersting life.

But you can keep your cream carpets, sofas and perfect tidiness, I do actaully think it represents a lack of someting somehow.

We have flowers on a dining table, I like to think its clean although during the day there are toys everywhere. Our downfall is the toddler snot and dog pawe smudged windows.... and a pile of paperwork in the kitchen.

Can anyone tell me how to get rid of the pile of paper work in the kitchen.............without dumping it in the dining room?

I can't even maintain a pile of paperwork anywhere, ds2 finds it and eats it

Totally agree with what Communion said. And I would be chuffed to bits if someone described our house like that

am reading this thread (LOL) in my cream living room with a previously cream carpet and sofa - we use washable throws over everything and chuck everything into baskets at the end of the day.

I agree re the soulessness of totally cream minimalism - my thing is how many homes seem to have NO BOOKS around and about - I get unnerved when there are no books at all about...

DS is 2 and is probably tidier than me - I am convinced that the nursery think I use him as a mini cleaner becasue he spends so much time offering to help tidy up (bless)

In the last 36 hours my DS1 has broken one of my wedding wineglasses and my beautiful vintage butter dish and I feel so sad.

I really miss lie ins. (Had one this morning - 7.40am!)

And the cinema.

And just popping out for a game of pool with DH.

Think will get a lodger... then they can babysit while I go to the cinema etc...

My sister is child free. We have never been invited over since we had children. She has cream carpets, sofas and i suspect magnolia lifestyle [slightly bitter about the unwelcome vibes]. I am proud of our lived in home.

Will be cleaning the windows as have a houseful of people visiting later this week.

Also agree with Communion. I like to think that our house is a bit like that. I read a lot so there are lots of books and DH is arty so lots of bits around that he likes the look of. We don't have a great deal of cash so furniture is mish mash of some nice old restored bits and some retro stuff. You can pick up furniture like that cheaply here in France.

My sister's house is calm oasis of cream and white bed linen and towels (she only has one DS though). I love staying there but wouldn't actually like a house like that. Lovely sister says exactly the same about my place.

Both of us miss lie-ins and do furtive eating so seems there is no escaping those aspects of family life.

I went to sil's house yesterday who has 4 under 8 and her house looked like this!

'christmas morning just feels WRONG when there are no children'

That's because there is no such thing as Christmas morning before you have children. You can have a luxurious lie-in because there is no-one to wake you up at 5am demanding to know whether Father Christmas has been.

Last Christmas (my son was born in March) we woke up at midday, had a champagne breakfast, watched Gone with the Wind in our pyjamas, opened our presents around 4pm and had our Xmas meal about 7pm. That will probably never happen again until I am in my fifties