Today it seems I might not win that prize. I know such a shock. The sad part is it all started innocently on my part. I went up stairs today to get some pictures of a couple of things I want to get rid of. Stuff that was upstairs collecting dust. I decided to see how big the chicks are since I was up there. Yesterday MN played musical cages to get a bigger cage for her guinea pigs.
It seems that the girls might be hoarders of junk, (much nicer word than I am thinking). Every surface that was almost flat and wasn't slept on was COVERED, STACKED, and PILED oh I would say 18 inches to 2 ft. I know bad mommy for believing them when they say they clean. So much for trust, but then that would be another post. Being the kind mom I am I considered my options. I then came down stairs where they were doing school.
In my calmest voice I gave them two choices. One get it clean before dad got home, or two not worry about it and I will have dad back the trailer up against the house under their window and I will clean it when he gets home....... OUT the window! Yes, I am serious! Yes, I will do it! I then walked off.
It seems I might have motivated them. First MN came down with a box of trash and sweetly looked at me and said, "I threw away all my old poems." She knows I would like her to keep them. I looked at her and told her it was "Your choice." So she continued to the trash. Am I sad she threw them away, (If she did)? Yes, many we do have copies of, but not all. Sadly I am not in the mood for the guilt card to be played.
Then T came down with a load of books and in her most tacky voice ask, "Do you want me to just get rid of the books! They won't fit in the book shelf!" Errr no we don't throw books away. After that she gave me the big brown eyes swimming in unshed tears. I ask her what she needed?
Then she came down and announced, "Do we put the escape ladder on the sea container too?" I wasn't thrilled with that attitude either. It isn't winning them brownie points for sure.
I have told them they may have their beds and bedding. I think the bed frames may need to come out a while also. That just makes it easy to stuff stuff under the bed. I haven't share that information yet. I am not being a total bear. They have been giving the option of the stuff they value to box it up and put their name on it and it will go on the sea container. That way over time they can have it back. I have been told they don't have much to do that with. We will see.
In case you are wondering it isn't a new issue. It has just gotten out of hand again while I tried trusting them that when ask or when it was on their chore list they really did clean. Oh well at least it is just their room, not the whole upstairs trashed. That is a huge improvement. We started the family closet idea to solve that problem. They would carpet the whole upstairs with clean and dirty clothes. Baby steps I guess.
I did laugh at one point. Yesterday I had them cleaning school areas. The girls had two desk areas piled high. So today MN brought all her donkey stuff she had stuffed on the desk and take upstairs and stuffed back down and STUFFED it back on the SAME desk! She wasn't thrilled when I stood in the door going, "I don't think so!". After the, "WHAT?" she went and got it and took it to the barn. I would guess it is thrown/tossed/stuffed somewhere out there now. Wonder what happens if we tackle the barn in my cleaning?
I will leave the desk they had in their room in the family room for now. If they can't respect that then I will be blessing someone with some desk. I am wanting to do something different with the family room. That was the issue that started it all!
I am also working on most favorite status with my 10 yo. Today he has supper assigned to him. He decided we have enough leftovers, (we don't). That he would just do the leftover steamed veggies from church. I ask if there was enough left over meat for lunch and supper, or if we were just doing vegetarian supper. He "liked" that idea. He announced to everyone we were doing a vegetarian supper. I was behind him letting kids know not to worry about it. :) Steaks are laid out! He will get his "planned" meal, of which he only likes the potatoes. The cabbage, cauliflower and broccoli he would rather skip. I think each child at one point or another had to have at least one experience of choosing to not do supper or "forgetting". I will excuse it a little but when it keeps happening or you flat plan to NOT do it then you get to reap what you sow. He will be less than happy tonight. I will be sad for him. He will have the chance to plan a bit more careful later in the week. I think he has it one other day this week.
Oh and the boys rooms? They were clean. Not spotless, but clean enough to make me happy. I really am easy to make happy. That is the sad part. I do not command perfection, or even tidy. I do complain when there isn't a space that isn't piled at least a foot deep with stuff. Especially when most of it is trash and junk and books they are to lazy to bring back down.
It seems that the girls might be hoarders of junk, (much nicer word than I am thinking). Every surface that was almost flat and wasn't slept on was COVERED, STACKED, and PILED oh I would say 18 inches to 2 ft. I know bad mommy for believing them when they say they clean. So much for trust, but then that would be another post. Being the kind mom I am I considered my options. I then came down stairs where they were doing school.
In my calmest voice I gave them two choices. One get it clean before dad got home, or two not worry about it and I will have dad back the trailer up against the house under their window and I will clean it when he gets home....... OUT the window! Yes, I am serious! Yes, I will do it! I then walked off.
It seems I might have motivated them. First MN came down with a box of trash and sweetly looked at me and said, "I threw away all my old poems." She knows I would like her to keep them. I looked at her and told her it was "Your choice." So she continued to the trash. Am I sad she threw them away, (If she did)? Yes, many we do have copies of, but not all. Sadly I am not in the mood for the guilt card to be played.
Then T came down with a load of books and in her most tacky voice ask, "Do you want me to just get rid of the books! They won't fit in the book shelf!" Errr no we don't throw books away. After that she gave me the big brown eyes swimming in unshed tears. I ask her what she needed?
Then she came down and announced, "Do we put the escape ladder on the sea container too?" I wasn't thrilled with that attitude either. It isn't winning them brownie points for sure.
I have told them they may have their beds and bedding. I think the bed frames may need to come out a while also. That just makes it easy to stuff stuff under the bed. I haven't share that information yet. I am not being a total bear. They have been giving the option of the stuff they value to box it up and put their name on it and it will go on the sea container. That way over time they can have it back. I have been told they don't have much to do that with. We will see.
In case you are wondering it isn't a new issue. It has just gotten out of hand again while I tried trusting them that when ask or when it was on their chore list they really did clean. Oh well at least it is just their room, not the whole upstairs trashed. That is a huge improvement. We started the family closet idea to solve that problem. They would carpet the whole upstairs with clean and dirty clothes. Baby steps I guess.
I did laugh at one point. Yesterday I had them cleaning school areas. The girls had two desk areas piled high. So today MN brought all her donkey stuff she had stuffed on the desk and take upstairs and stuffed back down and STUFFED it back on the SAME desk! She wasn't thrilled when I stood in the door going, "I don't think so!". After the, "WHAT?" she went and got it and took it to the barn. I would guess it is thrown/tossed/stuffed somewhere out there now. Wonder what happens if we tackle the barn in my cleaning?
I will leave the desk they had in their room in the family room for now. If they can't respect that then I will be blessing someone with some desk. I am wanting to do something different with the family room. That was the issue that started it all!
I am also working on most favorite status with my 10 yo. Today he has supper assigned to him. He decided we have enough leftovers, (we don't). That he would just do the leftover steamed veggies from church. I ask if there was enough left over meat for lunch and supper, or if we were just doing vegetarian supper. He "liked" that idea. He announced to everyone we were doing a vegetarian supper. I was behind him letting kids know not to worry about it. :) Steaks are laid out! He will get his "planned" meal, of which he only likes the potatoes. The cabbage, cauliflower and broccoli he would rather skip. I think each child at one point or another had to have at least one experience of choosing to not do supper or "forgetting". I will excuse it a little but when it keeps happening or you flat plan to NOT do it then you get to reap what you sow. He will be less than happy tonight. I will be sad for him. He will have the chance to plan a bit more careful later in the week. I think he has it one other day this week.
Oh and the boys rooms? They were clean. Not spotless, but clean enough to make me happy. I really am easy to make happy. That is the sad part. I do not command perfection, or even tidy. I do complain when there isn't a space that isn't piled at least a foot deep with stuff. Especially when most of it is trash and junk and books they are to lazy to bring back down.
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