Just random day to day venting... my apologies in advance...

[Tigger0624]

Ok- I know this is the life of a mom- especially one with 4 boys (5 if you count my DH) and 2 dogs in and out of the house all day long- but seriously!!!

My biggest gripe- no matter how many time I organize their playroom or any other room in this house- 5 minutes later it seems like a bomb went off and no one ever knows who did it! And of course I'm the one who ends up picking everything up and putting it away agai just so they can make another huge mess again...

Also- Is it too much to ask that the laundry be put in the hamper and not a pile on the floor in front of said hamper? or that after I spend hours washing drying and ironing the clothes and all I ask of the older boys is that they put it away- that it ll ends up in a heap on the floor? or just sits in the basket till they go through all of it....

Ugh... I feel like Cinderella before she meets up with her Fairy Godmother...

I could use a Fairy Godmother or at least her magic wand... or even Mary Poppins... now that would be great...

oh well- my five minute break is over and its back to scrubbing floors again... I'm sure since the boys just tromped through the door from school that the playroom is about to blow up!!!

Someone please kidnap me and take me to the Fort!!! I need some Disney Magic to snap me out of this...

 

[des1954]

You need instructions on productive mothering....

Let everything go until it's bedtime. Then, when the little monsters (uh- darlings) are fast asleep, pick everything up, put it in boxes, bags or plastic containers, and hide their stuff - clothes included. THEN....make them earn back the items you have taken away from them. Whatever chores are age appropriate...and this is a very important step....
DO NOT CAVE IN TO THEIR WHINING!!! STICK TO THE PLAN!!!

Give them a time frame to earn back their things, and if they don't....give it to a charity and do not replace it with other stuff.

I guarantee when they lose enough stuff, they will think twice before carelessly leaving things laying around.

 

[Tigger0624]

I'm going to have to try that- they weren't this out of hand a little bit ago- but in Sept I got sick and needed surgery- thus was in the hospital for a week, off my feet for almost a month after that and my parents came down to "mind the children" aa let them get away with anything they want whenever they want... so I've been fighting the uphill battle to get everyone back on track and its a loosing battle... then add in a move 5 days before XMas in total and utter chaos... I just cant seem to get caught up...

Like I said- its mainly just venting cause once things get this out of hand it takes drastic measures to get everyone and everything back on track... I'll get it done, but I just need to vent a little or I'll loose it- KWIM?

 

[seabee]

Forget Nanny Jo- We have Nanny Deb!

 

[Just Beachy]

You need instructions on productive mothering....

Let everything go until it's bedtime. Then, when the little monsters (uh- darlings) are fast asleep, pick everything up, put it in boxes, bags or plastic containers, and hide their stuff - clothes included. THEN....make them earn back the items you have taken away from them. Whatever chores are age appropriate...and this is a very important step....
DO NOT CAVE IN TO THEIR WHINING!!! STICK TO THE PLAN!!!

Give them a time frame to earn back their things, and if they don't....give it to a charity and do not replace it with other stuff.

I guarantee when they lose enough stuff, they will think twice before carelessly leaving things laying around.

Deb, you are a genius!!!!

 

[BRDof3]

Mother always bragged to her friends how I constantly cleaned and scrubbed the entire house, did all the laundry, and made all my own clothes, all by the age of 6.

 

[Just Beachy]

Mother always bragged to her friends how I constantly cleaned and scrubbed the entire house, did all the laundry, and made all my own clothes, all by the age of 6.

 

[VACAMPER]

Mother always bragged to her friends how I constantly cleaned and scrubbed the entire house, did all the laundry, and made all my own clothes, all by the age of 6.

your mothers a liar

 

[Just Beachy]

Mother always cried to her friends how I constantly dirtied and destroyed the entire house, made all the dirty laundry, and ruined all my own clothes, all by the age of 6.

That's probably closer to the truth...

 

[des1954]

Mother always bragged to her friends how I constantly cleaned and scrubbed the entire house, did all the laundry, and made all my own clothes, all by the age of 6.

your mothers a liar

That's probably closer to the truth...

I'd say Rob suffers from "selective memory"!!

 

[Cindy F]

Your house sounds like my house used to be! I have girls and this usually works.....

"I can not believe you two pigs (yes, I have called them pigs....sue me) have gone behind me and wrecked this house. I guess you don't remember everything I went through to have you both, let me get the video of when I had XXX out"

This usually results in "NOOOOOOOOOO" as they run around cleaning up.

I told them their room was their own space and they could keep it however they wanted as long as there was no food or dirty clothes in there BUT none of their friends could come over unless it was clean and if I had someone coming over, they had to clean it all up. After spending hours cleaning up a dirty hell pit a few times, they decided it would be easier just to keep it picked up. ~grin~

 

[BRDof3]

I'd say Rob suffers from "selective memory"!!

Sniff...sniff...sniff. Nobody believes me. Nobody knows the sacrifices I made for my 19 brothers and sisters.

Nobody likes me, everybody hates me. I think I'll go out and eat some WORMS!

 

[des1954]

OOOOOOH!! I LOVES the "Let me show you the movie of when I gave birth to you" tactics!!!

You deserve the "most creative mom" award!!

 

[des1954]

Nobody likes me, everybody hates me. I think I'll go out and eat some WORMS!

Maybe this will help them go down easier...

 

[BRDof3]

Maybe this will help them go down easier...

Much better that way. A cold beer helps even more.

 

[Born 2 Fish]

Sniff...sniff...sniff. Nobody believes me. Nobody knows the sacrifices I made for my 19 brothers and sisters.

Nobody likes me, everybody hates me. I think I'll go out and eat some WORMS!

I'm here for ya buddy. We men have to stick together!

 

[PolynesianPixie]

Ok, so to get kids in line, you strip the toys from their rooms, the clothes from their backs and call them pigs and threaten to show them videos of a naked mother howling obscenities until they want to eat worms???

I think I'll try this tonight.

 

[Tigger0624]

You guys are great! Snapped me right out of the funk I was in- except now I'm all soggy from having to bathe both wiggly shakey puppies... sigh... buts its cheaper than the groomers... I can pay for 2 days at the Fort for what they chrge me just to wash to dogs!

I decided that since this house is smaller than our old house and one side consists mainly of their bedrooms and playroom- as long as the hallway and bathroom are kept clean- they can do whatever they want in their rooms- just no food, drinks or laundry... if there is laundry in there- it will not get washed until it makes it INTO the hamper and not on any floor surface at all. I also had them as a punishment clean the family room and bathroom while I sat with my feet up and a nice cold Mike's

Of course they complained the entire time- but I simply said if they didnt like having to clean it up- then they shouldnt leave it a mess... the drill sgt routine hasnt been working so I am trying the "you do the work while I relax" tactic- oh and no play dates unless all the house is clean... lol... we'll see how this works out for a few days...

Oh and according to my MIL- my DH was an absolute angel who never did anything wrong when he was a child- talk about selective memory! Though if you talk to him- he still is!!!!

 

[BRDof3]

Ok, so to get kids in line, you strip the toys from their rooms, the clothes from their backs and call them pigs and threaten to show them videos of a naked mother howling obscenities until they want to eat worms???

I think I'll try this tonight.

That's just so wrong in more ways than I can count.

 

[disney4dan]

I think the most frightening look I have ever seen on a human face was the day that Nancy, sweet and even tempered DW, found neatly folded clean clothes dumped in the hamper because the kids did not want to put their clothes away in the bureau. Seems kind of funny like an old Bill Cosby skit now, but at that one moment in time was scary. I thought we were going to lose one of 'em