Messy house, unexpected guests

[TandyR]

I am a stay at home mother of two girls and my house is always a mess....I rather play with my girls or take care of myself by swimming when the girls are gone for a few hours then do any housework. My mother was also a stay at home mom of two, but she really cared more about what her house looked like rather then having fun with my brother and me so I learned from her mistakes.....housework will always be there kids won't, getting an education in something you love won't always be there, etc etc....so I have gotten to the point that I don't care that there is clutter. Anyone who would drop in unexpectly most likely knows how I feel about this and wouldn't blink an eye at the clutter in my house.

 

[darlene9947]

My kids are grown and I still have toys all over in the den!! LOL It seems my grandson likes to make a mess all over the den just like his dad did!!

 

[4greatboys]

Originally posted by MICKEY88
aren't you concerned that someone might trip over something on the stairs...??

Why would her guest be going up her stairs if the dinner party is downstairs

 

[Tiggeroo]

wow guys. I feel bad reading these responses. I really need to lighten up about this, and that's tough. I live on the beach so in the summer I get alot of unexpected guests and am always stressing cleaning up. I should be spending the time on the beach reading a book instead. My oldest just went off to college, and this is really making me re-evaluate the time I have left with my kids at home.

 

[Auggietina]

I have a little sign in my kitchen that reads:

A Clean house is a sign of a dull woman

 

[castlegazer]

Originally posted by 4greatboys
Why would her guest be going up her stairs if the dinner party is downstairs

Exactly! My stairs, while having a habit of becoming a collection bin for things that need to go upstairs, i.e. new books and shoes that have recently been taken off after coming in the door, are not somewhere guests ever go to as we do not have "guest" areas upstairs. Setting things on stairs to go upstairs is a very bad habit but at least the things are in process of being placed in their proper areas of the house. Oh, and just another point of clarification - I have wide enough stairs (probably the problem).

OK - OK - I admit it I am a stair slob!

 

[TINKTWINS]

I just ignore my mess and imagine they do too!

 

[Disneycrazymom]

Castlegazer, You need one of those stair baskets. They are GREAT for exactly the purpose of placing things that are in need of the trip up or down. I was given one when I was pregnent and not supposed to be going up more than 1 time per day. It sits at the bottom and I drop things in all day, whenever anyone goes up it goes too. They have some really nice ones.

 

[C.Ann]

My DH always used to tell folks, "We try to keep the place looking like this all the time in hopes that one day while we're out, someone will break in, look around, and feel so bad for us they'll throw a few bucks on the table..............."

 

[mcnuss]

[q]
quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Originally posted by Micca
I'm always a little relieved when I see other people's messes.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Glad I'm not the only one!![/q]

ME TOO!!

 

[DCLuvinit]

Originally posted by Trish5768
I have a little wooden lady on my door she holds a sign that reads: My house was clean yesterday, sorry you missed it.

I love that! I have a magnet that says "If the dustball moves it's probably the cat." I try to reason that when I am at other people's houses and they apologize for the mess, it wasn't even bothering me in the first place. So we probably feel worse about our own house than our "unexpected" guests do.

 

[HLFDZN]

Originally posted by Micca
I think "mess" is a relative term, and everyone thinks their mess is worse than everybody elses mess. I'm always a little relieved when I see other people's messes.

I totally agree...and I also agree that spending time with the kids is WAYYY more important than how clean the house was.....they will not remember that, but they will remember things you did together. Kids are messy..I know, I have 6. I do not apologize anymore, ever. Take me as I am, or don't come over LOL. We also have a yellow lab who sheds constantly. I can vacuum 3 times a day and there will still be visible dog hair. There is verse my sister in law gave to me when my twins were born:


Some Houses try to hide the fact
That children shelter there-
Ours boasts of it quite openly,
The signs are everywhere-
For smears are on the windows
Little smudges on the door
I should apologize, I guess
For toys strewn on the floor
But I sat down with the children
And we played & laughed & read
And if my doorbell doesn't shine
Their eyes will shine instead
For when at times I'm forced to choose
The one job or the other
I want to be a hosuewife-
But first I'll be a mother

I too am guilty of the vacuum trick..just leave it out ( I have no place to put it anyway) and it looks like I am in the middle of cleaning LOL

Tiggeroo...relax....it is ok, there are lots of people who have messes....Melissa