What's considered normal in your home but weird in others?

[mrodgers]

I leave my butter out on the counter. Some people are aghast at that but I despise hard butter. It is always covered and we have never had it spoil. We have central air so it never gets hot enough to "melt". It is always just nice and spreadable.

Most people don't know that during the holidays the grocery store sells way too much butter and eggs to fit in the dairy cooler in the back and it's just sitting around on pallets in the back room. Real grocery stores, not Walmart. Walmart seems to only order 1 case in whether it's a baking holiday or not.

We used to do this when our kids were little and I was a stay-at-home mom. My husband got home from work at 2:45 so we would usually make dinner immediately and eat by 3:30/4:00. Kids would have a little snack before they went to bed.

Dinner time is more of a function of when people are home to me. I would get home at 4, kids at 4:10 and dinner would be ready because she left for work at 4:30. Not a whole lot of time to eat dinner together.


The laundry thing, everyone had a clothes hamper in their room. It drove me crazy that she would pile everything together because I was the one home in the evening and folded the clothes. Every single item of clothing, "Girls, your's, your sister's, or your mother's?" Made no sense as I would have a few items and they each would have a full load.

No shoes in our house either, they always come off as soon as we walk in.

I don't know anyone who wears shoes in the house except my mother, but she has specific house shoes that she doesn't wear outside. I also don't know anyone who asks others to take their shoes off when visiting, but also most people do.

 

[mrodgers]

Here is one that isn't specific to home but what people do that makes me wonder.

Winter time comes, it's cold outside. Time to wear a coat, hat, etc. Everyone but me seems to dress for the 12 seconds it takes to get in the car with the heater on, then blast the heat to 100 while dressed to survive the Artic. I get to work where winter means it's finally just under 100° and everyone is working in heavy sweatshirts and hats while it's still 95° and 99% humidity in work. I'm still wearing shorts and a t-shirt at work and at home the shorts, or rare occasion jeans, come off and usually a pair of athletic shorts come on or none at all as I'm alone.

This goes along with stores as well. Stores are heated, in fact I find them roasting in the winter. How are people walking around in heavy Artic winter clothing in stores?

 

[tzolkin]

Saying grace/prayer before we eat - when either of my girls has/have a friend over it’s so obvious that they don’t do this at home.

Not starting to eat until everyone is sitting at the table. Again, I’m basing this on my girls friends. When they are over they start eating the second they get their food and never wait.

I remember this from when I was younger. Most of my friends and my siblings friends only ate dinner as a family on holidays or special occasions so they were not familiar with the dynamics of a "family meal". They usually made their own food or just ate a snack in their room.

The laundry thing, everyone had a clothes hamper in their room. It drove me crazy that she would pile everything together because I was the one home in the evening and folded the clothes. Every single item of clothing, "Girls, your's, your sister's, or your mother's?" Made no sense as I would have a few items and they each would have a full load.

I guess I've never had an issue with washing together because I know what everyone's clothes look like so I can easily separate into individual baskets when folding. When someone other than me folds the clothes, they'll typically all do it together so they can pull their own items out and fold them.

We just don't make that much laundry and I like to wash different items on different settings (ex. hot/cold water, different detergent) so I have to pool everything together to make full loads in each of the categories that I like to do. There's no way I'm doing 5 separate mini loads of socks/underwear, 5 separate partial loads of dark clothing, 5 separate partial loads of light clothing, etc. That's 15 loads vs the 3 that I would normally do.

Here is one that isn't specific to home but what people do that makes me wonder.

Winter time comes, it's cold outside. Time to wear a coat, hat, etc. Everyone but me seems to dress for the 12 seconds it takes to get in the car with the heater on, then blast the heat to 100 while dressed to survive the Artic. I get to work where winter means it's finally just under 100° and everyone is working in heavy sweatshirts and hats while it's still 95° and 99% humidity in work. I'm still wearing shorts and a t-shirt at work and at home the shorts, or rare occasion jeans, come off and usually a pair of athletic shorts come on or none at all as I'm alone.

This goes along with stores as well. Stores are heated, in fact I find them roasting in the winter. How are people walking around in heavy Artic winter clothing in stores?

I agree, but for me this is even more of an issue in the summer. If I'm wearing shorts or a sundress so I can be comfortable in the 90+ degree weather outside, I hate freezing whenever I go inside anywhere and the AC is blasting at 65. 65 is long pants and a sweater temperature for me.

I prefer dressing appropriately and having the indoor temperature be closer to the outdoor temperature. I will use heat and AC, but just enough so I can be comfortable with season appropriate clothing. If it's winter, I will wear warm clothes inside. If it's summer, I don't want to have to put on a sweater every time I go inside.

 

[mrodgers]

I agree, but for me this is even more of an issue in the summer. If I'm wearing shorts or a sundress so I can be comfortable in the 90+ degree weather outside, I hate freezing whenever I go inside anywhere and the AC is blasting at 65. 65 is long pants and a sweater temperature for me.

I prefer dressing appropriately and having the indoor temperature be closer to the outdoor temperature. I will use heat and AC, but just enough so I can be comfortable with season appropriate clothing. If it's winter, I will wear warm clothes inside. If it's summer, I don't want to have to put on a sweater every time I go inside.

I do admit that I broke something with heat stroke 2 years ago so I'm not comfortable anywhere. I shovel snow when I get home from work and don't bother to go inside immediately to change into long pants. Summer temperatures are not comfortable at all, it's just I can't go with any less clothing than shorts and t-shirt, LOL. 65 inside with the AC blasting while the heat is pressing in is perfect. About 67 with the furnace with winter cold pressing in is perfect and I'm still in shorts/t-shirt inside in the winter. I only own 1 long sleeve shirt and that's for on the bicycle when the temps drop below 50. I hate wearing long sleeves because I'm not use to having sleeves and they get caught in everything and knock a lot of stuff over. I'm afraid of getting sleeves caught in equipment at work and such, kind of like when I went to contacts after half a lifetime with glasses covering my eyes, I felt I had to protect my eyes all the time (obviously at work it would be safety glasses, so didn't have that feeling.)

 

[Moliphino]

Here is one that isn't specific to home but what people do that makes me wonder.

Winter time comes, it's cold outside. Time to wear a coat, hat, etc. Everyone but me seems to dress for the 12 seconds it takes to get in the car with the heater on, then blast the heat to 100 while dressed to survive the Artic. I get to work where winter means it's finally just under 100° and everyone is working in heavy sweatshirts and hats while it's still 95° and 99% humidity in work. I'm still wearing shorts and a t-shirt at work and at home the shorts, or rare occasion jeans, come off and usually a pair of athletic shorts come on or none at all as I'm alone.

This goes along with stores as well. Stores are heated, in fact I find them roasting in the winter. How are people walking around in heavy Artic winter clothing in stores?

It can take a while for the heat in the car to warm up, it's more like 10 minutes of being freezing. I prefer being too warm to being cold, though. I never take my winter coat off at work and it's about 68-70 degrees in here.

 

[holden]

I never wear a coat in the car. Ever. I throw it in the back seat and put it on when I get to my destination if I need it. If it's around 35 or above, I won't put it on to run into a store because I'll just take it off when I get inside.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Saying grace/prayer before we eat - when either of my girls has/have a friend over it’s so obvious that they don’t do this at home.

Grace was said when my family was more religious, we stopped long ago when the religious aspect was largely reduced. When I met my husband's family they often said grace as well and as I grew up Catholic as well I knew all the words and what to do I just no longer said it. I still bowed my head though out of respect. Sometime though after the first few years grace just got dropped.

I wouldn't say it's weird that you do it but I highly suspect it's steeped in some religious aspect which is usually why people say grace or a prayer. Not all families are religious and thus may not have that being taught.

 

[SirDuff]

It can take a while for the heat in the car to warm up, it's more like 10 minutes of being freezing. I prefer being too warm to being cold, though. I never take my winter coat off at work and it's about 68-70 degrees in here.

I also hear my dad's voice in my ear...

"Sure it's warm in the car but what if you breakdown/have a flat and need to wait by the side of the road or walk? Bring the jacket (gloves, hat, etc)"

 

[tzolkin]

I also hear my dad's voice in my ear...

"Sure it's warm in the car but what if you breakdown/have a flat and need to wait by the side of the road or walk? Bring the jacket (gloves, hat, etc)"

Yes, I lived somewhere for many years where it would snow from early October until sometimes May and it was normal for it to be below 0'F during much of the winter. If I got stuck somewhere for hours, I was going to want all that winter weather clothing.

I don't like to be hot in the car (myself and kids all have severe motion sickness), so usually I will just use minimal heat for defrosting windows so it's usually still cold enough inside the car to be wearing my coat and gloves if it's a short drive.

 

[CdnCarrie]

I have a $300 light sabre in my living room. I feel your pain..




My mom wore a bathrobe but she called it a dressing gown.



Even in the summer, shoes come off at the door here. If someone came over and asked to keep their shoes on, of course I’d say it was ok, but it’s not the norm.

I think it's true that it's more common in certain climates (although I grew up in FL and we were NEVER allowed to set foot in the house with shoes on). Of course it makes sense that you wouldn't wear dirty winter boots in the house, but everyone I know that has a "no shoes" house it still applies even if they are wearing flip flops in the summer.

My parents both grew up in the same area of NY, but my mom had a strict "no shoes" family and my dad's family always had shoes on. Ironically, my dad grew up on a farm so you would think they would have been more likely to not wear shoes. If they were wearing super dirty boots, they would come in through the basement and put on their regular shoes before coming upstairs into the house.

Yes everyone I know wear no shoes inside.
my point is I think it’s more common to do so in cold climates than warm climates because you are use to taking winter wear off 5-6 months of the year.

 

[mrodgers]

Yes, I lived somewhere for many years where it would snow from early October until sometimes May and it was normal for it to be below 0'F during much of the winter. If I got stuck somewhere for hours, I was going to want all that winter weather clothing.

I don't like to be hot in the car (myself and kids all have severe motion sickness), so usually I will just use minimal heat for defrosting windows so it's usually still cold enough inside the car to be wearing my coat and gloves if it's a short drive.

I wear shorts at work, but wear a flannel and a heavy coat to go to work because it's easier carrying it that way. I never know who is working or where I am working and one guy always opens the garage door so it can get cold in my corner. I have the flannel for that (I should leave it at work, that would be simplest) and I may have to go outside and hunt the lot for a trailer so I have my heavy coat for that. I am always perfectly fine in shorts but for the ride in, I have the heat going on the floor, then the window is as far down as I an put it without the wind buffeting.

It's not the environment that I'm in, it's me. My core is always burning up but when I do get cold, oh boy am I freakin cold.

Riding the bicycle in the winter is the toughest. It's freezing out yet I'm sweating like a pig which freezes me even more at the skin level.

 

[CdnCarrie]

It's -15 F here today. I have been telling my new teen driver that the cannot drive in runners and a hoodie on a day like this.
If his old beater died or went in a ditch he would get frostbite while waiting for a tow, help, etc.

 

[tinkerdorabelle]

Well, it wouldn't be weird in Canada, but I get the impression that taking your shoes off at the door when you enter someone's home in the US can be considered weird. I don't care if you think your shoes are clean. Trust me. They aren't. And no, I'm not just talking about if they are wet or muddy or snowy. I'm talking about all of the time. Now, if you had some medical reason that required you wearing shoes indoors, I would have no problem, but in general, we prefer people take their outdoor footwear off in our home.

Not sure why you think if you are from US you don't do that, we do not ever wear shoes in the house and many I know do not.

 

[Timandalicia]

My presence.

 

[indimom]

We have one television upstairs (that might be watched an hour a week) and one downstairs. Seems like most people I know have one in every bedroom and multiple living spaces.

 

[North of Mouse]

Well, based on the weird/awkward looks that I get when I ask people to please remove their shoes at the door, I am of the assumption that it isn't necessarily all that common, especially in the nice weather days. I have lived in four different corners of the US and have received similar responses in each area from many people. I have also gone to people's homes, taken my shoes off at the door out of habit, and had them say, "Oh, we never take our shoes off in the house."

Except for some native Filipinos that were our friends and shoes were left at the door, (but slippers were provided) we have never encountered anyone else that wanted us to take off our shoes. In fact, seems pretty rude to me to ask guests to remove their shoes. Muddy, wet, snowy, yes, but that's a common courtesy to me, otherwise, no. Dh & I leave our 'everyday' wear shoes at the door, but not our dress shoes - they go straight to our closet.
Especially if it would leave someone with bare feet, nope, please leave your shoes on thank you! Also, I, personally will not walk around in someone else's home in my bare feet! To each their own.
No, we don't usually wear shoes in our own home.

 

[ronandannette]

Except for some native Filipinos that were our friends and shoes were left at the door, (but slippers were provided) we have never encountered anyone else that wanted us to take off our shoes. In fact, seems pretty rude to me to ask guests to remove their shoes. Muddy, wet, snowy, yes, but that's a common courtesy to me, otherwise, no. Dh & I leave our 'everyday' wear shoes at the door, but not our dress shoes - they go straight to our closet.
Especially if it would leave someone with bare feet, nope, please leave your shoes on thank you! Also, I, personally will not walk around in someone else's home in my bare feet! To each their own.
No, we don't usually wear shoes in our own home.

I wouldn't let the Queen of England walk on my hardwood with high heels. And honestly - where we live nobody would even think of leaving their shoes on while visiting another home, even if they do so in their own.

 

[North of Mouse]

I wouldn't let the Queen of England walk on my hardwood with high heels. And honestly - where we live nobody would even think of leaving their shoes on while visiting another home, even if they do so in their own.

Not sure where you live, but it's true, customs and expectations vary in different areas. It would not be even thought of to ask a guest to remove their shoes in the south where we live. But no matter, your home, your rules!

 

[RUDisney]

I never thought it was odd, but as my DS was growing up and his friends were ALWAYS at my house and I was feeding them more often than not, I learned that most of the boys didn't have a from scratch meal almost every night, and moreover, ate the same meals night after night. DS's BFF said his mom made pasta with jarred sauce most nights of the week. I'd go out of my mind if I didn't come up with different things to make and we had the same things over and over each week or night, for that matter. And, before anyone asks, we DO eat leftovers.

I also guess it was weird that I fed his friends all the time. When DS was at their houses and it came to dinner, he was sent to the living room while his friend and his family ate dinner. I couldn't imagine eating and not offering some to our guests, even if they were my DS's guests.

 

[LuvOrlando]

Hanging the toilet paper so it rolls out from the back.

You've gone too far my friend