Mark and Rheta Wallingford

Is it possible to have a clean house when you unschool? Every surface
in my house is covered with coloring pages, bead kits, videos, dinosaur
masks, you name it . does the feeling of needing to have your house look
"presentable" - as I was raised - ever go away for those who have this
issue? I see each thing as a work in progress so I don't want to move
it because the kids are using it but sometimes that urge to put
everything away so my house looks neat just aggravates me.

Rheta




[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Wendy Carr

Oooooooo I am a bad mommy then...cause I am always harping about cleaning up messes! Ooops!
But my son leaves Cards everywhere - Pokemon and Yu-Gi-Yo cards! He's nine.
I cant stand a messy house, and so I am always trying to pick up!
I don't however pour out his many "Science" experiments... He likes to mix water with whatever and call it an invention (Air freshener, Bug killer ect...) He loves to watch water freeze in the freezer in different shaped containers. So I have several icy experiments in there right now.
----- Original Message -----
From: Mark and Rheta Wallingford<mailto:wallingford@...>
To: [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>
Sent: Friday, February 20, 2004 10:41 PM
Subject: [UnschoolingDiscussion] Clean House?


Is it possible to have a clean house when you unschool? Every surface
in my house is covered with coloring pages, bead kits, videos, dinosaur
masks, you name it . does the feeling of needing to have your house look
"presentable" - as I was raised - ever go away for those who have this
issue? I see each thing as a work in progress so I don't want to move
it because the kids are using it but sometimes that urge to put
everything away so my house looks neat just aggravates me.

Rheta




[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]




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[email protected]

In a message dated 2/20/04 10:43:16 PM, wallingford@... writes:

<< Is it possible to have a clean house when you unschool? >>

Not longterm, when the kids are little. Sometimes for special occasions, and
maybe better as they get older.

<< does the feeling of needing to have your house look
"presentable" - as I was raised - ever go away for those who have this
issue? >>

I doubt you were raised in an unschooling house, and if the priority is
unschooling, and the children outrank the parental priorities of the grandparents
it makes it easier to be calm about it, I think.

Sandra

Danielle Conger

Every once in a while for about 10 minutes to an hour depending upon how fast the whirlwinds are moving and whether they can go outside to play! *g*

We generally tend towards entropy--my kids are 6, 5 and 3. Every few days or so we put stuff back with the other stuff it belongs with, and I run a vacuum. But even then there are lots of piles in different places, so it still looks cluttered. I've been sick the past couple of days, and it's always really obvious when I get sick. All the little putting away that I do during the course of my day, like taking something that belongs where I'm going with me, just doesn't get done. This is always a pretty good kick in the pants for dh. *eg*

My kids have been on a painting kick the past few days--we missed their art class, so they did it at home. I have paintings *everywhere*! We'll find some more wall space for their favorites and then send some batches to the grandparents. Mail some of the clutter! One mom's thousandth project is a grandmother's precious gift! At least when they live far away.

--danielle
----- Original Message -----
From: Mark and Rheta Wallingford
To: [email protected]
Sent: Friday, February 20, 2004 10:41 PM
Subject: [UnschoolingDiscussion] Clean House?


Is it possible to have a clean house when you unschool? Every surface
in my house is covered with coloring pages, bead kits, videos, dinosaur
masks, you name it . does the feeling of needing to have your house look
"presentable" - as I was raised - ever go away for those who have this
issue? I see each thing as a work in progress so I don't want to move
it because the kids are using it but sometimes that urge to put
everything away so my house looks neat just aggravates me.

Rheta




[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]




"List Posting Policies" are provided in the files area of this group.

Visit the Unschooling website and message boards: http://www.unschooling.com



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[email protected]

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Elizabeth Roberts

For the most part, I don't mind the daily clutter of life in progress...but my husband is a neatnik. We compromise...when he's on duty, I don't worry about the house as long as it is clean (ie: floor is mopped or vacuumed, counters wiped, dishes done) and when he is home I'll get stuff put away like he likes it to be.

Mamabeth



Mark and Rheta Wallingford <wallingford@...> wrote:
Is it possible to have a clean house when you unschool? Every surface
in my house is covered with coloring pages, bead kits, videos, dinosaur
masks, you name it . does the feeling of needing to have your house look
"presentable" - as I was raised - ever go away for those who have this
issue? I see each thing as a work in progress so I don't want to move
it because the kids are using it but sometimes that urge to put
everything away so my house looks neat just aggravates me.

Rheta




[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]




"List Posting Policies" are provided in the files area of this group.

Visit the Unschooling website and message boards: http://www.unschooling.com



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[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Mary

From: "Mark and Rheta Wallingford" <wallingford@...>


<< Is it possible to have a clean house when you unschool?>>


Clean house? Definitely. Tidy house, depends on how anal one is and how much
time they want to put into it.

My house is very clean. I work at it every day. The kids rooms are another
story. They are also clean but you would never think it by looking at them.
There is stuff everywhere on any given day. Once in awhile if I'm having
problems walking to the beds and closet, I'll ask for some help in putting
things away. I do also like to vacuum in the bedrooms at least once a week.

The playroom is pretty much left up to the kids as well. Although being that
they eat in there, I do ask to be able to vacuum more often. Crumbs on the
floor in FL is a no no. But I can also vacuum around stuff and just do spots
as needed. If someone is coming over, the kids usually straighten up so that
there is more room to play and mess up!!! There are days when nothing is on
the dining room table and then weeks where it's covered with paints, play
dough, creepy crawlers, etc. We hardly ever actually use the dining room
table to eat at unless it's an occasion. We have a kitchen table we can sit
at.

It's important to me to have some organized space in the house. I could care
less what anyone else thinks, but I need that for me. So my bedroom isn't
for toys although it's more than inviting for kids. Also the living room.
The kids do puzzles and books there but nothing else. That's what the
bedrooms, playroom and my moms place is for. <BG>

So if it's not important to you, don't worry about what others do or think.
If it is important to you, make a compromise.




Mary B.
http://www.homeschoolingtshirts.com

the_clevengers

--- In [email protected], "Mark and Rheta
Wallingford" <wallingford@m...> wrote:
> Is it possible to have a clean house when you unschool?

Definitely possible to have a clean house, though you might always
have a certain amount of clutter and stuff about due to unschooling.

I like FlyLady's idea of having each room be within 15 minutes of
clean. For me, that means if we pick up whatever projects and
playthings the kids have left out, the room is basically clean. So I
do a rotation on cleaning throughout the week so that on any given
day the bathrooms are cleaned and swiped, the floor has been
vacuumed/swept within the last couple of days, the dishes are clean
and put away and the counters and tables are clean, the linens and
towels are washed, etc. It takes much less time to keep things clean
than to get them clean once a certain amount of grime has hardened on
them, LOL.

Other than the cleanliness though, we have some rooms in the house
that stay relatively neat, and some rooms that are more or less a
total disaster. The kids have their huge bedroom/bonus room and my
son has his Lego room, and the office - all these rooms generally
have stuff out in various stages of creation. The bathtubs often have
ongoing science experiments in them or paintings drying or whatever.
But the basic living areas - living room, kitchen, and dining room,
as well as our master bedroom - stay pretty decluttered of kid stuff.
Especially my bedroom, I have a basket for kids toys that somehow end
up in there - all the stuffed animals in my bed, the dress-up clothes
and swords on the floor, etc. When the basket is full, it goes back
to the kids' room to be emptied. That way my room stays relatively
neat and peaceful looking every night when I go to bed. I like my
bedroom to be a sanctuary, LOL.

My DH is totally spartan and a neat freak, I grew up in a totally
clutter-overtaken house that always felt claustrophobic to me. I
think what we've come up with is a good compromise that allows some
of both - some neat areas, and plenty of room for kid clutter.

Blue Skies,
-Robin-

Anita Bower

I put signs on my doors that say: "If a messy house bothers you, close
your eyes when you enter." Doing this freed me to keep house as I want.

Anita B.

[email protected]

In a message dated 2-21-2004 2:44:16 PM Mountain Standard Time,
homequaker@... writes:
I put signs on my doors that say: "If a messy house bothers you, close your
eyes when you enter." Doing this freed me to keep house as I want.
+++++++++++++++++
My disclaimer is a little doll holding a sign that says, "housework makes you
ugly" ... must be why I'm still so cute! <bg>

diana,
The wackiest widow westriver...
"Argue your limitations, and sure enough, they're yours" ~ Messiah handbook
(Illusions by Richard Bach)


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Dawn Adams

Anita writes:

I put signs on my doors that say: "If a messy house bothers you, close
your eyes when you enter." Doing this freed me to keep house as I want.
>>>>>>

My sign hangs over the living room entrance and says, "Young minds at work, expect mess."

Dawn (in NS)


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Elizabeth Roberts

I have a sign that says my house is protected by killer dust bunnies.

Elizabeth

Dawn Adams <Wishbone@...> wrote:


Anita writes:

I put signs on my doors that say: "If a messy house bothers you, close
your eyes when you enter." Doing this freed me to keep house as I want.
>>>>>>

My sign hangs over the living room entrance and says, "Young minds at work, expect mess."

Dawn (in NS)


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[email protected]

I have a friend who has a sign that says, "Please excuse the mess and noise.
The children are busy having a happy childhood."




Come to the Live and Learn Unschooling Conference August 27-29 in Peabody, MA!
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