Tag Archives: mess

Toddlers are Full of Surprises

Life with young children is certainly full of surprises. For example, you might find a surprise behind the sofa and wonder when your little one stashed it back there, because you can not remember the last time you had that type of snack in the house. There could be a surprise on the bathroom floor, because learning how to use the potty does not always guarantee that the potty will be used in the suggested manner. The other day, I found a surprise on one of the walls in the living room. At first I was in denial. No, it … Continue reading →

Parenting Can Change Your Perspective in Surprising Ways

This evening, I found myself doing something that I had never imagined myself doing. Lately, I have been spending the hour after the boys go to bed doing things just for me, like reading a book and relaxing with a cup of tea. Tonight was different, though. I spent that hour cleaning as much of my house as I could. At first, I felt like cleaning for that hour meant that I was giving up my precious leisure time. That thought did not make me happy. Later in the evening (after I had cleaned), I realized that tonight, cleaning my … Continue reading →

What Constitutes Clutter?

Managing clutter, conquering clutter—these seem to be ongoing pastimes for the average family. But, before we can really get a handle on all the clutter of family life, we might first have to figure out what exactly constitutes clutter. After all, one parent’s clutter is another child’s treasures… I cannot count the times that I have done battle with my kids—or at least had some pretty intense discussions about what is neat and tidy, what is garbage, and what is just dangerous clutter. I have tried the “fire trap” approach and the “someone is going to break a leg trying … Continue reading →

Who Really WANTS to Deal with all the Icky Stuff?

Children are messy. They can even be incredibly gross, sticky, sloppy and smelly. Most of us don’t think about these little realities when we are planning to be parents—we think about cute, cherubic babies, watching children romp and play in the yard, tossing the baseball or kicking a soccer ball back and forth, or shopping for adorable outfits. The ickiness eludes us until we are knee-deep in ick…and then we adjust. As you might imagine, I am always a bit horrified when I hear stories of parents where one parent (I don’t want to be sexist here, but it has … Continue reading →

Leaving a Trail

Call it a trail of tears or a trail of crumbs, but whatever it is—I have spent nearly twenty years following that trail of STUFF that kids leave as they move from one end of the house to the other—shoes, balled up wads of dirty socks, book bags, papers, sweatshirts, dishes, pencils, cd cases and game cartons—you name it; whatever any one of my kids might have in their hands one moment, will surely be left by the wayside as the move from point A to point B… When the kids were younger, I used to keep a basket at … Continue reading →

What is That Smell?!

One of the things that no parent is fully prepared for when embarking upon parenthood and family life is…the smell. I know, we are all enamored of the glorious, clean, fresh baby smell—but new babies don’t always smell that great. And, as the years progress, chances are, the child smells not-so-great, more often than he or she smells good. But sometime around the late elementary or early teen years, life can get pretty darn stinky… My kids tease me because I have a rather keen sense of smell and I am forever walking through the house saying “What’s that smell?!” … Continue reading →

Cleaning Routines… The Method Behind The Madness

My husband took our two-year-old out for the afternoon. They will enjoy a picnic lunch at the park and perhaps, feed the ducks. Which means that the house is all mine! Which means I better start cleaning. Whereas I would love to use the time to take a nap, my husband and I have this unwritten agreement: he takes our daughter out and I use the time to clean up a week’s worth of mess. Don’t get me wrong, we don’t live in squalor for seven days, I merely reserve my heavy-duty cleaning for weekends, when I don’t have a … Continue reading →

Home Clutter Can Lead to a Cluttered Life

Clutter. Don’t you hate it? I do, but unfortunately, it’s a fact of life especially in busy families. No matter how neat we try to keep our homes, clutter tends to creep in. When it does, it makes everyone feel unsettled. No one can relax in a mess. Clutter can also make it difficult to find the things we need. How many times have you purchased duplicate items, only to find them later? Not only does clutter cause everyone to waste time and money, both precious resources, but it also creates chaos that overlaps into other areas of our lives. … Continue reading →