I am not tidy.

whew! That felt good! I feel like Oprah!

I am not a tidy person. Actually, that’s not quite true. I’m semi tidy. I don’t sit there in weeks worth of rubbish, but not neat and tidy. My house isn’t one of those that has a place for everything and everything in it’s place. It is lived in. NO, lived in doesn’t mean absolute mess. There are bits and bobs on the living room table. The odd cup that has been there since the night before. A bottle of water. A piece of paper, a book. General bits..Stuff. The rug has little bits of grass or lint on it or wood from the cat’s scratching the edge of the table (GRRR) and I don’t feel compelled to vacuum it up straight away. The ironing is done but never quite gets from the pile back to the drawers where it belongs before going back into the washing pile.

Right now, my home is being renovated.  There’s dust everywhere. Two bathrooms and a former garage being made into a kitchen. I have a downstairs toilet and the current kitchen sink to use for everything else. Quite simply  it’s a mess  and it’s starting to get to me.

I wish I could be like Monica Gellar. She would never do that. She thrives on these tasks that I find mundane. The things that I avoid as long as I possibly could. Love the whole idea of cleaning and seeing my hard work come to fruition with a beautiful sparkling home. Something I can say that I did myself. Nah, I want that sparkling home but I’m not all that bothered if I’m not the one that made it happen. In fact. I’d rather it not be me. Then I can tell people how amazing they are and get their business recognised.

My mum and gran will not be happy with that last paragraph. They know that I am a little bit of a tramp but they still want me to at least try.  Which I do. Just not enough I suppose.

Having two boys is a never ending battle where you constantly walk around in circles picking wrappers off the floor, clothes stuffed in a corner, socks all balled up in the laundry basket. It’s not like they have never been asked- and eventually told- to pick up after themselves. To put their clothes into the laundry basket. To put their dirty dishes in the sink. I admit, with the clothing thing, I’m not the best role model. That is my primary downfall. Everything else though, I’m set on getting them to at least try and remember to do on their own.

This then, raises another bone of contention amongst people. Should you get your children to do chores? SHould you expect them to do those kind of things that you weren’t necessarily expected to do when you were younger? I had a situation when I asked the boys to bring down their dirty clothes. I knew there was a pair of pants Gabe wanted to wear the next day. He didn’t bring them down after asking him no less than 3 times.. the next day he was mad and he had to wear something he didn’t like. Simple right? Should I have done it myself because I’m his mum or was I right? There’s no real right answer. It’s all on your personal preference.

There is very little that my boys do, so sometimes getting a little help without them letting out blood curdling screams is appreciated. I also think it helps them when they get older…

On the other side of things, the boys have actually come to me requesting a chore list and a behaviour chart as they realise what this can mean. Do as you’re asked. Life is easier. No shouting, screaming, and instant removal of electronics. Get through the lost-you’re golden.

Infact. Maybe I should have my own list. Might help me keep on track…. 😉

Cx