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Moominmomma
02-04-2009, 08:33 PM
I'm a bit of a neat freak, I panic when I know someone is due to come round. Do you all tidy etc when a parent is coming to pick up or is this just me?

How tidy are your houses?

estrelas
02-04-2009, 08:36 PM
i tidy like mad when someones coming around, but at the moment its ermmmmmmmmmmmmmmm......... up the wall a bit :blush:

huggableshelly
02-04-2009, 08:40 PM
my house is clean but untidy, its lived in there are toys and craft bits all over the place and to a perfectionist its probably classed as a dump.

I aim not to have a perfect home when new parents come as I want them to see me and my home as i am and as my home really is. I do do extra checks just to make sure such as spare loo roll available and plenty of wipes so I do not need to venture upstairs for anything whilst a parent is in my home - this is due to safeguarding not leaving children with strangers.

uf353432
02-04-2009, 08:40 PM
I am a bit OCD actually, its my dads fault - he would clean like the queen was coming if guests were expected and I have the same tendancy. Trouble is its just not going to be possible with a house full of kids to keep it tidy. I struggle with my own 2.

I think I will be happy if when they arrive in the morning the house is tidy, then if its a tip when they collect - they will know that I have let their kids have a fab time and i've been at their disposal rather than being a neat freak.

Though we might have the tidy away game at the end of the day, and the kids can get involved in returning the toys to the playroom and the reward will be a bit of telly before collection time.

Pah! who am I kidding - I have no clue how it will all pan out. I'll be the one in the corner crying because my house is a tip. lol!

Demonjill
02-04-2009, 08:47 PM
I usually always have a "superclean" if people are coming round.lol. Not that my house is dirty :blush: just makes me feel better about it lol

PixiePetal
02-04-2009, 09:04 PM
Mine is a tip by the end of the day, shows we have had a good time............same as normal really, but it is quite clean. Bathroom is always clean and kitchen too.

Do get kids to help put garden toys in shed half an hour before hometime then have stories and queit play.

miffy
02-04-2009, 09:15 PM
Mine is a tip by the end of the day, shows we have had a good time............same as normal really, but it is quite clean. Bathroom is always clean and kitchen too.

Do get kids to help put garden toys in shed half an hour before hometime then have stories and queit play.

Sounds like my house but don't think I'm as good at tidying up before they go home, I'm usually doing that when they've gone :(

Miffy xx

Carol
02-04-2009, 09:15 PM
My house is always spotless when I dont have visitors:laughing:
An organised mess when visitors come :laughing:

Carol xx

buildingblocks
03-04-2009, 06:42 AM
My house is reasonably tidy downstairs as I have a large playroom which for most of hte day looks like a bombsite so visiting parents doget to see it in that state.

We tidy up if we are going out of the house for any length of time eg like drop in this morning or before luch if we are in. This is because of the children and hours I work the play room isn't as well used in the afternoon. All my lo's sleep after lunch and two days a week I finish at 3 so they wake up just before going home. Three days a week they wake jusrt before the school run and when we et back they like to play in the quieter front room, puzzels, books, etc or outside. They never seem to go in there after school unless lots of htem.

We always tidy up around 4.30 as then it is tidy when their mum collects them ( 3 from one family) as I know they will do it fo rme but no once mum arrives so it saves the fight of trying to persuade them to do it. once tidy they watch 30 mins of TV much to their delight (don't have it on at all apart from this time)

They can make as much mess as they want when they are playing but know thattehy will have to tidy it up

Meant to add once you ventur upstairs that is another matter as I never to seem to get on top of it and as Little Miss Sparkles will vouch if you look up the stairs from the bottom it will look tidy until you get to the top and out of sight is huge piles of stuff on the landing that has been brought up from downstairs to make that look tidy for any parents lol

breezy
03-04-2009, 07:32 AM
Mine is usually a tip by the end of the day, but we've had fun!
I do have ocd about a clean bathroom though!!!!
Oh and NEVER open cupboards in my house, cos when the house is tidy, the cupboards are full!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Pipsqueak
03-04-2009, 07:36 AM
I saw the title of the thread and have been in hysterical laughter since.... actually its nearing tears of laughter heading towards depressed status now.

Tidy House???? do the two words actually go together? :eek:

My house is quite tidy at the moment - you can see the floor downstairs but you can't upstairs so to me thats tidy!:D

haribo
03-04-2009, 07:41 AM
i try and tidy up with the children before they go now-for years i did it after they went but i much prefer it done ( mostly) so i can flop and have a cuppa as soon as theyve gone lol the house is a tip whilst theyre here and parents know im not always tidy cos if they come a bit early they get a terrible shock as the houes is open plan and thers stuff end to end :laughing: :laughing: :laughing:

patconn2
03-04-2009, 07:44 AM
As with everyone else, the downstairs is clean,but with stuff everywhere at the end of the day. I always had the intention that the children would help tidy up at the end of the day, but they all go at different times. Usually only one left and my dd by 6pm and I end up tidying most of it. At least I know where everything is and that the toys are in the right boxes.
I'm not registered for upstairs so I can't get up there to clean from weekend to weekend, so my sister comes and cleans upstairs, does ironing and puts it all away ;) that way I don't spend all weekend playing catchup.
Parents can tell the difference between untidy and unclean, I hope!

Monkey1
03-04-2009, 09:05 AM
Ok, someone let me into the joke.....whats a tidy house?:rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

Andrea08
03-04-2009, 09:12 AM
I usually always have a "superclean" if people are coming round.lol. Not that my house is dirty :blush: just makes me feel better about it lol

me too not so much at pick up time just if i know someone is coming to visit.
i dont like ppl just showing up im usualy cleaning out a cupboard or paperwork all over the diningroom floor,,,

Chatterbox Childcare
03-04-2009, 09:34 AM
Sorry I thought that was a joke title!

Tidy up before parents get here - uuuuuuum no - no time. Kids put their toys away but the kitchen is a bomb site until they have all gone.

Lady Haha
03-04-2009, 09:54 AM
I start tidying away toys and stuff at 5.30 as kids are all gone by 6pm. But some of them get picked up anytime from 5pm onwards. I don't do the tidying BECAUSE the parents are coming, I do it, so I don't have so much to do after 6pm!

The parents have often seen my house looking like a bombsite! They usually laugh and say they don't know how I put up with it!

Before I became a childminder and I worked in an office, I actually went to see a childminder to look after my son and her house was soooooo spotless even with other children there, that I didn't get a good feeling! Only one toy out. I would have prefered to have seen lots of toys and general chaos then I would think well, they are having fun here aren't they! I could see she had lots of toys, as they were all stored VERY neatly in boxes with lids. Maybe she had had a massive tidy before I got there, but it worked against her!

Roseolivia
03-04-2009, 10:58 AM
I try to keep my house tidy especially if i'm expecting company. It's a lot better now we've got a cleaner as she comes once a week and i can keep on top of it. I don't think when you've got kids you can have a tidy house.

FussyElmo
03-04-2009, 11:05 AM
Tidy house:laughing: :laughing: :laughing:

Only when dh decides to tidy up. Its tidy from 8 at night to 8 in the morning.

My full time mindee mum said she only sent her to me as my house was trashed when they visited well it was half past four and the holidays said it showed that play was more important than anything.

SmartKids
03-04-2009, 12:02 PM
What is that!!!! mine is clean can't say tidy. It does my hubby's head in especially if we are having friends round for an evening as it takes most of the day to make it look respectful - oh well blame it on the job

loocyloo
03-04-2009, 06:33 PM
i'd love one of those!

my neighbour popped round once and said she thought we were out, as you could see the sitting room floor;)

AND she knew i was working!

(that was the day, that as soon as the children arrived we went out in the car, and had only just got home, and were sitting down for tea, so no time to make a mess!)

my DH always asks what i have done all day ... i usually point at the floor and say 'guess!' :D

ajs
03-04-2009, 07:08 PM
Mine is a tip by the end of the day, shows we have had a good time............same as normal really, but it is quite clean. Bathroom is always clean and kitchen too.

Do get kids to help put garden toys in shed half an hour before hometime then have stories and queit play.

this is always my plan doesn't always happen but i try to tidy before parents arrive to collect

Shar
03-04-2009, 07:33 PM
Clean yes, tidy no!! When you look after children there are toys, games and paint etc... everywhere!! I run around once they have all gone home and shove everything under the stairs. That's how it is!!:thumbsup:

sue
03-04-2009, 08:25 PM
I saw the title of the thread and have been in hysterical laughter since.... actually its nearing tears of laughter heading towards depressed status now.

Tidy House???? do the two words actually go together? :eek:

My house is quite tidy at the moment - you can see the floor downstairs but you can't upstairs so to me thats tidy!:D


yes l know where you are comming from l'm the same :D

Moominmomma
03-04-2009, 08:25 PM
Thanks everyone, I love a tidy house, but I love playing with the kids more.

I'll stop running around with the baby wipes obsessively cleaning the floor before pick up now! :clapping:

sunnysmile
03-04-2009, 08:30 PM
Downstairs is always clean and tidy, unless we are playing then its toys toys toys :clapping: my bedroom though :eek: I like a messy bit somewhere and it is mine, mine, mine :laughing:

ChocolateChip
04-04-2009, 05:19 PM
I like it to be tidy in the morning, I usually get up and hoover round in the morning as I'm generally too knackered/lazy to do at night, so it looks nice first thing.
But it's always a mess by the time they go home. I try to tidy up a bit through the afternoon so I don't have it all to do later, and for safety's sake, I try to encourage them to put things away before getting out something else (doesn't always work :rolleyes: ) but I think it 's good for the parents to see them playing and know that they've been busy having fun.