PDA

View Full Version : Is your house tidy when parents come?



rachelle
06-07-2010, 04:40 PM
Just had a dad pick up 1.5 hours early unannounced - no problem there, very nice to finish eary:clapping: but felt awful as we were having tea and the house was a tip! I was sitting with the kids and hadn't seen to the pans or pots and front room was left as was! We tidy up after tea normally as a calm down.

Must learn to work more tidily :rolleyes: Would it worry you if your minder's house was messy? Poor bloke looked a bit scared tbh! (although that could have been at the sight of 3 kids eating spag bol!)

~Chelle~
06-07-2010, 04:43 PM
Mine is tidyish, if they collect early then they should expect to see some mess. I think that I would be more worried if the house was too clean, at least they can see that they little ones have been enjoying themselves :laughing:

venus89
06-07-2010, 04:44 PM
I think if I went to a childminders' house early to pick up my child and everything was immaculate, washing up done etc then I'd worry that the childminder hadn't been playing with the kids at all......

onceinabluemoon
06-07-2010, 04:45 PM
My house is never tidy during the week!

There's always something that one of the children are half way through or a bunch of toys etc on the floor where they've been playing. We generally have a bit of a tidy up half an hour before the kiddies go home.

miss mopple
06-07-2010, 04:56 PM
Mine is usually tidy when they go as 2 go just as we get in from school and we always tidy before we go out, and the other goes at 6 and again, we tidy up first. If a parent co:blush: mes early it usually resembles a bomb site

blue bear
06-07-2010, 05:00 PM
I always say at first visit, we are a normal family sometimes it will be tidy sometimes it wont. Children come first.

Straws
06-07-2010, 05:01 PM
Mines a bomb site dont worry lol

Straws x

jumpinjen
06-07-2010, 05:03 PM
We tend to 'tidy as we go' (doesn't always happen!!) so it isn't usually too mesy toy wise but the sensory play table in the garden always has a halo of the week's delights round it, and there is usually a den and doll play in full flow as well as anything else that has been going on.... and a fair bit of sand traipsed around too! My washing up is NEVER done.... there is usually evidence of having hung some washing out/brought some in as i take advantage of the sunny mornings too and if we have been out for the day tehre is a tumble of bags, drinks, picnic boxes, blankets etc bin the hall in progress!! No-one has ever seemed to mind, it's like the others said, if you've been having fun then therre will be things around and he picked up early so you hadn't done your usual tidy time routine.... I had a dad that always looked scared when he picked up!!

jenni:D

Beetlejuice
06-07-2010, 05:05 PM
My kitchen is a tip when they pick up their kids as will have cooked lunch and dinner with little or no time to wash up (I don't have a dishwasher!) The lounge is usually strewn with toys when the first child goes home but the last child here helps clear up the lounge bless her so it's not too bad when she goes. Like Venus says if I was a parent turning up to an immaculate house I would be worried!

rachelle
06-07-2010, 05:06 PM
Thankyou! It was just toy debris and pots and pans but you know how you suddenly feel conscious of it all! He hovered for a bit and then joined the kids at the table and looked as if he wished he hadn't but didn't like to move again! :laughing: and of course mindee then ate reaaaalllllllyyyyyy slowly just cause he could!

caz3007
06-07-2010, 05:16 PM
I had a fairly new child's grandparents turn up early to pick him up and to say it was a bombsite was an understatement :laughing: I apologised and said sometimes its absolutely manic and sometimes its not so bad, they just laughed. Now they have seen it in all sorts of states

miffy
06-07-2010, 05:36 PM
I think if I went to a childminders' house early to pick up my child and everything was immaculate, washing up done etc then I'd worry that the childminder hadn't been playing with the kids at all......

I agree - nothing wrong with a bit of mess! :D

Miffy xx

patevans
06-07-2010, 05:45 PM
My house is usually tidy at collection times as we tidy away at 11.30 for lunch then we have nap time and I clean the kitchen whilst asleep then straight to school once woken up, we usually go off to the park after school so we come back and every where is pretty much tidy, plus I have OCD :blush: :laughing:

Mouse
06-07-2010, 06:01 PM
The kitchen is always clean as I tidy that up as I go long. I can't stand having washing up left out, so I do that straight away.

At home time we're a bit tidier as we start to clear up when parents are due. Bags are packed & lined up in the hall, craft work is collected up from where it's been drying round the house, toys are put away, with just a few left out to play with.

If parents arrive early though it's not quite so tidy - I like to describe it as organised chaos :ROFL1:

The Juggler
06-07-2010, 06:33 PM
:laughing: :laughing: :laughing: :laughing: never. sand and mud all over, washing up is done if I'm lucky to have a moment to do it and toys everywhere.

I blitz when they are all gone.

terrydoo73
06-07-2010, 06:37 PM
This is something I always worry about because no matter how hard you try it just seems to slip and slip and slip ...

If the weather is good outside I will not put any toys out inside my living room until they are absolutely necessary (like 1 box for the last hour before home time!) but my kitchen is a disaster zone!! It actually works as 3 rooms in one because I have my utilities (washing machine, tumble dryer etc) as well as the normal kitchen stuff plus it also works as an office with my laptop sitting on the bench and usually accounts books etc for hubby (hes a farmer!) I have tried everything - magazine racks, small fancy boxes etc to throw things into just to give the appearance of tidiness but they always seems to creep back in. It is always to the kitchen that parents come rather than the front door simply because they see the kids playing in the back yard and naturally will come in this way! I have a safety gate on between the kitchen and my living room just to prevent little ones playing a game of catch with mum before they leave me!

I remember a glorious day being outside with the kids and I had a full load of washing on the line (put out before the kids arrived and not taken in until they go home in the evening!!), mum came to collect and made some comment to the effect that I at least had time to do housework today!

Jelly Baby
06-07-2010, 06:37 PM
When the first children go it is still messy but at come about 5.15pm we start tidying up and it is toy free BUT that is due to me dropping the boys currently home as they live up the rd to me and i meet mum in the park, in the winter she will collect and come up as she used to do and i feel i cannot really have tidied up as may look like they haven't played..daft really as they have of course but do like this weather to be able to go outside..now that's where all the mess is!!
Don't worry too much i'm sure the house has it's good and bad days!

Rubybubbles
06-07-2010, 07:05 PM
In a word no:laughing:

The kitchen gets done as and when as I hide everything in the dishwasher! Sides wiped after each use.

Into the lounge/dining room:panic: if a parent comes early the toys flow out into the garden too (have patio from dining area into garden!) there is normally a trail of dry grass and the grass has now died and left straw like material!!!

sigh, what a mess! Then it takes till now to get it all tidy, then for it all to get back to the same tomorrow:(

mummyof3
06-07-2010, 07:13 PM
My house is lovely and tidy in the morning when they drop off and then by the time it gets to pick up its a complete mess :laughing:

My kitchen has pots all over the place, don't even get time to wipe down the sides as if I leave the 2 mindees behind the safety gate they fight and one has just learnt how to bite :panic:
The floor would need hoovering about 4 times a day so I give up and leave it all until they go. Mindee regularly tells me my house is a mess :blush:

jaja
06-07-2010, 07:25 PM
mine isnt, i make sure its tidy when people arrive then its sort of tidied before we leave for the school run then its a childrens tidy before going home then its cleaned and scrubbed and sorted and filed and washed and eventually its all ready for the next day, usually ends up being around 9pm then i fall into bed and start it all over again.....

lol..... am forever chasing myself round the bend, lol....

xx

eddie
06-07-2010, 07:29 PM
Tidy - not a chance!
It's tidy first thing in the morning when they arrive but they have to pick their way through a litter of toys to collect them at the end of the day! Shows we have been having fun I think!

Pipsqueak
06-07-2010, 07:30 PM
its sort of tidy-ish when parents arrive at 'normal' time - I have learned the hard way that the children will up and out unless I encourage them to tidy up pre-parent-arrival.

however if a parent was to turn up early then yes they would find a raging heap of a mess!!! thats what we do in the day - we get toys out we play, the pots and pans get left till I get a spare chance to do them.

FussyElmo
06-07-2010, 08:01 PM
Mmmm trying to think as the house ever been tidy when parents arrive............................................ .................................................. .................................................. .................................................. .................................................. .................................................. ...........No dont think it as.

I am now making an effort and getting it tidy for when they turn up in the morning thoug :laughing: :laughing: and thats just to keep dh happy:thumbsup:

EllaBella
06-07-2010, 08:07 PM
mine is spotless in the mornings, come home time its a right old state!!!!!!! i could easily hoover 3 or 4 times a day, but i dont bother, the kids will ust make more mess! if i have time when baby is sleeping i have a quick scoot round but dont stress over it.. hometime my kitchen is shocking, but once they have gone home it takes me half an hour to get back to normal.

parents see the house is clean in the morning, and if anyone ever mentioned it id tell em to run the hoover round for me :laughing: or do the dishes,

kids = mess lol

babs
06-07-2010, 08:14 PM
in a morning its tidy, but if parents arrive early no chance my house looks like a bombs hit it......:eek: ..... i try and clean as i go throw dishes in dish washer, wipe sides over, and check the toilet normally about 5 minutes after its been used just to make sure it clean and towel hasnt been thrown in sink with tap on, alrready had a flood this week.... when the weather is good my house stays clean and the garden looks like a bomb has hit it lol.... but we do tidy up about 30 minutes before pick up, so its sort of clean when afterschoolies arrive then yeh you guessed it its a mess again.. but least the children are having fun ...:D

buildingblocks
06-07-2010, 08:36 PM
its sort of tidy-ish when parents arrive at 'normal' time - I have learned the hard way that the children will up and out unless I encourage them to tidy up pre-parent-arrival.

however if a parent was to turn up early then yes they would find a raging heap of a mess!!! thats what we do in the day - we get toys out we play, the pots and pans get left till I get a spare chance to do them.

Ditto

Oneof my parents turned up early once and you couldn't actually see the playroom floor and commented that it was normally so tidy. Child just upped and refused to tidy up and no matter how much parent insisted child tidied up they wouldn't so I told parent to leave it. Child came next morning and playroom was still in same state mum left for work and child was told unless it was tidied up we weren't going to group which they love tidied very quickly and with no fuss

AliceK
06-07-2010, 09:06 PM
My house is lovely and tidy in the morning when they drop off and then by the time it gets to pick up its a complete mess :laughing:

My kitchen has pots all over the place, don't even get time to wipe down the sides as if I leave the 2 mindees behind the safety gate they fight and one has just learnt how to bite :panic:
The floor would need hoovering about 4 times a day so I give up and leave it all until they go. Mindee regularly tells me my house is a mess :blush:

Ditto, same here. Lovely and clean and tidy when they drop off but at pick-up time, especially if parents arrive early, what a mess :blush:

xxxxx

suzyblue
07-07-2010, 08:39 AM
I had parents visit me on a weekend as they couldnt make it in the week. The house was spotless, no posters up, no paintings on the walls, no toys out and I was apologising assuring them that the house didnt look like that in the week! :D

snufflepuff
07-07-2010, 09:11 AM
I think as a parent i'd be concerned if i arrived to collect my child and the house was spotless. I'd want to know that my child had been playing!

Fabby
07-07-2010, 10:24 AM
i tidy up as go thorughout the day as in dishes, sweeping up after breakfast and lunch etc. I do tidy up about 20 mins before home time with the children at this point i get the hoover out because this time is chill out time where we watch the tv or read school books together. I did have one of my parents turn up 45 mins earlier last week and the house was a bomb - i did make a point of saying - look it is a mess throughout the day !! I tell you what though, with parent turning up early it didnt half throw me - i forgot to re-pack half of her bag and my cleaning up schedule was just thrown! I wish she had told me they were coming early!!!
I think it is perfectly fine to tidy up before the children go home - it is part of routine and i think we ahve enough do when they go home anyway!

loocyloo
07-07-2010, 04:48 PM
DH came home early one day last week

- the kitchen looked like a bomb had hit it, the dishwasher needed emptying and i hadn't had time, so everything was piled up to go in ! paint and stuff all over the dining table, dressing up clothes decorating the playroom, a train track and duplo towers dominating the sitting room, a 'display' ( by almost 4 yr old mindee ) of instruments ... and then outside ... tents, balls/bats, sand, water, ride ons ....

and then there were the children everywhere as a cm friend and i sat and watched !!!

he did ask what we had done all day :rolleyes: and said he'd go back to work, it was quieter :D

maisiemog
07-07-2010, 08:28 PM
Depends on what time of day they pick up. I am lucky that all my mindees nap at the same time so I usually have 30 mins to blitz after lunch. I get as much as I can done then. For the 2pm collection my house is usually presentable!

When they come to collect after tea its usually a bombsite! We have a tidy up after food but then its only so that the parent can walk through without stepping on toys. I leave the kitchen til after everybody has gone.

I tend to tidy as I can. I'll put toys away that they have lost interest with etc but mostly I run around like mad when they've gone home. Perfected it so my house is back to being tidy by 7pm now!!!!

ourmadhouse
07-07-2010, 11:22 PM
Dont you love it when you get asked by the other half
'what have you been doing all day' when the house is upside down

:panic: dont get me started on this one :angry:

sweets
08-07-2010, 06:57 AM
i am a bit of a tidy freak! i cant stand washing up being left around and its always done straight away, usually while kids are sat at table eating pudding. we tidy most toys if not all about 20 mins before parents are due then have stories while we wait for them. if a parent comes earlier then yes there are toys out but as i use my through lounge diner i only have a few toys out anyway as its not very big,

crazyXstitcher
08-07-2010, 12:50 PM
Great thread.

I feel so much better about the state of my house during the day now :blush:

WibbleWobble
08-07-2010, 02:01 PM
in a word







no




mandy x