My House

I realized the other day that I'm going to be one of those crazy controlling moms who won't let her kids have too many things. I just hate picking up so many books and toys all the time. OK, so maybe more realistic than not allowing my kids to have too many toys is having a clean up time like twice a day to help with the clutter. I mean, really. I've learned a lot from my job as a "nanny" for two little boys.

The other day I made a list of things I do or don't want in my future household:

No bunk beds. They're much too hard to make.

No snacks outside of the kitchen (or dining room area) – especially the bedrooms. Having crumbs all over the three year old's bedroom is just not OK. Then you add the toys (that belong there) in the mix and you have quite a mess.

Shelves and drawers are necessary. Like hundreds of them. The books will all fit nicely on the shelves and the toys can go in drawers (particularly blocks and cars and monster trucks and trains). The large tracks need a specific space, too. They can't just always be on the floor.

Books and cars will be picked up daily. At least books. I hate when books get dog-earred and having them nicely on the shelves will help with that.

Nap time is a good idea - for everyone.

Having someone else do the cleaning is good, too. Seriously. Because otherwise, there's no way that the kitchen floor would be mopped, the showers would be washed, the couches swept, and the glass doors cleaned every week.

Dishes will be done immediately after use, including the crumbs on the counters.

Fish make good pets. Birds are too loud.

Sandboxes are fun, but it’s either shoes or no shoes. Never just socks. And clothing will go straight to the wash room after playing. Not just worn throughout the rest of the house. I mean, dirt is good. I encourage kids to play in dirt. But it belongs outside. On second thought, if I'm going to have kids playing in sandboxes and dirt, I'll need an outdoor shower. Nothing special that needs to be cleaned (because sand and dirt in the bottom of the bathtub is disgusting!), but just an area where the kids can strip off their clothes, rinse off, and head to the real bathroom, without traipsing sand through the rest of the house.

And while we're on the subjects of bathrooms, I will not - cannot - have sliding shower doors. They are impossible to clean.

So I hope you enjoyed my list. It may not be realistic, but these are legit things that I've thought as I clean each week. My mom laughed when I told her (which was my goal) and said that she wishes she could save the texts that this list came in so that some day, when I'm the mom and not so put together, she can remind me of my ignorant and naive expectations as a 20 year old. Ha! Thanks, Mom.


Oh, one more thing. No little rocks as toys. They are always everywhere, and really...what's so fun about rocks anyways?!