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Mum 2 Mum: If I Came To Your House Today

What is Mum 2 Mum? I have made many good friends online and often wish that I could sit down with them for a cuppa and chat like I do with my real life friends; other Mums with good advice, interesting stories to share, laughs to be had and experiences to learn from.  Mum 2 Mum is a place where as online friends we can share a little of our own experiences, so why not pop in for a cuppa and join the conversation.

Do you clean your house before the cleaner comes?  I used to! (we no longer have a cleaner). So I was very embarrassed today to be so unprepared for my babysitter who was coming for the morning! The floors had been vacuumed but not mopped (and they REALLY need a mop), the dishes were done but there is a whole pile of platters, salad bowls and assorted kitchenware paraphernalia on the floor in my kitchen as I have been sorting out my cupboards, Immy was fed but there were three unpacked bags of shopping on the floor as I did the shopping at 8pm last night and was just too tired to unpack it all when I got home. And there was a fair bit of general ‘picking up’ which really needed to be done (see last point for explanation).

And you know what? I decided to give myself a break and accept that that is how it was. Which is big for me, usually I would be so embarrassed.

And you know what else? My babysitter (who herself is a mother of four children) wasn’t the least bit phased!

So I have a question for you – if I arrived unannounced at your home today, what would I find? Are you blessed to be a tidy and organised Mum who just wont go to bed until it is all done? Are you the type of Mum who feels fine with people just accepting you as you are? Or are you somewhere in the middle (maybe with a little hide-y up habit like me?)

Christie Burnett is an early childhood teacher, presenter, writer and the editor of Childhood 101. More importantly, she is a Mum who believes wholeheartedly in the value of children learning through play, the importance of quality early education, and the togetherness of family.

Read more of Christie's adventures at https://childhood101.com.

Read the comments or scroll down to add your own:

  1. Super Sarah says

    February 11, 2011 at 7:19 AM

    I have just sat down with a cup of tea after an hours tidy while the girls are at swimming lessons with their Daddy! I like to pick up my house before guests come but I don't do anywhere near the big cleans that I used to, especially if a horde of children are coming too, then the playroom is a bombsite anyway! I do hoover a few times a week and mop the kitchen floor fairly regularily, my bathroom is always cleaned before a guest comes. I have discovered recently that I am becoming more and more like my Mum and I understand why now, Mum has never gone to bed without cleaning the kitchen, stacking the dishwasher and picking up generally. I am inherently lazy and being more tidy means I have more time to sit at my laptop, drinking tea and catching up on blogs!

  2. Timmi says

    February 11, 2011 at 7:32 AM

    My husband and I do a general tidy-up every night which includes picking up dishes, sometimes doing them, though I rather do them in the morning, picking up any toys and clothes that didn't get put away, there is always a basket of laundry in the living room at least until we can find a suitable place for them. mop my floors once a month because I have yet to find a nice mopping solution so I just dump warm soapy water on the floor and mopping it up with old t-shirts. Then there are the odds and ends of clutter that need a home since we moved a year ago.

  3. Maxabella says

    February 11, 2011 at 7:52 AM

    You would find things reasonably tidy, but rough around the edges. We do a tidy most nights before sitting down to chill, so things are rarely out of control. That said, I actually can't remember the last time I washed the floors... so maybe only in my head are things rarely out of control!! I rarely clean for 'pop in' guests. I figure if they're friend enough to get an invite over - especially the pop ins! - then they're friend enough to accept my reality. And I wouldn't care one little bit! Pre-children's party, however, I do a MAJOR clean so most of the random parents-who-are-not-invited-personally-but-are-dropping-off-youngsters might think I live in a show home. And that's the way I like it. x

  4. Philippa says

    February 11, 2011 at 8:18 AM

    I would usually have a hidey-up but if you popped in right now unannounced I would struggle to let you in the door ..... We have crayons all over the lounge room floor plus ribbon, bags etc for packing them, crayons all over the kitchen bench cooling (we have a market on Sunday so it is a little bit crazy) plus the dishes need doing, there is toys/stuff all over the family room floor and the floor NEEDS a mop! I am so not a domestic goddess and I don't try to be but today it looks like a bomb has gone off!

  5. Jenn says

    February 11, 2011 at 9:03 AM

    I work from home, my husband recently lost his job and therefore the 4-year-old is no longer going to preschool, and we have a toddler. And 3 cats. And a small house. If you dropped by unannounced right now, you'd be able to get in the door and navigate through the living room, but that's about it. I have no time to clean, and my husband won't. There are toys everywhere, and clean laundry in baskets in the kitchen. The dishes are mostly done, but the counters are really really cluttered. There is craft stuff overflowing the cabinet, and a computer and printer have taken over the kitchen table. It's a mess and I hate it, but there is *no* time!

  6. sarah says

    February 11, 2011 at 9:36 AM

    I do a big clean before having people over for a meal, and given that we do this maybe once a fortnight, that pretty much counts as my regular clean! Although I do the bathrooms weekly, and change the linen on the beds every fortnight (I used to do it every week, but just kinda ran out of time!). The floors get swept maybe 3 times a day (which really bugs me) but only get mopped sporadically - I'm a fan of the spot clean with my wooden floors as I can only really clean them when the kids aren't around. If you popped in today (and you're welcome, any time!) I'd say "mind your step Christie" as there are puzzles in various stages of completion up and down the hallway, there's fried rice on the floor under the table (we've just had lunch), there are groceries needing to be put away in the kitchen, newspapers, various utensils, my lap top and a world globe on the kitchen table. There's dirt all over the back deck (some toddler gardening going on here earlier)... you get the idea. I'm not ashamed of it though, it's just life! I'll do a big tidy while Oesch is asleep, then pick Doots up from kinder, and it'll all start again! I'm so glad you had a 'nothing to hide' moment with your babysitter. A messy house (when you have a good excuse - ie a young child!) is nothing to be ashamed of.

  7. Marita says

    February 11, 2011 at 1:58 PM

    Looking around, three baskets of clean washing waiting to be folded in the loungeroom, recipe books scattered across the kitchen table as Annie and I tryto work out vegetarian recipes we can all eat. In the kitchen dirty dishes that wouldn't fit in dishwasher. The playroom looks like a pink toy factory exploded over it. Embrace the chaos and enjoy the family time ;)

  8. Gill@OurParklife says

    February 12, 2011 at 12:30 AM

    Well, you caught me on a good day! Lucky Me! I managed to give the house a good clean yesterday and it is still looking half decent...amazing, so if you did pop in today, you would think I was organised and tidy.... This is not usual. I have been making a BIG effort lately to put things in their place as soon as I use them. It is helping but if you were really to just drop in, you could find our house in ANY state...It could easily go either way!

    • Gill@OurParklife says

      February 12, 2011 at 8:43 PM

      And to prove things could go either way.... If you dropped in today, you would find my house UPSIDE DOWN and BACK TO FRONT....I have just put the boys to bed and found myself facing a huge mess and it reminded me of my comment on this post yesterday and I couldn't help but come back to mention.... It is a never ending battle!

  9. Natalie says

    February 12, 2011 at 6:00 AM

    I work full time, and we have a cleaning lady that comes every 2 weeks. In between my husband and I are both involved in tidying up, so our house is generally tidy. We do have our own problem spaces - mostly our desks with piles of mail and our bedroom with some clothes that are not put away. However, on the general scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being tip-top we are normally 8 to 9.

  11. Rachelle says

    February 13, 2011 at 1:44 PM

    I loved reading this post and all the comments because it hits the nail smack on the head! I love living in a clean space, but it's not always the priority (this moment, for example -- I could be cleaning up, but I'm reading your engaging blog instead!). The kitchen and laundry are cleaned up, but the bathroom has that post-bath explosion of wet towels and water, clothes need to be put away in the bedroom, and the living room furniture is strewn about the room from an earlier tumble-track activity that involved building an obstacle course of chairs, pillow, and the couch. If a friend popped over, I wouldn't mind because I would imagine they'd love me just the same. But if I know ahead that people will be stopping by, I'd run around and do a quick clean and tidy. One of the reasons I love having guests over is that it prompts me to spiff things up.

  12. Sarah says

    February 15, 2011 at 8:54 AM

    You would find mess. We have grown out of our 2 bedroom shed. We plan to build soon But till then we kinda have to accept a fair bit of clutter. Plus now the kids have moved out of our room into the playroom/my craft room/ dumping room. There is even less space. Plus I aint the most tidy/ organised person

  13. kristina says

    February 16, 2011 at 8:42 PM

    normally you would find mess, the house is clean, but just the usual clutter, and play stuff, washing etc... However, the amazing thing is, that as i am starting a family day care, i am having to be really aware of what is where (never really had to with my child, she didnt really get into much)... and constantly having to clean. BIG TURNAROUND.. oh and btw- welcome to come for coffee anytime :) so long as you can take me as i am (always choc chip cookies in the cupboard)

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