As the mother of four, three of whom were boys, I always had to resort to "job jar" to get anything done. I broke up the chores into smaller units, wrote them on small bits of paper and we drew until there was nothing left. I also threw in bonuses, like "skip this one" "trade a chore with someone else" and "give a chore to Mom" (which was ALWAYS clean the toilets!) It worked out well for us! Not immaculate, when a three-year old vacuums the living room, but definitely passable.
Scurryfunge - (Verb) Old English; to rush around cleaning when company is on their way over
I like to use the phrase "I have cleaned the house. The house is now read-only. Please do not edit the house." For all the good it does. [insert sigh and head shake here]
Relax! Your parents and siblings already have an impression of you that is immutable and based on childhood incidents you don’t remember. Their children are going to remember you as the Weird Uncle With Pet Pigs In The House.
I do understand the need for a specific date by which you must have the house clean,,and the way I do it is have a cleaning service come periodically; we have to pick up and put away stuff so they can clean, or it will never be seen again. When they arrive, family including dog goes OUT and does not return to the house until the cleaners are gone. For one glorious moment, we return and see a clean house. Not sure how that works with pigs.
I like the idea of being the weird uncle with the pigs. Better than being the uncle with the impossibly messy house. I like your idea of hiring cleaners ever more, but cleaning before the cleaners clean would kill me.
"None of that should generate much debris, yet there’s always so much to clean up." - I know the feeling, it comes here as well, mostly prior to some holidays. Our order standards are sorta high (shoes off inside, frequent vacuuming, verbal shaming to clean the floor mess and preventing the cat from entering the house wet), and still each time we wonder why the vacuum bag and mopping/window bucket are so dirty.
When I began leaving my clothes on the floor next to my bed in high school, it was in an organised manner and with intention of 1) reducing the time to get ready in the morning and 2) not having to choose my outfit in panic. There was a time I had a "second wardrobe" for an entire week just around my bed!
"We’ve gone through their spaces multiple times to get rid of items they’ve either aged out of or no longer use, but it’s a losing battle." - this feeling is mutual as well. Twice a year I perform a grand review of my stuff in order to get rid off something I don't need. Each time I begin with high spirits, only to decide in most cases I might need that item in an unspecified later or deem it a "long-term investment". This way I create just enough space for another Lego set or some books. Also carrying it for more than one afternoon is a miracle, because I easily get distracted with memories or reenacting things I used to do with some stuff, which postpones the checking of segments of furniture I'm not inspecting at the time. The only area that always gets done without delays or distractions is my desk, because I like to remove dust from my PC. But this type of cleaning gives me an opportunity to organise my playlists I play as background noise.
He's still going home. He just has to have a home up go back to. The fire house is still in the middle of reconstruction, with a completion date of question mark.
As the mother of four, three of whom were boys, I always had to resort to "job jar" to get anything done. I broke up the chores into smaller units, wrote them on small bits of paper and we drew until there was nothing left. I also threw in bonuses, like "skip this one" "trade a chore with someone else" and "give a chore to Mom" (which was ALWAYS clean the toilets!) It worked out well for us! Not immaculate, when a three-year old vacuums the living room, but definitely passable.
Scurryfunge - (Verb) Old English; to rush around cleaning when company is on their way over
I like to use the phrase "I have cleaned the house. The house is now read-only. Please do not edit the house." For all the good it does. [insert sigh and head shake here]
If only there were a way to revoke editorial privileges for the other people listed on this document. They keep adding more rather than deleting.
First, thanks for the earworm. I will have All Star playing in my head the rest of the day.
Second, you may have more luck getting the pigs to do chores vs. getting Waffle to do hers.
Last, have a great time with your family. It should be a blast!
That's a fair comparison. The pigs might work for food. Waffle won't work for anything.
Relax! Your parents and siblings already have an impression of you that is immutable and based on childhood incidents you don’t remember. Their children are going to remember you as the Weird Uncle With Pet Pigs In The House.
I do understand the need for a specific date by which you must have the house clean,,and the way I do it is have a cleaning service come periodically; we have to pick up and put away stuff so they can clean, or it will never be seen again. When they arrive, family including dog goes OUT and does not return to the house until the cleaners are gone. For one glorious moment, we return and see a clean house. Not sure how that works with pigs.
I like the idea of being the weird uncle with the pigs. Better than being the uncle with the impossibly messy house. I like your idea of hiring cleaners ever more, but cleaning before the cleaners clean would kill me.
"None of that should generate much debris, yet there’s always so much to clean up." - I know the feeling, it comes here as well, mostly prior to some holidays. Our order standards are sorta high (shoes off inside, frequent vacuuming, verbal shaming to clean the floor mess and preventing the cat from entering the house wet), and still each time we wonder why the vacuum bag and mopping/window bucket are so dirty.
When I began leaving my clothes on the floor next to my bed in high school, it was in an organised manner and with intention of 1) reducing the time to get ready in the morning and 2) not having to choose my outfit in panic. There was a time I had a "second wardrobe" for an entire week just around my bed!
"We’ve gone through their spaces multiple times to get rid of items they’ve either aged out of or no longer use, but it’s a losing battle." - this feeling is mutual as well. Twice a year I perform a grand review of my stuff in order to get rid off something I don't need. Each time I begin with high spirits, only to decide in most cases I might need that item in an unspecified later or deem it a "long-term investment". This way I create just enough space for another Lego set or some books. Also carrying it for more than one afternoon is a miracle, because I easily get distracted with memories or reenacting things I used to do with some stuff, which postpones the checking of segments of furniture I'm not inspecting at the time. The only area that always gets done without delays or distractions is my desk, because I like to remove dust from my PC. But this type of cleaning gives me an opportunity to organise my playlists I play as background noise.
As long as you keep creating more room for "one more Lego set," the system works. Don't change a thing!
i thought you were back down to two pigs, that the foster had to go somewhere else. did I miss something (obviously)?
He's still going home. He just has to have a home up go back to. The fire house is still in the middle of reconstruction, with a completion date of question mark.
Glad the pigs are at least providing some potential tariff relief.
Hilarious!! I couldn’t decide which part was funnier! Great way to start a Monday!