Old style housekeeping question?

blueberrypie

clutterydrawer wrote: »

What things are you ironing?

I only wear jeans and t shirts....they pretty much look the same whether I iron them or not. Occasionally in summer I wear a blouse, that gets ironed if i'm going somewhere fancy, not if I'm jsut going to a friend's house or similar.

My mum spends FOREVER ironing, I'm so glad i don't have to!:p

I grew up in my grandparents' home. My grandmother ironed everything - even dishtowels (the old-fashioned knitted kind). She was a very houseproud person - but as others have said earlier in the thread, it was a different world.

My mother is also very houseproud. (See my previous post about her telling me to put children's toys upstairs so I could sit in my living-room and admire the fireplace...)

But you know what? I don't ever remember either of them sitting down to play a game with the kids, or sit down to chat with us.

We home-educate, so the family spends a lot of time together. We have the most amazing conversations - a question from one child often leads to a conversation between all of us that lasts for an hour. We do jigsaw-puzzles together, we play board-games and card-games together. We cook and bake together. I regularly read aloud to my children - including those who can read for themselves - and it's surprising how much they enjoy it - those who aren't already in the room will often drop everything and fly in as soon as they hear me start to read. In the past month I've read aloud the first two Harry Potters and Flight of the Doves, and now we're on Alone on a Wide, Wide Sea, with Mrs Frisby and the Rats of Nimh waiting to be read next.

In other words, I spend a lot of time doing stuff with my kids - not just doing stuff alongside them.

My main job is Mother - not Housewife. So if there's dust, or a few creases in a t-shirt, or plenty of tidying-up to be done - so what? I'm doing the important stuff, and the important stuff isn't about housework; it's about being a Mum.

Barneysmom

I love this thread.
I have a few areas where I allow a little bit of mess to live, and it suits me ok.
I think if you have a full time job it is harder to keep on top of things and have a decent quality of life too?

I've just this morning spent an hour and half cleaning the bathroom, as I'm a natural hoarder I find I end up throwing a lot of stuff out that just don't get fully used, like bubble baths etc.
I just threw out 2 full bags of stuff from the bathroom cupboards, old sun tan lotions, hair dye, stuff like that.

My mom's house was never really tidy and it's worse now, she has far too much stuff. When she'd go on holiday for a few days when we were old enough to be left, I'd blitz the place and bin all the junk, give everything a good scrub.
But it was a waste of time as days later it'd be back to normal.
Crumbs on the worksurfaces, loads of pot plants on the windowsill. I counted 15 pot plants on the front room windowsill once.
Every windowsill in the house has plants or ornaments on, I keep mine bare now, just the nets, it's like a phobia.

MrsE_2

Barneysmom wrote: »

My mom's house was never really tidy and it's worse now, she has far too much stuff. When she'd go on holiday for a few days when we were old enough to be left, I'd blitz the place and bin all the junk, give everything a good scrub.
But it was a waste of time as days later it'd be back to normal.
Crumbs on the worksurfaces, loads of pot plants on the windowsill. I counted 15 pot plants on the front room windowsill once.
Every windowsill in the house has plants or ornaments on, I keep mine bare now, just the nets, it's like a phobia.

I know what you mean & I think this may be why I'm a bit of a neat freak:o

My mums not that bothered about house or personal cleaness, I think thats why her daughters are to such an extent.

I too dislike things on window cils & I have a fitted bathroom so I don't have to look at shower gel & razors & stuff.

I have a couple of chunky ornaments (lumps of wood - next style stuff) on some window cils but most are bare.

I like my home to have that "show home"/magazine look, thats how I feel comfortable, I understand this is not for everyone, but it works for me. Its also just in my nature to keep it like that, I just do stuff as I go without thinking. It would be far harder for me to live in a messy space & it would make me very unhappy, I wouldn't be able to think straight.

I never allowed toys to "live" in the living room when my DD was small, they could come in by all means, but couldn't "live" there.

Barneysmom

I asked my 2 children to never buy me ornaments as presents, as they're just something else to clean.
So far they haven't :cool:

MrsE_2

Barneysmom wrote: »

I asked my 2 children to never buy me ornaments as presents, as they're just something else to clean.
So far they haven't :cool:

I hate little china & glass knick knacks, dust collectors I call them, plus I think they are very old fashioned & remind me of old peoples houses:o

I like one big chunky piece, preferably something made of stone or wood in the plain natural colour of nature.
I have all walls cream or white in my house, all blinds are white or wood, floors are wood or large cream tiles or cream berber carpet.

I have a giant white rug in my living room:o

Light, plain, natural & neutral:D Most important of all uncluttered looking with all the bits & pieces hidden in lots of storage;)

My pet hate is cleaning products or toiletries on window cils:eek: :eek: :eek:

Primrose

We once shared a holiday villa with some friends in Spain. Every day they insisted on washing/ ironing their T shirts and shorts before we started the day's activities, even if it was just lounging by the pool. When they saw I wasn't ironing ours they offered to do them because they said it looked "scruffy" going out without ironing everything first. I had visions of them returning home and complaining to all their friends about the "sluts" they had holidayed with but there was no way I was going to spend hundreds of pounds on a precious holiday and then spend most of it ironing.

Penelope_Penguin

MrsE wrote: »

I like my home to have that "show home"/magazine look, thats how I feel comfortable, I understand this is not for everyone, but it works for me. Its also just in my nature to keep it like that, I just do stuff as I go without thinking. It would be far harder for me to live in a messy space & it would make me very unhappy, I wouldn't be able to think straight.

That was what I was meaning before - you may be comfortable, but is everyone who comes to your house I have "aquaintances" who have their houses like "show-homes". They can never become friends as when I go there I feel distinctly uncomfortable As soon as I stand up they plump the cushion I was sitting on, and clear away as soon as food and drink is consumed. If they have children,even pre-schoolers, there is no sign of them (this makes me feel faintly disturbed ) They're so consumed with the "perfect house" that they can't make personal relationships.

I'd far rather that people made small disruptions to my home, than not come at all :T and all the tidying and clearing can be done once they're gone.

Penny. x

rachbc

MrsE wrote: »

My cousin doesn't iron either.

I can't work it out

95% of our non-underwear clothes HAVE to be iron, how can you not iron.

Do you & DH not feel embarrased about going to work or just out in unironed clothes?
I don't mean that to sound rude, I just can't understand how you don't "do" ironing

Not in the least bit embarrassed! I don't iron either - dh irons his work shirts but nothing else. For work I wear wool trousers, knitwear or stretch tops none of which need ironing, and weekends jeans and t's. Jeans look daft if they've been ironed! My sons uniform is a polo shirt and sweat shirt - the polo might look better for an iron but only whilst it was hanging up- he'd make it scruffy within 5 mins anyway

MrsE_2

Penelope_Penguin wrote: »

That was what I was meaning before - you may be comfortable, but is everyone who comes to your house I have "aquaintances" who have their houses like "show-homes". They can never become friends as when I go there I feel distinctly uncomfortable As soon as I stand up they plump the cushion I was sitting on, and clear away as soon as food and drink is consumed. If they have children,even pre-schoolers, there is no sign of them (this makes me feel faintly disturbed ) They're so consumed with the "perfect house" that they can't make personal relationships.

I'd far rather that people made small disruptions to my home, than not come at all :T and all the tidying and clearing can be done once they're gone.

Penny. x

I like things of good quality.

SO I buy stuff thats chunky & durable - I hate delicate bits that are just waiting to fall or break. Therefor I believe people can feel comfortable in my home, its not a home where anything you touch breaks or looks like it will.

I ask that people take their shoes off (pale flooring) & use my coasters & mats for cups/glasses & plates (wood dining & coffee table), but thats about it. I take dirty stuff out after they have used it & I will load the dishwasher while they are here.
But I wait till they go before I clean up.

Lets not forget its my home & my familes home & we will live in it as we see fit & what makes us comfortable, not lower what we see as our lifestyle standards for visitors.

MrsE_2

rachbc wrote: »

Not in the least bit embarrassed! I don't iron either - dh irons his work shirts but nothing else. For work I wear wool trousers, knitwear or stretch tops none of which need ironing, and weekends jeans and t's. Jeans look daft if they've been ironed! My sons uniform is a polo shirt and sweat shirt - the polo might look better for an iron but only whilst it was hanging up- he'd make it scruffy within 5 mins anyway

I never iron jeans a la 1970s with the crease down the front:eek:

But I iron them flat & I certainly don't think they look daft.

Bootcut jeans (what I mainly wear) are quite loose around the ankle & would be very crumpled without ironing.