I took my Living Room back from MY KIDS!
I recently took my living room back. When you start having kids you don't think about how that will change your house. It changes it from adult and clean to toys and messy. After years of having toys in my living room and living with it, it all came to a head.
I came down stairs one morning to a normally messy living room with my 3 kids playing and watching cartoons happily. At some point after they started jumping on the couch, I sent them down stairs to their living room. As per normal I started cleaning up the mess they had made so that i could sit down, and watch a few minutes of TV myself. I picked up a blanket to discover marker on my couch. Thinking it's just washable marker I didn't think much of it, thought I will wash that off once I am done cleaning up. However my eldest daughter came up stairs and said "O mom that is sharpie Wyatt was colouring on your couch." I exploded with anger using language that most of you mom's would cover your child's ears for. After telling them that they are no longer welcome in "MY" living room, I took all the toys down stairs. Then set to work with Oxiclean, attempting to clean the sharpie off my couch. While I was cleaning I came to a realization. They don't need to have toys in MY living room, they have their own in the basement. They don't need to watch TV in my living room, they just lost that privilege. Suddenly I new I was taking back my living room. I look the toy's down stairs or to their bedrooms. I bought a few pieces of furniture and throw pillows. I told them if they want to watch TV in my living room, they had to sit still and be quite. The moment they start jumping on my couch or being loud they are going down stairs.
Now if you are wondering "So how did that go?" Weeks later i still have no toys in my living room, sure they still make a mess with the pillows and blankets. It still looks like a adult living room! I feel better that my living space is being taken back my me and not my kids. While sure if you go down stairs you will find their living room a complete Mess. All i can think is i am glad it's not my living room. The saying "You never clean more than in the first 10 min you know someone is coming over" still rings true sometimes. However I find I have must less to do in that 10 minutes. Sure my living room still needs some repairs, but it is now MY living room with a beautiful Christmas tree in it!
I came down stairs one morning to a normally messy living room with my 3 kids playing and watching cartoons happily. At some point after they started jumping on the couch, I sent them down stairs to their living room. As per normal I started cleaning up the mess they had made so that i could sit down, and watch a few minutes of TV myself. I picked up a blanket to discover marker on my couch. Thinking it's just washable marker I didn't think much of it, thought I will wash that off once I am done cleaning up. However my eldest daughter came up stairs and said "O mom that is sharpie Wyatt was colouring on your couch." I exploded with anger using language that most of you mom's would cover your child's ears for. After telling them that they are no longer welcome in "MY" living room, I took all the toys down stairs. Then set to work with Oxiclean, attempting to clean the sharpie off my couch. While I was cleaning I came to a realization. They don't need to have toys in MY living room, they have their own in the basement. They don't need to watch TV in my living room, they just lost that privilege. Suddenly I new I was taking back my living room. I look the toy's down stairs or to their bedrooms. I bought a few pieces of furniture and throw pillows. I told them if they want to watch TV in my living room, they had to sit still and be quite. The moment they start jumping on my couch or being loud they are going down stairs.
Now if you are wondering "So how did that go?" Weeks later i still have no toys in my living room, sure they still make a mess with the pillows and blankets. It still looks like a adult living room! I feel better that my living space is being taken back my me and not my kids. While sure if you go down stairs you will find their living room a complete Mess. All i can think is i am glad it's not my living room. The saying "You never clean more than in the first 10 min you know someone is coming over" still rings true sometimes. However I find I have must less to do in that 10 minutes. Sure my living room still needs some repairs, but it is now MY living room with a beautiful Christmas tree in it!
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