Comments on: Clean their bedrooms the mean mom way: do it for them http://inashoe.com/2009/01/clean-their-bedrooms-the-mean-mom-way-do-it-for-them/ the methods and madness of one family of 12 Fri, 10 Feb 2012 20:10:50 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.3 By: Sharon @ Hiking Toward Home http://inashoe.com/2009/01/clean-their-bedrooms-the-mean-mom-way-do-it-for-them/#comment-51927 Sharon @ Hiking Toward Home Mon, 08 Aug 2011 21:57:28 +0000 http://inashoe.com/?p=3521#comment-51927 Wow. I have GOT TO DO THIS!!! oh yeah! Wow. I have GOT TO DO THIS!!! oh yeah!

]]> By: Shalene http://inashoe.com/2009/01/clean-their-bedrooms-the-mean-mom-way-do-it-for-them/#comment-24350 Shalene Wed, 23 Sep 2009 17:26:31 +0000 http://inashoe.com/?p=3521#comment-24350 I have 4 children and another due very soon. The grand total will be 3 girls and 2 boys after the baby is born. Right now, the eldest girl (16) and my son (13) share a room, and the two younger girls (ages 7 and 4) share a room. I have done something similar to this, only I have never used the redemption box. Perhaps I'll try that, with the variation one of the commenters made about the 3 month time limit. My problem is toys in the younger children's room and clothes in the teens' room (oh and WET TOWELS ON THE FLOOR...ahem.) My younger girls sometimes will get overly excited about clothing options and will leave stuff on the floor, but mostly it's toys and I inevitably step on...so anyway, thanks for the great idea. I may post about this soon, when I'm actually allowed to do housework (I'm on limited activity due to high risk pregnancy) but I certainly look forward to it. God bless! I have 4 children and another due very soon. The grand total will be 3 girls and 2 boys after the baby is born. Right now, the eldest girl (16) and my son (13) share a room, and the two younger girls (ages 7 and 4) share a room. I have done something similar to this, only I have never used the redemption box. Perhaps I’ll try that, with the variation one of the commenters made about the 3 month time limit. My problem is toys in the younger children’s room and clothes in the teens’ room (oh and WET TOWELS ON THE FLOOR…ahem.) My younger girls sometimes will get overly excited about clothing options and will leave stuff on the floor, but mostly it’s toys and I inevitably step on…so anyway, thanks for the great idea. I may post about this soon, when I’m actually allowed to do housework (I’m on limited activity due to high risk pregnancy) but I certainly look forward to it. God bless!

]]> By: Hilary http://inashoe.com/2009/01/clean-their-bedrooms-the-mean-mom-way-do-it-for-them/#comment-24304 Hilary Thu, 17 Sep 2009 15:46:08 +0000 http://inashoe.com/?p=3521#comment-24304 I love this. We've done similar things in the past, but never required them to ASK for a specific item, and I love that piece. Our daily routine consists of cleaning their rooms each morning. They can make it drag out ALL DAY. Since my husband doesn't go to work until after lunch, he has kindly volunteered to swoop through the rooms when the kids and I head out to our little barn for school each morning. When we come back to the house, their rooms will be "magically" clean! We also discussed a 2-box system, we'll fill one box one month, the next box the next month, and when we get to month 3, we'll need to use box 1 again, so anything left in it goes to goodwill! It sets up a natural timeline restriction for earning "important" things back... because we could (and have) kept boxes of confiscated toys around WAY too long, only to have to be sorted AGAIN when we clean the garage! I love this. We’ve done similar things in the past, but never required them to ASK for a specific item, and I love that piece. Our daily routine consists of cleaning their rooms each morning. They can make it drag out ALL DAY. Since my husband doesn’t go to work until after lunch, he has kindly volunteered to swoop through the rooms when the kids and I head out to our little barn for school each morning. When we come back to the house, their rooms will be “magically” clean! We also discussed a 2-box system, we’ll fill one box one month, the next box the next month, and when we get to month 3, we’ll need to use box 1 again, so anything left in it goes to goodwill! It sets up a natural timeline restriction for earning “important” things back… because we could (and have) kept boxes of confiscated toys around WAY too long, only to have to be sorted AGAIN when we clean the garage!

]]> By: Natalie http://inashoe.com/2009/01/clean-their-bedrooms-the-mean-mom-way-do-it-for-them/#comment-20790 Natalie Sat, 10 Jan 2009 06:35:57 +0000 http://inashoe.com/?p=3521#comment-20790 I so did the same thing a few weeks ago. We have 3 girls in one room and 3 boys in another. The girls will still get the job done eventually, but the boys were just not ever getting finished. They end up playing every time. So, I went in and "cleaned their room for them after countless warnings. It worked great. The room still gets messy, but it also gets clean now. I can actually vacuum the carpet. I should have done that looong ago. I so did the same thing a few weeks ago. We have 3 girls in one room and 3 boys in another. The girls will still get the job done eventually, but the boys were just not ever getting finished. They end up playing every time. So, I went in and “cleaned their room for them after countless warnings. It worked great. The room still gets messy, but it also gets clean now. I can actually vacuum the carpet. I should have done that looong ago.

]]> By: vicki http://inashoe.com/2009/01/clean-their-bedrooms-the-mean-mom-way-do-it-for-them/#comment-20779 vicki Thu, 08 Jan 2009 16:27:40 +0000 http://inashoe.com/?p=3521#comment-20779 You sneaky little snake!!! I love it!!!! :) You sneaky little snake!!! I love it!!!! :)

]]> By: Rhen @yestheyareallmine http://inashoe.com/2009/01/clean-their-bedrooms-the-mean-mom-way-do-it-for-them/#comment-20778 Rhen @yestheyareallmine Thu, 08 Jan 2009 04:08:40 +0000 http://inashoe.com/?p=3521#comment-20778 A good friend of ours introduced us to this several years ago and it has worked beautifully. We call it the Redemption Box. The kids hate to see me coming but, I figure if they want their stuff, they will pick it up! A good friend of ours introduced us to this several years ago and it has worked beautifully. We call it the Redemption Box. The kids hate to see me coming but, I figure if they want their stuff, they will pick it up!

]]> By: Ann'Re @ Home http://inashoe.com/2009/01/clean-their-bedrooms-the-mean-mom-way-do-it-for-them/#comment-20777 Ann'Re @ Home Thu, 08 Jan 2009 02:29:51 +0000 http://inashoe.com/?p=3521#comment-20777 LOL You go girl! I have a friend who packed EVERYTHING into bags and put them up and her kids had to do extra work to get a couple items at a time back...and sometimes the items they got back were trash that was picked up with their things. lol LOL You go girl!

I have a friend who packed EVERYTHING into bags and put them up and her kids had to do extra work to get a couple items at a time back…and sometimes the items they got back were trash that was picked up with their things. lol

]]> By: gracee http://inashoe.com/2009/01/clean-their-bedrooms-the-mean-mom-way-do-it-for-them/#comment-20776 gracee Thu, 08 Jan 2009 00:37:02 +0000 http://inashoe.com/?p=3521#comment-20776 just wanted to say hi. you're an awesome mom... whenever i get overwhelmed with my little tribe, i just come read your blog (and others who have more children than me), and i feel more inspired and encouraged. thanks. God bless! just wanted to say hi. you’re an awesome mom… whenever i get overwhelmed with my little tribe, i just come read your blog (and others who have more children than me), and i feel more inspired and encouraged. thanks. God bless!

]]> By: Hannah C. http://inashoe.com/2009/01/clean-their-bedrooms-the-mean-mom-way-do-it-for-them/#comment-20775 Hannah C. Thu, 08 Jan 2009 00:19:51 +0000 http://inashoe.com/?p=3521#comment-20775 I really love the part where you keep the things you think might be important to them!! My parents cleaned our room once or twice...it was traumatizing and we didn't get anything back. Not once. The problem was also that those who were actually neat would sometimes have their things taken... My family does treasure boxes too - or at least, they did for the older girls. I actually have two, plus two large boxes filled with things I don't want to get rid of, like books...since I'm at the stage of my life called Moving Constantly, Thanks College, they sit out in the garage at home. My parents are planning on getting a storage unit for things like that though; it's apparently not too expensive..and 10 (11 some weekends) people in a 3 bedroom 1 office roughly 1200 square feet house is a wee bit cramped, especially when half of them are over the age of 13. I really love the part where you keep the things you think might be important to them!! My parents cleaned our room once or twice…it was traumatizing and we didn’t get anything back. Not once. The problem was also that those who were actually neat would sometimes have their things taken…

My family does treasure boxes too – or at least, they did for the older girls. I actually have two, plus two large boxes filled with things I don’t want to get rid of, like books…since I’m at the stage of my life called Moving Constantly, Thanks College, they sit out in the garage at home. My parents are planning on getting a storage unit for things like that though; it’s apparently not too expensive..and 10 (11 some weekends) people in a 3 bedroom 1 office roughly 1200 square feet house is a wee bit cramped, especially when half of them are over the age of 13.

]]> By: kimc http://inashoe.com/2009/01/clean-their-bedrooms-the-mean-mom-way-do-it-for-them/#comment-20772 kimc Wed, 07 Jan 2009 20:14:17 +0000 http://inashoe.com/?p=3521#comment-20772 Beth, Our rooms are like that too - roughly the same size with 4 children in each. One room has girls aged 15, 10, 7 and the 2yo boy; the other room is all girls, 13, 12, 7, and 4. Samara, Our kids each have a "treasure box" to keep their own personal possessions. Nobody is allowed to get into another's treasure box, so personal possessions are safe there. Your situation sounds like it had to be tremendously frustrating, but that's not what is happening our house. My neater children look forward to these cleanups because they usually keep their things put away and hate the mess as much as I do. Beth,
Our rooms are like that too – roughly the same size with 4 children in each. One room has girls aged 15, 10, 7 and the 2yo boy; the other room is all girls, 13, 12, 7, and 4.

Samara,
Our kids each have a “treasure box” to keep their own personal possessions. Nobody is allowed to get into another’s treasure box, so personal possessions are safe there.
Your situation sounds like it had to be tremendously frustrating, but that’s not what is happening our house. My neater children look forward to these cleanups because they usually keep their things put away and hate the mess as much as I do.

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