General Chat

I am really ready to do so. On a Friday's I make a really extra special effort to make sure the all house is nice and clean and tidy for the weekend. Always change the beds, hoover from top to bottom, have all my washing and ironing done etc .etc. The Queen could visit if she wanted. I like a break from the norm on Saturday and Sunday. I had a good lie in this morning. I wish you could have seen the mess. Sand all on the hall floor, lounge, dining room and kitchen. Hubby had yet again taken the dog on the beach very early in the morning. Toothpaste all over the tap and sides of sink. No-one knows what the dishcloth is for. Make up all over the clean hand towel. 15 year olds. Usually it is oil from the 21yr old son who is a car mechanic. The kitchen, well!!! Daughter cooked herself supper. George Foreman was used and she had not put the drip tray in place. Fat from Beefburgers all dripping down the worktop and cupboard door. Toast crumbs and Marmite all congealed in front of the toaster. Hubby had put dirty dishes in Dishwasher and turned it on. He was so proud of himself. I came to fetch the dishes out and he had put all the mugs upright. Hence all filled with dirty water. Then I noticed daughter had stripped her bed. I asked jokingly if she had wet the bed. No, she had spilt a pint glass full of coke on the bed. Shall I go on stike, cause this is the norm in this house nowadays. I am sick to death of asking them to be bit more considerate. But I just get told I am always nagging. Jenny.

Jenny, Can I join your picket line? Lol. I used to get so annoyed at my family for leaving a mess everywhere. These days, I just ignore it. It,s amazing how quickly the house gets cleaned if they are expecting a friend over! I,ve learned over time that there,s more to life than a spotless house. Lol

I share a house with a husband who until recently had no idea which drawer I kept my underwear in, so not much help putting clothes away and two sons. All three of them leave lights, tv, radio etc switched on when they leave rooms. Often they leave the milk out of the fridge or the fridge door open. Very fond of depositing rubbish besides the bin instead of in it. Toothpaste tube often left with lid off. Cups, glasses, plates left all over the place. Ditto clothes. I did try nagging about clothes, but instead of putting them away they just put everything ,no matter how clean, in the laundry basket. I would go on strike but I couldn't bear the mess. In order for the mess to be so awful that they would do something about it we would have to run out of clean clothes and anything edible which would take more time than I could stand. They are going on a long weekend away next weekend so on Friday I shall have everything sorted. By Monday evening it will be ruined. I am constantly reminded of a passage in Jane Austen's "Emma" where Mr & Mrs Weston, their son and Emma are inspecting the Crown Inn with a view to holding a ball there. It says something about the dirt and that here the women probably exchanged a look saying that men didn't know what dirt was. nell

Jenny, Slight variation, Hubby oftens tells me I've done nothing all day, or asks what i've done all day??? What he fails to realise is that i spend the day tidying up only ofr the four kids to come home and wreck it all. SO one day he said and i said ok if you think i do nothing I shall LOL The house was in a MUCH worse state the next day LOL BUt my hubby is so quick to complain , but never to praise. So the other problem we have is that he often tells me what i haven't done but ALWAYS fails to notice what I have done. When i complain he say what do you want priase for doing your job????? NO I don't but if he can't praise then he should complain Shelli

Gracious Jenny, (sorry, I mustn't laugh at your hubby putting them mugs in like that!) :)) think you need a big breather, come and chill... :)

Trouble is Jenny ,if you went on strike for two weeks ,and went away,when you came back ,it would be like a war zone.Liz and i tried it ,and it don't work sad to say.what you have to do is grin ,and bear it.i used to get the same s---t at work trying to keep a factory production line clean and efficient,and i know how hard it is.Fred.ptfg&a&g&s.

Left Daughter to do potatoes and carrots fresh from farm-shop, came home they were still on the side, "not doing them, they're covered in dirt, where's the ones in bags" she said... wouldn't get her hands dirty! :))

Oh Jenny how well I remember. There's good news though - eventually it gets better and guess what when they get their own places they have actually picked up some cleaning tips from Mum which they somehow remember when its for themselves. I know it's hard to believe now, but it's true. I bet if most Mum's my age wrote a book of our experiences, there wouldn't be much to choose between them LOL. Keep your chin up. Jan

Now I thought you ladies spent so much time on here that you *never* did any housework:))

iv got the same problem clean up and ten mins later its like a s=== tip and i usaly end up tears

I could understand it a bit if I had the four children all little again. But only the two youngest at home now. Hubby is absolutley useless. He is quite old fashioned. He seems to think that because he goes to work all week, he can do bugger all when he gets in and is on holiday over the weekend. Will let you all know when i decide what day I am going to take strike action. Jenny.

OK I'll join you Jenny. I went on strike for a day a couple of months back (work) so I'm quite experienced now at picketing LOL. Might do 'em good if you made it longer than a day though - see how the chauvenist one copes without any clean clothes and hot meals huh. Set up a secret CCTV see whether he cooks and cleans for the kids or they cook and clean for him - or maybe they'll all eat out and store up the washing for when you finish your strike hahaha. Before you do it though make sure there's no easy meals ready in the freezer for them and no clean clothes. Gotta make it worthwhile hehehe. Jan

No if I went on strike, it would not get done and it is me that likes everything in it's place!! LOL!! Mazzie x

Last Wednesday morning I washed up the breakfast things and left them on the drainer to dry as I had to catch a train to go and stay away overnight in order to attend a friend's funeral in Wales. Friday evening on my return, I put away the said dishes etc. which were still just as I had left them 2 days earlier. Needless to say the sink was piled high with dishes etc waiting to be washed.

I gave up years ago! Once the children came along, and my own 'quality time' was limited to ten minutes in the shower each day, I decided to let the house 'muddle along'. Yes, it's a permanent tip, and my husband complains all the time, but then they never praise you when it's spotless, so I'm not much worse off! Sadly, I'm the messy, disorganised one, so if I went on strike completely things would probably improve!!! Natalie

I bet your teenagers reply that when they get their own place they will keep it tidy! June xx

June Hello. 21 yr old son moved in with his girlfriend 12 months ago. He was great. Did the cleaning up, cooked, did his own sandwiches to take to work etc. Always looked scruffy though. She would not wash and iron. So did his own when needed. But he was not too good. His shirts and jeans always looked terrible. I got ashamed if he turned up to our local pub. He stuck it just six months and came back home. He was fed up with being broke all the time. They are back together again and he stays there five nights out of seven. But he vows he would ever move in again. Jenny.

There is only hubby and me now plus a hairy black dog and a fat cat. I'm for ever cleaning up after them all, none of them are worried about leaving a mess, usually hairs from all of them, dribble on the floor, footprints everywhere, crumbs. You name it, it's there. Jo.

That's lovely! nell

Hi Jenny, I think he was too comfortable at home, he knew a good thing when he was on to it, Looking at you ( and I have, lol) Love shines out of you. that girl doesn't stand a chance with you around, that lad will move away but always feel the need to come home every so often to recharge his batteries, lol You are a very lucky lady and he is a very lucky son. Love June xx