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Euphoric !
cute Naftafia
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Hahaha... I started telling parents during the interview, that THIS, right here.... is the cleanest you will ever see my house! LoL
I tell them that in my opinion, there is a difference between messy and dirty. My house may be messy/cluttered with kidstuff and in all likelihood, there are dishes in the sink or on the counter at any given time. But it's probably because I thought it more important to take the little people outside to play, than to tidy up!!
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What an awful time for a parent to pop in. I'm so sorry you had to go through that. I am very lucky to have an entrance way with doors to the main house so parents come and go into the front hall as they please (around pick up times) and wait to come into the main house... if I even let them in to the main area. My play room is in plain sight but I've blocked half of it with a couch so it doesn't look as messy and I always make sure the eating area is clean so at any given moment when a parent comes in it doesn't look too bad... it's all about staging in this business I think!
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Euphoric !
I hear ya ~ it is frustrating when one is judged without all the facts 
I have the opposite issue ... I myself have clutter / visual chaos issues so my program is one of those ones where everything has a place and most of the toys and mayhem are contained in 'baskets' that match my decor and so forth so it does not look like 'wee kids live here' all the time cause well after hours they 'don't' and as a result new clients often comment 'hard to believe five kids have been here all day its always so neat and tidy ~ I only have one kid and my house always looks like a toy bomb went off' and than I have the worry that people think the kids do not get to have 'fun' cause there is no mess ... so I have to take lots of photos for clients that say yes it does get messy and fun in here during play periods for sure and see here are the photos of the playroom in chaos from their play but at the end of the play period I have the children help to clean up during transitions with the two minute tidy and put the room back together cause that is just how I was trained in all my years of centre care and shared space ~ between transitions the room was tidied up for the next groups enjoyment ... I have learned to ease up being home now and if I know we are coming right back to play on a rainy day or whatever instead of going outside I will let them leave it out but other than that when we 'leave' the playroom it is left in order neat and tidy with everything in its home for next play ... everything is photo labelled on the shelves and the room goes back together like a giant puzzle that they are able to learn to do themselves ~ even my 16 month old already helps with tidy up time.
This way when my day is over I am not spending another hour 'cleaning up' to get my home back cause we've all done it together as a team by the time the last child leaves I am truly done for the day ... after all this is their space too and I personally do not think there is anything wrong with teaching children from an early age how to care for that environment and be a part of helping it be clean and tidy and the self esteem that generates is awesome ... my crew love when its their turn to wash the tables after snack or what not!
Children construct their own intelligence. The adult must provide activities and context, but most of all must be able to listen. Children need proof that adults believe in them. Their three great desires are to be listened to, to understand, and to demonstrate that they are exactly what we expect."
Loris Malaguzzi
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Too funny ladies, but this is sooooo me too! I don't have a dishwasher so by the end of the day both my sinks are full of dishes. I come in with the stroller wheels covered in wet leaves and the children's boots and splashpants covered in mud and puddle water and my front hallway is so messy. If I get a minute during the afternoon I try to sweep it up before the parents arrive.
But the fact is, the children ate great, nutritious food all day and had a blast playing outside and inside and the paint and craft material is still all over the dining room table when the parents arrive usually which means they have been creating. All of these things mean that the families are attending a great daycare.
I also tell parents at the interview that I keep my house very clean but chaos ensues when we are having fun.
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Euphoric !
I have a little of Reggios issue, I admit. I tend to have near panic attacks at times when things are out of place or I can see dirt and food under the table.) (therefor...I spaz-tidy throughout the day) will play a game with the kids for a while, then lead them to free play and sweep the floors or wash a load of dishes. Throughout the day I manage quite well to juggle playing with the children and cleaning. wash dishes about 4 times within the daycare day, get at least 2 loads of laundry done and put away and maintain counters and table tops. Starting at about 3pm just before all kids awake from nap, I will do the final run through, of sweeping, dishes, finishing laundry and putting most toys away or back to my basement (where they are stored every night so we can have our house back ) I often wonder if parents wonder if we do anything at all through the day. Some drop off before we do our daily treck to the basement to have our "pick for the day" what toys each child would like to play with, and by the time most pick up, I have already cleaned and tidied up the mess from the day. I have had parents comment on how organized and tidy my house always is....they say "you'd never know I had a daycare" I do like it that way!!!!! sometimes I wonder though if they wonder if the kids do enough and have enough to play with. I am such a "ordered" person, if you've never been here mid-day, you might think it's always so clean and tidy.
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Expansive...
My place is "lived/worked in", so its clean but not so clean I would eat off the floor. When people come over I just say "Please excuse the mess, the children and I are making memories". I live in a small 2 bedroom apartment and run a daycare in it, what do people expect.
I am my own dishwasher, and I don't always work. If you don't like the fact I have a few dirty dishes in the sink or clean dishes drying on the counter, please be my guess and clean them for me.
I only do one major clean every week, which I do on the weekends. I do spot cleaning during the week as needed. If people don't like that, they they can pay for a maid to come in twice a week. (that would be nice)
I do clean up the "toy bombs" before bed. my husband is up at 5am and doesn't always turn on the lights. So if I don't want anything broken I make sure its out of his way.
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Yes, Ihad a parent look around at the toy mess the other day and say,"I hope you get your older son to hepl you clean up at the end of the day" (meaning my teenaged son)...I just laughed and said "He's a great help, but I don't ask him to clean up the daycare...I get the kids to do that themselves...but sometime we don't clean it up at the end of the day and we leave it for the next day". I like tidyness and a clean house, but I will not kill myself to keep it perfect. At the end of the day I have to rush to give the kids a snack and get to the bus to pick up my son and then back and then pick-ups start which is always a bit chaotic...so we don't always have time and I don't want to do it after work, so then we will doa tidy up in the morning. I am thankful to have a separate daycare space so I can walk away at the end of the day
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It does make a difference if they are parents of only one or mulit ages.
First time parents I agree for the first 12mos baby doens't dirty much and mom is home so being tidy is easier. Then they go to work and no one is home all day to MAKE a mess.
Parents of multi don't judge and understand more! My Dcmom has a 15yr, 5yr & 3yr...Yesterday I admit the house was a disaster (messy not dirty) and I said "I'm sorry about the chaos" she replies "oh please, it's chaos everyday with us, no worries!"
My mom was/is a clean freak. We never went to the park or did fun stuff because mom has to do the dishes or laundry or beds etc. She to this day will not sit down to eat until the prep-dishes are washed and put away and the sink is clean.
I am NOT like that! Kids come first, mess will be there again in 1hr. Do it later....whatever LOL
Satisfaction Guaranteed or Double Your Kids Back!! 
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