Midweek with midtown: episode 15

Welcome to MIDWEEK with MIDTOWN: Episode 15!

Today we want to highlight an all too familiar challenge around the house that we think you'll be able to relate to. We sure do!

Does this sound familiar?

You get the dishes done, laundry all folded and put away, and grab a cup of tea and curl up on the couch. You read a book, or a watch your favorite sitcom. You get up to take your cup to the sink, and on the way there, you proceed to trip over clothing that your kids have strewn everywhere like it was an Olympic event that they clearly won the gold medal in.

You arrive in the kitchen to find the second event was apparently seeing how fast snack plates, cups and other dish items could be left all of over the counter. In the sink? No way! That's a whole other story. But we digress, as another gold medal was won by your kids in the dirty dish stacking event!

What if we told you that our team at Midtown Realty Company had the perfect answer for how to make sure your home didn't host the clutter Olympics every single night?

We thought you might like that!

Your home should be a place of rest, relaxation, and refuge after a day of hard work. One of our friends had a great idea to make sure your home is that place for you, instead of a training ground for budding clutter Olympians.

Instead of tripping over their favorite sweatshirt, pick it up and put it in a special bin. Since they obviously have other items they can wear, collect the ones they choose to leave laying around. When they ask where they are, simply let them know you have them, and would be willing to sell them back to them. Genius!

It works the same way for the dishes. This one is a little trickier, since sometimes it's hard to prove whose they were. That's where you institute the "kids, you are all on the same team" clause. Any dish is all of your dishes. Brilliant!

You can set whatever price works for your family. "Dollar a dish" has a  sweet little ring to it. "A buck for your britches" works nicely as well. If your kids have an allowance, implementation is a breeze. If they don't, you can use other chores around the house as currency.

And if they don't do those chores? Keep the hoodie and tell them they can't go to their friends to hang out, the school dance, or some other event they need you as a taxi service for until they are done. At this point, you are pulling into the lead for parent of the year!

At the end of the day, it will instill the values of taking care of what they have been given, organization, and our favorite...honor. Honoring their parents that work hard to provide a nice home, and all the things they need for their upbringing.

Someday they'll look back and thank you. Now that day may be quite a while away, but in the meantime they'll learn, grow, and be thankful for the many blessings they have in your care, even if they don't say it out loud. Actually, you are more likely to hear grunts and moans of how "life isn't fair". Perfect. That means we are right on track to helping them win at the game of life!

This little home challenge also serves as a great way to keep the house picked up if you are selling your home. That makes it easier to book showings, and potentially helps your home sell faster as well!

We hope you are having a fantastic week. Thanks for taking the time to stop by our blog today. We hope Episode 15 of MIDWEEK with MIDTOWN has helped remove the clutter obstacle for your family now, and set you up for a big win later if you ever sell your home.

Take Care!

-The Midtown Realty Company Team