Dear Home Ec 101, My 4 year old son absolutely refuses to clean up his toys! I’ve tried making it a game, I’ve also tried taking his toys away when he doesn’t clean them up. He still refuses to clean. Any ideas for getting him to clean up after himself? Signed, Messy In Muncie Ivy … Read more
Ivy says: Last night, there were several dishes left over after starting the dishwasher. This happens with some frequency, we use a heck of a lot of dishes in our house. Normally, I would just rinse them and set them in the sink to run the dishwasher this morning, but it occurred to me that … Read more
Ivy says: If you haven’t done this already, this weekend would be a great time to go through all the kids’ toys and get rid of anything broken, anything they don’t play with, anything they just have too much of (my daughter had approximately 1,493 stuffed animals before we cleaned out her room), and anything … Read more
Dear Home-Ec 101, What is the best way to clean infant toys? Signed, Stink, Rattle & Roll Ivy says: When cleaning toys that are going to go into a baby’s mouth (which is everything baby gets her hands on), you want to go with cleaning products that are both natural and safe. I have two … Read more
Dear Home Ec 101: I am at my wits’ end. I have a toddler who will not stop yanking everything off the counter. Every time my hands are full with the baby he’s eating, coloring on, or shredding something. What do I do? ~Frazzled in Frampton Heather says: I could have written that letter myself. … Read more
Dear Home-Ec 101, My kids whine incessantly when I ask them to help clean, and they do a halfhearted job when they finally clean. How do I get them to help out? Signed, Ripping my hair out in Riverdale Ivy says: I know what that’s like. My kids still put up a fuss about cleaning, … Read more
Dear Home-Ec 101, Now that our teen is helping with the laundry, I would like to show him to fold a fitted bedsheet. I usually just roll it up into a ball. (bad, I know) Signed, Life Skills Teacher to Growing Son Ivy says: The person who actually showed me how to fold a fitted … Read more