Barriers

I did something I never swore I would do. I sort of made my living room off limits. I didn't do it officially, I did it in a more subtle way. The problem was that my dog kept laying on the couch, and I didn't want the couch dirty and smelly. My husband kept coming in there and taking off his shoes, coat, tie, and anything else he had the whim to remove at that time. He would lay his things on the organ bench. My child number 3 would bring in his backpack and empty it on the floor, paper scraps, dirt and all. I found scooters, and shoes and toys strung all over. I got tired of asking people to pick up their things, and I didn't want to constantly pick up after everyone.

I had a small folding table that someone left against the wall, so I put that in the way of the doorway that leads to the kitchen from the living room. Then I put a white board to block the entrance from the entry hall to the living room. My intentions were mainly to keep the dog out, but I soon found that my living room stayed clean! It's not like my family couldn't step over the barriers, but probably for the same lazy reason that they left their stuff laying around, they didn't take the energy to climb over.

The other day I was going downstairs for something and my husband said, "I hope you are going to unblock the living room while you are down there." I told him that I liked having a clean room, and that in reality, he could move the barrier aside any time he wanted. His reaction? He said, "This just proves we could live in a smaller house than we do." :S

I didn't make a rule that no one could go in there. They are free to move the barrier or step over if they want to go in there. But because it takes extra effort, they don't. It sure is nice to have that room clean all the time. :)