Action Research Journal Journal/Reflection Work
2000
Action Research Journal
Action Research Time Line (a partial listing)
August 20, 2000
(This is a look back on our first day in the house to show how much the boys can do). Today we moved into the Norcross house. Roy beat us to the house, and he was sitting in his car waiting. Jim backed the Rider truck down the driveway, and then we went into the house. The house was not clean at all when we went in! The other tenants did not want to leave, so they left trash and stuff behind because they had to move out against their will. I can say this because my parents said they kept the house up while they lived there. The yard was overgrown, the linoleum floors were filthy, and there was dirt, debris, and trash in every room. They also had a garage sale before they left, and anything they did not sale, they left on the driveway along with other pieces of trash that I guess came from inside the house. We also found piles of large pieces of trash in the woods (lawn chair, paint buckets, make-shift closet parts....the list could go on). First thing we did was move all the trash out of the house, and pile it all up in one big pile on the driveway. We then tackled the trash in the front yard (glass coffee table tops, broken bulbs, a pink purse to list a few). I cut blue string out of the trees, off the fence, and off the house. Jim and Roy picked up more trash, and swept the inside floors with a broken broom. At this point we did not have any electricity, which made me mad because we needed to vacuum the house before the carpet cleaner guy came. Calvin, my boyfriend, arrived and I went with him to his house to get a mop and broom because he forgot to bring them. While we went to Calvin’s, the boys went to Roy’s sister’s to get his bed in Calvin’s truck. When we got back, Calvin figured out how to get the power back on so I vacuumed. Calvin got on the roof and swept all the leaves off. During this we kept calling the carpet-cleaning guy who was supposed to be over at 9 a.m. He never showed, so when the boys got back, we decided to deodorize the carpet. They unloaded the truck, and I went to K-mart to buy supplies. When I got back they filled me in on what they cleaned. They cleaned the bathrooms and mopped all the floors with toilet cleaner! They did not want to wait for me to get back with the Lysol; so, they decided a mixture of toilet bowl cleaner and dishwasher soap would work. Crazy, huh? After I expressed my disgust, I put deodorizer down on the carpet. I quickly ran out, and Jim had to go to the store to get more. While he was gone Roy and I moved boxes. Calvin cleaned the refrigerator. When Jim got back he put the rest of the deodorizer down and vacuumed the house. Then Calvin and Jim went over to Calvin’s to pick up our living room furniture. They were gone over an hour (Calvin only lives 10 minutes away. I later found out they were watching golf). Roy vacuumed the windowsills, and I unpacked things for the kitchen. When Jim and Calvin got back, they unloaded the furniture. Roy and Jim went to work in the yard, and I went with Calvin to go pick up my mattress and box springs. My parents were there when we got back, and everyone was eating so we took a break. After eating, my mom cleaned the oven and the light covers and my dad and the boys worked in the yard some more. Slowly, the boys moved in the furniture from the U-Haul, and the house got clean. More things happened, but I cannot remember them all, but from all of this, it is evident that the boys know how to help clean…even if they do it with dish detergent and toilet bowl cleaner!
September 9, 2000
Weeks have passed since we moved in, and I am the one who has done a lot of the cleaning. The boys take no initiative. The entrance door way is dirty because of all the shoes so I sweep and sweep. The trash is overflowing so I take it out. Yesterday I went home to see my parents, and I did not empty the trash on purpose. It has been full for the last two days so we will see if they bother to empty it over the weekend. I did not clean the bathroom, sweep, or vacuum. I guess we will see if they do anything. I am getting very little help. So far they have only done their own dishes. So, starting today I am not going to do a thing. I am going to observe how things fall apart when I do not do all the work
September 10, 2000
When I came home tonight, the trash was taken out and almost full again! Jim told me he vacuumed, and it looked like he had. Roy and I share a bathtub because I only have a half-bath downstairs. It was not cleaned, and it is starting to grow black mold. The kitchen floor was not swept, but at least they did not pile up dishes in the sink.
September 12, 2000
Tonight I reminded Jim to take the garbage to the curb because it gets picked up on Wednesday mornings. I know I shouldn’t have said anything because I am supposed to be just observing, but we are trying to slowly get rid of all the trash left on the driveway; so, I do not want to risk missing a week. I also left him a note on the message board near the door. I know he will forget, so I’ll call him from work tomorrow. The dishwasher has still not been run, and the entrance door is still filthy.
September 13, 2000
I left a message on the phone for Jim to take the garbage to the curb. When I got home tonight and asked him if he remembered, and he said he did when he listened to my message. Harassment may be a tactic that works with Jim, but I think he will get aggravated with me after awhile. It also puts too much stress on me to baby-sit him and Roy. Speaking of Roy, I do not know him too well so I do not really want to put him on the spot or harass him about the cleaning. The dishwasher was run tonight though.
September 14, 2000
I got home very late from class, so I just went to bed.
September 15, 2000
One more day and I can do some cleaning. I emptied the dishwasher (bad me) when I got home from work. The floor is still not swept and dishes are sitting in the sink!
September 16, 2000
This morning I got up and swept the kitchen floor, cleaned the counters, racked the leaves off the front walk, and vacuumed the living room. I had the chairs in the living room so I could sweep, and Jim asked if he could walk on the floor and I said yes unless you plan to mop it. He laughed and got his cereal. The entire time I cleaned, the boys sat on the couch and watched football. Roy and my tub is getting very gross. He doesn’t care if it gets all moldy!
September 17, 2000
This afternoon my dad came over to work on the yard and plant some grass so the boys were forced to help. Jim cut the grass with the weed whacker, Roy swept the driveway off, and I pulled weeds. After awhile, the boys planted some left over sod my dad had from his house. As soon as my dad left, the boys stopped working in the yard.
September 18, 2000
Nothing big happened today.
September 19, 2000
When I got home from school, I asked Jim if he wanted help taking the trash to the curb or did he just want to do it by himself tomorrow. He said he would do it in the morning (he was playing on his computer so he did not want to be bothered). I left him alone and put a sticky note on the board. After I ate dinner, I had to take out the trash because it was so full, things were starting to fall out. What will it take to get them to take the trash out?!
September 20, 2000
Jim remembered to take the trash up, and Roy brought it back down to the house…all before I came home from school tonight. How nice. Roy even ran the dishwasher.
September 21, 2000
When I came in from school, Roy got up and unloaded the dishwasher. I said, “Roy, you’re acting domestic!” He said loudly in response so Jim could hear him, “I’m the good roommate!” I was glad he decided to help. Both of the boys did laundry too. When Jim came down to start his, he noticed his green basket sitting on the dryer. He was like, “oh, this is where it was.” It had been sitting there for two weeks! Two weeks ago he did not finish his laundry, so the rest of the dirty clothes sat on the dryer until today.
September 23, 2000
This morning I cleaned up the house a little. I swept the kitchen floor. I did not do much else because I had to do some cleaning over at my boyfriends before he came home from Romania. He left his room a mess when he left, and I did not want him to worry about the dirty laundry he left when he came home with a suitcase full. I also took his vacuum cleaner back. We borrowed it a while ago with mine was temporarily broken. I vacuumed his room, picked up, cleaned his sink, and ran two loads of laundry.
September 26, 2000
When I came in tonight, the sink had dishes sitting in it. I went and got Roy’s teacup off the living room coffee table to add to the pile (he had a late night studying). Coffee has been sitting in the coffee pot all day. It must be from last night when Roy was trying to stay awake while studying. I did not remind Jim to take out the garbage tonight just to see if he would remember. I picked up Calvin from the airport today, and he was surprised to see his room clean (because I do not ever clean it for him).
September 27, 2000
I took the garbage and recycling bin to the curb. Jim forgot to. Dishes are piling up, and the two skillets are still in the sink. Someone must have cooked some type of sauce because the stovetop has red splashes on it…as I am writing this, I remember Roy cooking Hamburger Helper Sunday. It must be from then! Roy did yell in the living room if he could put my coffee pot in the dishwasher, and I said no. I assume he cleaned it. He probably just rinsed it out.
September 28, 2000
Roy finally put the dishes (plates, cups, silverware) in the dishwasher. He left the skillets though. Garbage is filling up. Jim cleaned out his files in the living room, so he filled it up again.
September 29, 2000
The kitchen floor, counters, and stove continue to collect debris. The skillets are still sitting, and the garbage is full. It is obvious it needs to be taken out.
September 30, 2000
This morning I just could not stand the condition of our house anymore. I vacuumed my room, the living room, the hall/stairs, the bathroom (which had not been vacuumed since we moved in), and our “office” room. I vacuumed flies off the windowsill and crickets out of the corners! I commented to Jim house nasty the house was, and he said it was not that bad…it could be worse. I do not want to see it worse! I also swept the kitchen floor. While in the kitchen, I put all the plates, bowls, cups, and silverware in the dishwasher. I left the skillets and two pots and the cutting board joined the pile. I then cleaned the counters and stove top. Food had been spilled and left and crumbs were all over the counter. Neither one of them wipe-up after themselves! The kitchen table was in the same condition. Roy did move the coffee table when I vacuumed the living room though. Every Saturday he is watching TV when I clean, and the sight of me cleaning does not motivate him to help for some reason though. Our bathtub is so gross; I do not want to talk about it. I was on the phone with AT&T and I was carrying the glass cleaner into the living room and I put it down on the table to continue talking and Roy did clean off the coffee table while I was standing there. The glass on the table was pretty gross because everyone eats on it and watches TV.
October 1, 2000
Jim and I went caving yesterday in Tennessee, so Roy was home by himself all weekend. He did not clean the tub, which is getting out of hand. I finished the rest of my laundry tonight. We all had dinner at my grandmother’s house tonight for Jim and my birthday, but Roy commented that he did Jim’s pots and skillets for him. Later, when we got home (Roy went to the Change Committee Meeting at GT), Jim commented that he did not know they were his pots and pans. I told him they had been sitting there for days, and he said he must have forgotten they were his because he was thinking they were sitting there for a long time and not getting washed. I am glad something goes through his head when he sees those dishes sitting for days, but he must have let them sit for so long, he forgot they were his! Jim did empty the trash tonight commenting he was a good roommate. My mom asked at dinner if the boys were cleaning their rooms changing their sheets, cleaning their bathrooms…, and Calvin (trying to take up for the boys) said, “Roy vacuumed yesterday.” I said, “I vacuumed yesterday.” And Roy said, “Roy moved the coffee table when Jenna was vacuuming.” My mom made some lame attempt to threaten.
October 2, 2000
Tonight Roy and I were talking about whatever at dinner and privacy came up. He said he did not care if the living room was a wreck, if the kitchen was a mess, or the bathroom was gross as long as people did not go in his room and bother his stuff. Apparently he is real picky about privacy, but not being clean. He keeps his room clean, but I guess he does not care how the rest of the house fares.