I finished watching the episode last night. It's the one called "Tidying With Toddlers." So yes, at the end, they are apparently very happy with the results and thanking Marie.
I would be very interested to revisit this family in one year. Will they still be living as sparsely as they are now? Is Mom still making her and the kids' beds every day? Is her kitchen still neat and tidy with nary a dirty dish in sight? Is the garage still as organized with no new clutter? Are the kids' belongings still all neatly put away, especially considering that as they grow, the acquire new toys and clothes? And as they outgrow the old, will she continue to be vigilant about getting rid of things they no longer need?
And yes, at the end of the episode, it looks like Dad did step up to help with some household chores. But again, I question how long that will last after the novelty wears off. There are going to be days when things get overwhelming. It's inevitable when you have little kids. And when that happens, it's easy to let those new habits lapse for a day, or for a week. The real test will be if after that lapse, will the family still go back to these new ideals? Will it be easy for Dad to forgive Mom for not keeping the house 100% tidy if he comes home from work and finds that she's had a bad day? And even more important, will he step up to fill the gap when those days occur?
I dunno. I can see that I'm being hyper critical. It's just that these kinds of shows have everyone falling in step and everything is going to be hunky dory, which of course, for the purpose of the shooting, it will be! But after the cameras stop rolling, it's a lot harder for the family to keep up that pace.
There is no doubt that this family will continue to acquire new things. They are a young family with young children. I didn't really see any strategy for dealing with that. And again, underlying all of this is the expectation by Dad that because his job is more demanding, the lion's share of responsibility falls on Mom, and she, while seeing some temporary relief, is still, IMO, going to be feeling inundated.
She may have found that laundry is now manageable, but I maintain that since she hates doing laundry, that too will get old. But she has now fired her helper who used to do that task for her.
Having the kitchen organized is a huge help, but at the end of the day, when dinner's done, she still has to do the dishes.
Making the kids' beds and putting their toys all away is great, but you know, toddlers will still want to get them all out again to play, and they will all need to be put back away. Pretty much every day. At least, that was my experience when my kids were that age.
In other words, having everything organized is wonderful, but it doesn't stay that way. It's great to have everything have a place, but it's still a never ending battle to keep everything in that place, or I should say, to return everything to that place after it gets used.
Again, I might be way off base! Which is why I'd like to see that family a year later.