my "linen cupboard" is two drawers in DD's tallboy, and a short, wide plastic container on wheels under her bed. i TRY to keep the winter linen in the one under the bed, and the summer linen in her drawers, it's the linen for both our single beds.
i'm finding it hard to organise a household, with so little storage. Not even cupboards under the bathroom sink, and the laundry sink.
Washing the dishes (no dishwasher here), i set the timer at 10 mins, i tell myself, "whatever i get done in 10mins, that's better than not doing them" - once i get going, it's fine - it's the starting that used to be the problem. Maybe apply that idea to "for 10 mins. on the timer, i WILL put clothes in the bedroom away, when the timer goes, i can go watch telly." The reality is, the 10mins is up, you see how much you've accomplished, and it's often more attractive to you, to actually keep on going.
It is pretty worrying, that you seem to be doing most of the housework. Two adults in your household, not just one. I think when one person ends up carrying the slacker, that one person eventually gets very resentful (rightly so) and blows her stack. Just saying. (been there, got the tshirt). Takes two to make the mess, etc. Parenting is a job in itself.
Childlocks on cupboards and childgates (to keep kids out of areas you are working on/don't want disturbed) are two other ideas i thought of (they helped my sanity levels in the previous place, when bilby was younger).
but if you are in a tiny place like me - with stuff all built in storage (it's called a maisonette, but is really like a tiny tiny unit), then i got nothin - cos i'm really struggling too.
i used to put off the bathroom basin clean up, cos of going to get the cleaning supplies. Now i keep a roll of paper towels and a spray bottle (the Orange stuff by Planet Ark) on top of the bathroom mirror cabinet, so i now made it simple for myself, to clean the basin (get off the toothpaste gunk).
I would suggest you fight the mould NOW. I nearly died from a medical condition, often brought on by exposure to mould. It's a BIG health risk. Of all the things you mention, i would attack that one first. How is the ventilation in your bathroom? Is the exhaust fan working? is it always used when shower is on? Can you leave the window open a bit, most of the time?
What are your wardrobes like?
Are teh doors easy to open and shut? Mine are heavy, so it makes me avoid opening them.
Are your wardrobes full of clothing you like/want/fits you? If they are overflowing with stuff that is not being used, maybe you need a sort out, to leave room for the stuff you actually DO like/want/wear/fits you.
i suspect, you've been struggling to do it all on your lonesome for so long, it's overwhelmed you (the mountains of clothes to deal with) and it's just all too much FOR ONE PERSON to handle. You're human, not a bad housewife. DH needs to be a househusband too. You're in this life together.
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But just take it step by step and you'll get there. I found it helpful to ask DH to do very specific things which were small things but helped me tackle the bigger task (eg he took the flyscreens off and cleaned them while I did the inside of the windows). So make sure you include those things on the list too. Things like cleaning the inside of the fridge or sorting a cupboard is "invisible" work (DH will come home and not notice) but if it's there on the list and ticked off as something you've achieved you can feel better about your household successes.
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