how do you do it...keeping up that is..

[Olive]

with EVERYTHING!
i seriously wondering how those with more than 1 or 2 kids actually manage to
keep the house clean and or tidy
get the housework done
meals cooked
etc etc etc..

anyone else feel swamped some (most) days??

[~Lashes~]

simple....
I DONT!!!
for the house to be 100% spotless, i will stay up all night and clean like a mad woman once the kids are in bed, and it will last all of a hour after they are up and had breakkie!

my problem is once im ontop of everything, i cant stay ontop of it, i have a viciouse cycle of "relaxing" once its all done and then everything gose back to the start and i need a big motivational kick up the bum o get back on top.
the biggest factor is there is way to much stuff in the house, so i have to have a huge cull and put my foot down to people giving the kids crap! (hoping i can keep up onnce this happens!)

[Trillian]

TBH, sometimes I don't. My house might be 'clean' but it is always cluttered looking because there is always something that hasn't been put away properly - not helped by the fact that we have nowhere to keep a lot of stuff. there is always a basket of washing sitting around not folded and that's not even including the ironing! The evening routine of dinner/bath/bed only stays on track because I make it stay on track otherwise before you know it its late and the kids aren't in bed yet. And it's even worse if I have a week where I am out of the house a lot. So I just do what I can do and have to be happy with that.

[Traveller]

My house is always cluttered and the laundry is often in baskets waiting to be folded for a week or sometimes longer. There's no way I can do it all so I concentrate on the main priorities. I cook meals in bulk and don't sweat the small things.

[Jennifer13]

keep the house clean and or tidy - cleaner for the cleaning, which just leaves the tidying
get the housework done - see above
meals cooked - that's DP's job

And still with only one child (although I do claim both of our businesses are a child themselves in the amount of work they bring), I am always rushing around - you should see the paperwork my desk is drowning under!

So don't assume a clean house means it's under control - it's just been delegated! But that's how I manage, to pass off what I can so I don't have to do it all myself. Even DD is responsible for several chores herself.

[MrsFabuloso]

I don't either. Most days there are things left undone, especially now with a new baby in the house. Most days now it is lucky if I manage to do one thing for the house, like vaccuuming or washing up or what ever. Today my house is a pigsty, dishes in the sink, washing in the maching 'soaking', train tracks from here to eternity, clothes in a pile in the corner to be folded, and more on the clothes line. But my baby is happy and has been snuggled all day and my two big kids liked that I actaully sat down and watched a movie with them (rather than them watching it and me running around like a headless chicken or tending to the baby), drew pictures and played trains with them. We had packet frozen fish and frozen chips for dinner and some bickies for dessert. But some days are like that. I had barely any sleep last night and was just totally over it before the day even began. So I didn't pressure myself to do anything other than feed the kids and change nappies, lol. And we got through the day with minimal tears (from both me and the kids!) everyone had full tums, clean bums and I am still sane at 9pm.

[~clover~]

The floors at the front of my house are tidy... thats about it right now (& there are hundreds & thousands spread through the kitchen, play room & verandah waiting for a broom)
There is sewing stuff on my table (where we are sposed to sit & eat!) clothes waiting to be folded on my lounge, washing up waiting for the kids to be asleep, bits & pieces on EVERY surface. It drives me flipping mental, but I haven't got the time right now to get that organised... I was doing so well in the months before DD3...

If I want a clean house & a shower alone, it all usually starts at 11pm when all the kids are finally sleeping (DS is a night owl)!

[OceanPrincess]

Olive I have been thinking of posting this exact same thing for some time... I go through patches where, like lilias, it is all I can do to keep the kids fed, watered and with clean bums. I wash nappies every second day but sometimes not til 8 or 9 or 10... Sigh!

My floors need a vacuum... My bathrooms need a clean... There are cobwebs encroaching... But tonight I am sitting down enjoying a vino and a DVD with DH (as you know).

I always remember the quote in Heaven's sig (not sure if it's still there?)...

Cleaning and scrubbing can wait 'till tomorrow,
for babies grow up, we've learned to our sorrow.
So quiet down cobwebs, dust go to sleep,
I'm rocking my baby and babies don't keep.

[Yeddi]

I have a tick and flick schedule, and a timer. I've found if I give myself an open time limit it only gets done once its at crisis stage and has to be done. Now I have my set jobs on set days and I put on a timer and run around like a mad thing doing what is on my list for the day, and then reward myself with double the amount of time off cruising the computer, reading or doing some craft. Works for me.

[littlelara]

I don't. I just didn't get that gene (much to dp's disappointment).
I wish I knew
Yeddi, what is on that list? I thought about doing fly lady but I got too overwhelmed

[Astrolady]

Yep I don't either, but when the house gets to much I started to get depressed about it. We had chinese tonight and I was on the phone to mum who was telling me how their dinner they were going out to had been cancelled. I invited her to my place to have tea with us, then looked at my house. OMG.

Dishes got done, floors got swept sort of. I am glad they never went to the loo !! But alot of my stuff is clutter to, but not my bloody clutter. Andrew's or the kids !! For example i have 4 stepper motors sitting on my kitchen breakfast bar thingy. Last time I looked my breakfast bar thingy wasn't mechanical. He also has 4 camera bags that are just left laying about. Things like papers etc, are shoved into any gap cause we don't have the room or time to go through it. I have a pile of filing to do. You can never see my computer desk.

I do have plans to go through my book case and get rid of books we don't need. Andrew has really old text books in the bookcase from when he did year 12 !!

The kitchen is the centre of my house (literally) so I like to keep it looking tidy, but it rarely happens LOL.

[Danielle_NZ]

I've just today secured a house cleaner for once a week, I can't get on top of everything and my clutter is rising. It's really getting me down so when DH got a payrise I thought I would enjoy it.

[black_rose]

I struggle on the days we have stuff on, and lately I have been sick so I have fallen behind. I am another on who has a cleaner, they come once a fortnight and clean the three bathrooms and vacuum, dust and mop for me.

I need to be pretty strict with the routine washing on as soon as we are all up, dishwasher on after breaky and the girls have to pack up one lot of toys before getting out another. I tidy the kitchen when they eat.

The hardest part is the laundry and clothes it's never ending mountains. I can't fold when they are around as they pull everything apart.

[Catastrophic]

I struggle here too. I guess its good that OH does help out with alot of the cleaning/cooking.
But some days with everything on, and kids and uni and prac and just life in general i jump on BB and ignore it :-D

[YoYo]

I am one of those oddball people who can not function when things are messy. It makes my toes curl and clutters my brain till it implodes.

I've gone from living in a small 3 x 1 to an apartment in Singapore to a 4 bedroom 3 bathroom massive house in jersey.

I found it hard at first meeting my own expectations but I learned to use my phone and set a 'project' for myself. Today is washing day, yesterday vacuuming day, day before, bathrooms. I will sweep daily (mainly under the dinner table) but I go easy on myself too.

Dd is a rubbish sleeper and ds is an attention seeker, like most kids! I let them totally trash the place, but try and keep it in one spot at a time. Right now, playroom is trashed.

It helps that we don't have much stuff to fit this house, there is lots of storage so I can hide things away. Don't look in my drawers and cupboards coz they're a mess.

Just live up to your own expectations, do what you can when you can.


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[~Trish~]

I'm like Yules and don't cope when things are out of control. I think it's my Aspy tendancies which mean I have trouble focusing on anything if something feels chaotic. I then have panic attacks and anxiety, not fun!

I've struggled for ages to keep on top of things, I'd have bursts where I was on top of it, and then it would be chaos again. But this year has been better. My DH now helps me out by sweeping the floors each evening and giving them a good vacuum/mop a couple of times a week (love my man ), this makes such a HUGE difference to my anxiety/stress levels! Each day I start the day by writing a list of things I need to do - like: unstack dishwasher, hang out washing, make beds, clean bathrooms, etc. It is so motivating crossing each thing off and it helps me stay on track and use my time better, rather than floating around forgetting what needs to be done LOL!

I'm not saying I live in a perfect home, it gets trashed by the kids, the furniture has marks/stains from grotty little hands, the list goes on! But I am able to keep it to a level that makes life less stressful and more manageable for me. Having all those things under control means I can focus on my kids more, have people over for a cuppa without being completely embarrased about the state of the house and run a small business from home.

Gee I hope I'm not sounding like I think I'm wonderful LOL! I've only just got all this working well this year!

[nickle730]

My two eldest are at school so during the day it's only DD2 and I at home. It makes it much easier to keep on top of things! I have a routine - we got to the gym after drop off, then the supermarket (yep, every day. I can't plan meals because I don't know what I'll feel like eating!), come home, shopping away, washing machine on, clean kitchen first, general tidy, make beds, scrub bathrooms, vac and mop floors, prepare dinner bits and set the table so I can spend time with the big kids when they get home. It's then time to pick the kids up from school. Miss P's feeds fit in whenever she tells me she's hungry and we have plenty of cuddle and play time. I also sit down for lunch at some stage, often with Miss P on the boob. If she is very restless I pop her in a sling while I clean. Sheets are changes on Mondays and I often bake during the day for school lunches. Love my Kitchen Aid, makes baking quick and easy.

Having a routine works for me, I just do it and don't even think about it. My DH is helpful around the house and he takes care of the 'outside jobs' such as the lawns and pool maintenance. The big kids are supposed to make their beds (they try!) and pack away their own toys. If they are home I get them to put their clean clothes in their wardrobes. They also clear the table after dinner.

If I want to vary from the routine and go out for lunch, watch school sports or something I get up a little earlier and do the basics before drop off, but I might skip the bathrooms and floors for the day - omg... I sound completely anal. I'm not! I do like a clean house, though.

The 'big' jobs throw me a bit... I have been intending to clean out all the wardrobes for the past two months but they are still waiting!

Figure out a routine which works for you, practise multi-tasking and don't put too much pressure on yourself if you can't get it done. Like others have said, the housework will be there tomorrow but the kids will be all grown up!

[Yeddi]

Yeddi, what is on that list? I thought about doing fly lady but I got too overwhelmed

Most things except clothes washing, that's a given every second day using cloth nappies. I don't do the dishes either, that's DH's department. So... general tidying, sweeping, moping, vacuuming, changing sheets and towels, cleaning the toilet and shower - that sort of thing. But it could be about personality types. I get overwhelmed when I have time to potter and can't stay on task - I like a certain amount of stress.