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?? :wall: :lol:
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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?? :wall: :lol:
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!:D)
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.
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.
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.
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.
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)!
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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
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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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 :D), 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!
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!
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.:
I haven't been home long enough this week to get anything done. I was doing washing at midnight last night. Today I have to go out which means nothing will get done before I go, hopefully when i get home this afternoon I can get DH and the kids to pitch in and get it done.
I have a rough routine but most days I just tackle whatever needs doing the mist and I fit it into kinder drop off, swimming etc. Putting away alot of toys has helped here, amazing how little they need. Sorting the house so everything had it's own place is good, starting dinner early, and doing washing every day that I am home keeps me on top of it all. I found fly lady a bit full on but there is a page on Facebook for The Organised Housewife who does a daily focus etc.
Good luck babe!
Just read Astros reply too and remembered one trick that makes me feel better is a 10 min floor clean up. I use a washing basket and pick everything up off the floor into the basket to be sorted later. Amazing how much tidier the house looks if there is nothing on the floor. Then it's easier to tackle other bits and put the basket stuff away too xoxox
I struggle because DD is so active but a few things I've found help are:
Clean and tidy bathroom (except bath) while DD is bathing. My loo is always clean :lol:. Once DD is settled for the night I will spray with a cleaner ready to be rinsed at next shower. If bathroom is really bad I'll run a mild bleach solution over it and DP will rinse it prior to showering for work the next day.
DD likes it outside so if it's nice weather fold clothes as I get them off the line. It means I can just chuck them where they belong when I have 5 minutes rather then a pile of unfolded washing accumulating.
While cooking dinner I unpack a few dishes when I can and usually by the time dinner is ready, the dishwasher is empty. Plates go straight in once dinner is consumed and the few glasses/plates/cutlery etc takes 5 mins to chuck in.
Sat- Wed when when I am home with the kids (work Thur--Fri) I hang out all washing in the morning before we go anywhere and wash dishes! then do our usual daily activities and then we have 4pm pack up time! I put on our cleaning CD and the kids put their toys away (most of the time), help me vac, clean the bathroom (well squirty bottle of water! and cloth), dust and tidy up - I start dinner will its cooking bath kids, get them out dressed put on a baby Einstein DVD while I finish dinner. Dinner is about 5:30 ish and then slow bedtime routine.
It doesn't always work but we get there!!!!
that's my problem too :lol: i just make sure there are clean clothes to wear, and the dishes are done, and there's food to eat. i do spot cleans most days, but in no way am i on top of everything, it's just too hard. my kids are getting older now so i reckon i could start giving them chores now! :D:
it is hard though, sometimes men just don't realise how hard it is :rolleyes: just do the best you can. i agree about doing a quick clean up of the floor, i find i am so much more relaxed if i've gone and cleaned up everything off the lounge room floor.
Another one here who does not really keep up as I am a total procrastinator and just don't like cleaning. I have found getting on the phone helps. When I am chatting away to someone I just don't notice what I am doing with my hands, so the dishwasher gets unloaded, washing folded, general tidying and dusting etc.
Routine, routine routine. If it's out... g-d help us all.
Mummy turns into a screaming banshee wench.
So the answer is... do your best, and if it won't do... scream louder.
It all comes down to your expectations j. You have high standards for yourself. But if you readjust and decide that clean is acceptable not necessarily spotless it might help you feel better about things.
I think we are our own worst enemies. If friends are coming over I run around like a mad woman trying to get everything perfect, when in reality if it was just clean and not necessarily tidy both myself and my visitors would probably feel more normal and comfortable!
I love going to a friends house when it's not perfect, makes me feell much more normal! :p
Fwiw- I have a full time house helper and between us we rarely have the house perfect. There is another lady here who is highly strung, only let's the kids play in one room or outside and her house is perfect all the time. But i often wonder at what cost
I don't even try to do everything. DH does the lions share of the cleaning and cooks most nights. No way could I find time to do everything. It's just about priorities and deciding whats important to you and getting those things done first. My time is usually taken up just with nappy changes, feeding kids, wiping bums and noses, keeping small hands out of everything, etc, to havd much time left for anything else. The free time I may actually find (on the rare occaision DD is at school, DS1 is watching TV quietly and DS2 is asleep) I do my study, catch up on my work commitments or trying to get a nap in myself.
I would love to live in a clean house, where the washing wasn't in a pile near the laundry and the sink weren't always full. But I figure that will hapen as the kids get older. In the meantime, It may be messy, but there's only so much a single person can do and we are happy despite the mess.
I don't stop and I still can't keep up!!
My house is clean but usually a little messy...there are toys on the floor, shoes dumped at the front door, clothes waiting to be folded and just about always dishes on the sink inbetween the three times they are done a day.
I occasionally get all the washing baskets empty but within 1/2 an hour there is something in them again.
I vacumm my floors up to 3 times a day sometimes just to try and keep on top of it.
I have two little artists who love drawing on walls...last week my littlest poppet got her brothers permanent marker :rolleyes:
I would love this house to be spotless and meticulously organised...but being on my own with 7 kids (the youngest are 3, 2 and 1) in a four bedroom house it is really just a pipe dream :lol:
I fall into bed exhausted as it is.
I don't think I would manage without a cleaner every week to be honest. Basically all I need to do is tidy things as we go -- toys, activities, stack the dishwasher as things are used (and then run it after she is in bed) and a load of washing every few days (it is just me and her). It never felt manageable without a cleaner, especially now she is a non-stop toddler who doesn't nap during the day. The cleaners come on Friday so things are nice for the weekend and they do kitchen, bathroom, floors, dusting.. it is fantastic, really. If you can afford it, I would definitely consider it... to me time > money but I know things can be tight and consider this one of my 'luxury' purchases. As for cooking meals, it isn't toooooo bad with just the one DD and now that she is of an age to help.. I get cherry tomatoes so she can toss those in, she will pick the lettuce leaves, crumble the cheese... I do try to cook things that I know there is something she can help with and we also usually have our main mean during the day because it suits us both better. My 'break' to quickly sort out anything left over to do during the day is Playschool, it is also her "rest" time because she doesn't have a nap, I usually put an episode on a bit after lunch and that's when I tidy the kitchen from that and breakfast and prep anything big that needs doing for dinner.
The other good trick for keeping a place tidy is spend heaps of time outside of it haha. We have a pool so usually swim every 2-3 days but it isn't heated so that will be phasing out soon, we paint with water on the outside tiles, run around, dance (portable music players are great), walk to the shops or park, chase the cats, I got a $3 tub of mixed animals that live outside, any sort of waterplay is pretty easy/mess free (just change clothes if they get too wet) -- just grab spoons, containers, jugs from the kitchen and that keeps her busy for ages.
But it really is completely normal to feel swamped, I do feel flat-out all day, all week.. and that is with a cleaner and one toddler! Parenting is full-on, non-stop :hug: I don't think anyone really has it all together.
I'm the same Sarah.:
TBH, I keep one room clean and tidy for visitors. If that gets messed by DH I lose it totally.
Thank goodness for honest forums like this!! I now feel completely normal as I look around my house which is full of toys & craft on floor/table and washing waiting to be put away! I'd love a tidy house but with 3 whirlwinds of energy (my girls) it's just impossible. Even the 1 yr old has just started pulling things out of cupboards - but as i look at her trying to match cup and bottle tops together, i see her learning too so am not too fussed about the mess on the floor (unless i start to fall over it!).
:
Yip thats me too!
I do have my own little routine that I find helps me out and Im lucky that my older children can help (very reluctantly though)
Typical day here is ..............
Get up straight to laundry to put on first load of washing for the day, get Lady P up and get younger two breakfast.
One of older boys feeds lady while I make my bed DS4's bed and clean up DDs room and get their clothes ready.
Get DD changed and one of boys gets DS changed for me.
Boys finished gettting ready and leave for school after the dishwasher has been loaded.
Younger two go in front of tv :rolleyes: or play together while I wipe benches, table, cupboards, fridge microwave etc. Not big clean just enough to clear crumbs and fingerprints.
2nd load of washing goes on and I vaccum the lounge kitchen dining area. Boys bathroom and toilet gets a quick wipe over (big clean there on Wed and Sat)
3rd load of washing goes on and I hang out the first two
Then I shower and get myself ready and the final (hopefully) load of washing hung out.
It generally all going to plan with kids playing nicely and not too many interuptions takes between and our to an hour and half.
Daycare days most of the cleaning waits till we get home from dropping DS off so I can put Lady in bed and do bigger clean. Mop floors, vaccum rest of house, my bathroom etc
Washing gets folded when it starts falling off the chairs and covering the floor :p but that a real bug bear of mine so DH usually helps and we have a goss and catch up when the kids are in bed.
It works for me and I HATE a messy house. Its certainly not a show home by any stretch of the imagination and I have clutter and stuff not put away (dont get me started about the bookshelf) but with 5 kids it only takes 10 minutes for this place to turn to chaos if I dont try and stay somewhat on top of it.
Hate to admit it, but I finding working helps me have a cleaner house. Give me less time and I do more! Really should get myself a job :lol:
I forgot to mention with regards to tea. I am finding it a lot less stressful if I am preparing and cooking as soon as I walk in the door from the kindy pick up. We get in just before 4, so it means we have generally eaten by 5pm but I just find it easier. Once I sit down on FB & BB I don't want to get up again :D
I think I have found the answer. My DS2 (aged 5) has spent all afternoon cleaning and vaccuming, without being asked! I think he has finally gotten sick of a messy house and decided to resolve the issue himself :lol: Either that or he is after a pocketmoney raise. Doesn't matter, then end result is the house looks great :D
My house always looks like a bomb has hit it. My kitchen is falling apart (literally) and I don't have room for the dishwasher so the dishes sit in the sink until we need them and then I wash. DD1 is supposed to do the kitchen and the bathroom and her room for pocket money but she never does it. I clean the bathroom as I really hate a dirty bathroom and ours is all white. Clothes washing gets done every day but sometimes it is only 1 load, sometimes it is 8. The kids lounge room is supposed to be cleaned by the boys but they hate doing it (even for money) so toys are everywhere. I mop when I have to, dusting (what's that lol)
When we get a bit more financially stable I am going to hire a cleaner for once a week. I just can't keep on top of anything. I try but 5 minutes after I have cleaned it looks like I still haven't touched it in weeks and it gets demoralising.
WOW!! Traveller, can we swap 5yo's??? ppplease?!! mine throws things arround the house, and claims to 'prefer' the mess!!:
Has anyone found that this thread has motivated them just a little bit? I cleaned out our bookcase today and cleaned out our cup cupboard which was overflowing. I also did 7 loads of washing, which are now all on the line ready to come in after a bit of sunshine tomorrow.
Tomorrow I am attacking my linen press. 1 reason mainly. Need to find the bird cage seed catcher LOL.
nope, it hasnt! i have done 3 loads of washing today, the third is still in the machine beeping at me to be hung out, and thats it!
other then that im still 'finding' the motivation, once i find it im going threw everything and doing a chuck out, yet again.
might take a while as i HATE throwing things out!!!