I am having a really hard time lately keeping up with our household. DD is 7 months and BUSY! She can move across the room in a flash.
She is at the age where she justs want to interact ALL the time. I love spending my day with her and playing, but I have NO idea how you all do it.
I thought I would try and pick up when she napped, but when it comes to it, I end up trying to eat (without someone grabbing at my food) or napping with her.

My house is a pit. Toys everywhere, dishes piled in the kitchen, stacks of this weeks mail at the kitchen table. My husband and I have taken to eating at the center island in the kitchen since I have to much "stuff" piled on the table.

There is laundry piled in baskets outside the closet wishing to be put away, and I can't even remember last time I ironed.

Tell me your house looks like mine... or at least share your secrets on how the heck you do it.

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JoLynda

Mama to Jayna 7.10.05

My house is always messy. I have stuff everywhere. 3 children under 7, makes for a messy house. I try to do the dishes 2X a day. It really only takes 10 minutes to put them in the dishwasher, but sometimes the 10 minutes is more than I have. I do try to involve the kids in cleaning. Haakon love to sweep and vacumm. When Jayna get older you can put her to work. Kids also like to dust, if you have the patience to work with them it helps.

With the mail, I stopped keeping the junk mail around. I immediately take it out, recycle, or throw it. I then put the bill in the bill slot, and put the rest where needed.
Beth

haakadoodle wrote:

When Jayna get older you can put her to work. Kids also like to dust, if you have the patience to work with them it helps.

Beth

That reminds me that I can't remember the last time I dusted! Oh man.. maybe I should be cleaning when I can't sleep instead of playing on the computer!

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JoLynda

Mama to Jayna 7.10.05

My house is a disaster.  There are only three of us and ds isn't big enough to make his own messes yet, but I took the whole "nap while he is napping" to heart and nothing ever gets done.  When dh and I are home on the weekend, we'd rather goof off than clean and when I'm home by myself with ds I can't clean because I'm either sleeping or playing with him....therefore...my house is a wreck! I need to have visitors over so I feel compelled to clean!

My house is pretty messy too!  DH and I are NOT neat freaks and to add a small toddler into the mix is not helping!  When DH takes Brady to bed, I usually clean up toys from the day and we take turns doing the dishes.  I will usually try to pick up what I can before DH comes home from work so the place looks a little presentable.  I try to keep up with mail like Beth does and other than that, I invite people over to the house which pretty much forces me to clean up.

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Angie

Mom to little monkey Brady (4/04)

I LOVE that you said inviting people over forces you to clean up. If I actually do get the house picked up during the day, my dh says "who came over today" when he walks in...

I just wish I could get my act together.

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JoLynda

Mama to Jayna 7.10.05

When I was a kid, mom would want us to help her clean and my standard response was "Why? Whose coming?". 

Always. All the time. Sigh. Drives me nuts, but I'm usually too tired to care unless, like everyone said, someone is coming over. I keep saying when they're older... but DS is 10, and he still has junk everywhere. Oh well, there are definitely worse things than a messy house!

Okay, I'm a total extreme over here...so I'm a really obsessive person with the whole cleaning thing which is good because my house is always clean, except now with a baby I don't have much time so cleaning cuts into other things like sleep. And I can't stop. I'm totally obsessed with it. I can't stand a dish in the sink or a piece of clothes in a hamper. And I don't know what I will do when Logan starts to walk. It kind of stinks because I am exhausted but won't go to bed until every last thing is done. And when I get up with Logan in the middle of the night I will work on laundry or what ever. Of course, my husband doesn't mind, but it really stresses me out when things are a mess. And it's getting WORSE. I do wierd time wasting things like scrubbing out the tub in the laundry room that the washer dumps into. Or washing the blades on ceiling fans every Tuesday. And hanging clothes up in alphabetal color order blues, browns, greens, reds...etc. Okay. I need help!

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Ann

Mommy to Logan 8-25-05

JoLynda,

Normally my house is right there with your's. My house is on the market though, so I have the added joy of keeping my house looking presentable every day. It's exhausting and my stress level is through the roof.

A Realtor called us last Saturday and said she'd be bringing her clients by between 3-4pm. The house was already presentable, but dh and I spent an extra 2 hours making the house look extra clean. We left the house at 2:45 and returned at 4:15 only to find a message from the realtor saying they decided no to come!

Don't worry, we all go through those phases. It'll pass.

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Blythe
Mom to Luke & Karli

My house is a nut house!! Mess everywhere.  A place for everything and nothing in its place.  I too feel the need to lay down when max is.  I think it would be better if he slept through the night..

Take it day by day.  try to clean one room per day

laundry one day, kitchen one day, bathroom one day etc

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SAHM to Max and Zachary

Weight Loss: 10 /21 pounds (first 10 %)
Total of goal: 10/100-only 90 to go :D

Ack! I just sold my house and had to do the whole "Keep your house perfect" thing for 2 months. And frequently people would never come or cancel after we left. I'd go thru all the work of getting my little chihuahua out and driving around in snow...

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Ann

Mommy to Logan 8-25-05

I am so glad to see this post!!

My house is always cluttered!!  It is stressful!!  I work part time with a flexible schedule that changes from day to day, so our household really lacks routine, and I think it is contributing the chaos.  Plus having a toddler to interact with and to chase after as they drag toys and things around the house makes things a bit more difficult. I do have a teenage boy, who could help, if he is in the right mood---which isnt too often!!!  LOL

I try to do what I can, keep on laundry, make sure the kitchen floor gets mopped weekly, etc, etc. I do well if I plan out dinner menus and stay on top of grocery shopping, but lately I have been burned out on doing dinner and shopping, so I have really slacked off in those areas.  I like the Flylady concept. www.flylady.net.  But I can say I have actually put it into practice yet.

Yep, company coming over seems to the house in the very best shape!!!

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Sheri
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Mama to my teenager, David 12/29/90 and to my toddler Nathaniel 9/15/04

Wife to Bill since 10/20/00

Cluttered house here!  I moved into DH's tiny two-bedroom which was full on stuff (he lived here 10 years before I came along) almost five years ago and have spent the past five years decluttering.  The end is far from sight, but there is a glimmer of light FINALLY!  I did the FlyLady thing and it really helped a lot.  I have some routines down.  Okay, maybe one.  I have less guilt about it all, too.  I don't obsessively clean, but once a week I try to vacuum and clean the bathrooms/kitchen sinks.  I load up the dishwasher as I clear up from breakfast/lunch/dinner and try to unload it every morning. 

Clothes are something else.  Right now it's getting out of control again because I haven't washed in a few days (really bad sick kids to contend with).  But, to get your dirty clothes under control, just do one load a day.  Fold it/hang it as it comes out of the dryer and put it right away.  Just one load a day (two if you can manage it). Soon enough, the pile will get smaller.

And if you plan on tacling your dining room table, set your timer for 15 minutes and work on it for that long.  Just a little every day helps.  I also toss the junk mail as soon as it comes in the house.  Catalogs, too, especially when things get out of control.  Used to keep it all, but not any more!

I'm lucky because my boys, both of them, are fine to play by themselves for awhile.  Baby not as much alone time, but I find he needs his time, too.  And it's neat to see how he plays without me--those little brains are amazing!!!  So long as he doesn't catch a glimpse of me, he's good to go. 

I also barter with my sister to watch the kids if things get especially messy.  And have a college-aged friend come over to babysit while I clean up, purge, sort, whatever.

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Kristin

Ohh so need a maid or something. I hate the dishes.. just hate em...

Will put them off till the last moment!

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Proud mother of Gabriel 4/23/02 and Rebecca 5/13/05