right next on list of things to ask MN calling those with house pride,spotless houses a la anthea domestic goddess stylee

[Piffle]

how the deck do you do it?
I aspire but
Tell me your entire schedule from dawn to dusk
I have school run and 18mth old (2hr daily sleep) to consider
Have large 4bed modern house 2 bathrooms 1more WC
Struggle with
Too Much Stuff
Tell me your rules and methods please

[Piffle]

deck = feck

[cupsoftea]

18 months is a tricky age as they are everwhere

[cupsoftea]

meant to add difficult to do jobs & look after little one.

[Pawslikepaddington]

lurking while buying yet more storage from GLTC .....

[cupsoftea]

I try to get as much done before I go to school - so I can come back to a house with all machines working & me having a cup of tea

[WingsofaAngel]

Well.. it's like this.......
I don't have a clue.

[cafebistro]

I have a just 3 yr old and a 6 month old. I have a far from spotless house but I blag it to an extent.I have morning, afternoon and bedtime routines. Ive just started doing flylady and it really helps you to prioritise you're housework and stops you feeling overwhelmed.

[cupsoftea]

For me keeping on top of the washing helps me feel in control of our chaos....

[WingsofaAngel]

Do you have to have a routine ? (samethings on the same day)

Bores the crap out of me Tuesday is clean the bathroom day Wednesday is ironing day Zzzzzzzz

[slayerette]

I work part time but ds is at school so some space and time to keep on top of things.

Keep on top of tidying/washing up each day, hoovering as needed.

Massive blitz on Friday when don't have to be in work til late. Get up at 6 am, dh sees to ds and takes him to school; I clean the house - polishing, hoovering, bathrooms, mopping floors, etc, change the beds and towels, do the laundry. Takes me about four hours.

Everything has a place in the house so it has somewhere to be tidied to. If there's no space for something, charity shop run.

Never go to bed without doing a tidy round at the end of the day; never leave washing up undone.

[slayerette]

Ironing is Monday night - double bill of Hell's Kitchen USA

[geraldinetheluckygoat]

of Slayerette and her routine. Wish I did that....

[norksinmywaistband]

You have 2 hours a day assuming the 18 month olds nap is during school hours.

Make sure you have put a load of washing on and made beds before school run.

Wash up as you go along

During the 2 hour nap, hoover and dust - one day downstairs the next upstairs.
Wipe down kitchen( I do this quickly everytime I cook)
Bathrooms - Quick wipe of each loo and sink, thouroughly do each bathroom 2x a week
Hang out washing(if you haven't managed it before)
Wash floor 2x a week

If you breaj it down with a 2 hour nap you should still have time for a cup of coffee and MN before the lo wakes

[cupsoftea]

I don't have a routine on a weekly basis but I do the same tasks every week & sometimes a few times a day - clean under kitchen table (feel like just hosing the place down after mealtimes!!) - clean around loo, put shoes, coats, bags away....ahhhh!!!

[Piffle]

Washing ok
Can cope
Bathrooms ok got routine
Am sahm btw
Bedrooms ok
Downstairs is issue
What or how to cull toys? Too many taking over house
What do you have and where do you keep em?
I adore ikea have tons of their storage
But want house to be proud of and it looks always a bit less
Actually a lot less

[cafebistro]

I find it easier to have a 'day' that I do things. I dont always stick to it if I have something to do on that day but I find if I dont have a routine things just dont get done. Like ironing! I do things I dont mind doing and just keep putting off everything else.

[norksinmywaistband]

Ok if it storage and general tidiness

One large toy trunk - that fits in with your decor - in lounge all other toys in their bedrooms in variety of storage.

If it doesn't fit in the toy trunk it lives in their bedroom.

Anything with one piece missing or broken straight out the door.

Toy cull before every birthday/christmas

[Piffle]

ironing
Erm
I do enough
Hoover kitchen everyday after ds2 eaten no point otherwise
Mop 2x week
Windows?
How often?

[cafebistro]

Piffle....Toys get collected and put back in DS's bedroom every evening before he goes to bed. During the day I just dont have the energy to try and keep them tidy. He'll only get them out again anyway.

[geraldinetheluckygoat]

Our problem is crap storage and too many toys as well. We often seem to just have a lot of "stuff" about with nowhere to put it...

[moondog]

I have similar house.
Two kids, 4 and 7.
Dh away for 6 weeks at time.
Work f/t.
Do MSc p/t.
Run business.

1. Shoes off inside
2. No food anywhere but kitchen table
3. Make lists constantly
4. Never go to bed without tidying downstairs/doing dishes, hanging up washing etc
5. Put school clothes and workclothes out night before
6. Put all work and school bags in car night before
7. Set out brekkie stuff night before
8. Don't leave in mornig without making beds/putting on a wash/opening upstairs window
9. Menu plan (we all have faaaaaar too much choice with food which is ridiculously time consuming)

10. Keep toys to a bare minimum
11. Train yuor kids to tidy up at end of day or in evening. (Mine can only watch a dvd if all others put away.Similarly only wtch dvd at night if changed for bed, teeth done,homework done, diaries written)
12. Set aside one day a month for all day clean in which you go th
rough every room of house ruthlessly culling all unneceSSARY CLOTHES/MAGS/toys and so on.

[WingsofaAngel]

There are things I do.
Put the dishwasher on as I go to bed empty it when I get up.
Make pack lunches the night before.
Do washing all the time. (Keep ironing to a minium)
Plan meals.
My two are older and I hate toys left downstairs so bed and the toys go up with them.

[Piffle]

oh shit
Liv room
One large wicker trunk
One large red plastic tub
One 6 draw toy trolley
One toy kitchen
One toy garage

Under stairs ikea trofast

Little basket to catch stray toys in kitchen

Too many toys methinks

[moondog]

Too many toys is actually bad for your kids. (Speaking as salt)

[Sidge]

I ruthlessly declutter - regularly rehome kids toys (DD1 upset tonight that I threw away some piece of plastic tat she had got in a party bag 2 months ago!)

I try and keep as much of the girls' toys in their rooms as possible (luckily they have fairly big rooms with storage) and just have 1 big basket in the lounge.

I try and keep on top of the cleaning especially now I am at work every day whilst the girls are at school (they are 9, 4.5 and 2). I whizz the hoover around upstairs whilst dinner is cooking for example, and clean the upstairs loo whilst they are in the bath. Put stuff away as soon as you see it, don't leave til later. Open post straight away and file important stuff, throw junk in the recycle bin. Sort out school bags etc as soon as they come in so you don't get any surprises at 0830 the next morning!