to think that you can either have a clean, tidy and uncluttered house OR happy children but not both?

[GreenTeapot]

Or can you manage both? How do you do it?

[itisnearlysummer]

I do it when the children are at school, although I do wonder why I bother when DH gets in and asks if I had a day off today!

[BettySwollocksandaCrustyRack]

YANBU - cleaning the house when you have kids is like shovelling snow in a snow storm....or so my lovely mum used to say!

[Sidge]

YABU, I have both.

It's all in the organisation, and having lots of storage!

[Cattleprod]

You're right. Must be miserable growing up in one of those beige houses where you have to take your shoes off and play with one toy at a time and not eat chocolate in the living room, with your parents constantly hoovering round your feet and milton wiping every surface.

[DooinMeCleanin]

YANBU. My Nana once told me when you have kids you can have a clean home, but never a tidy home. In other words, there is no excuse for a shit stained toilet, but you might as well give up on trying to tame the toy moutain.

[lobatteries]

Agree especially when they are little and not at school all day, but then I seem to be the only one in my circle of friends who lives by that. Very frustrating. Gets of MN to get on with housework!

[wordsonapage]

I have a full time housekeeper.

[lobatteries]

Sidge tell us more. Where do you store the storage? Is it nice storage? It is expensive storage? How do you organise your time?

[Nefret]

YANBU - I would rather spend my time with the children.

Once they are both at school I may be a bit more organised though.

[GreenTeapot]

I will admit that if I spent less time having a rest with a cuppa and MNing or reading the paper or locked in the loo for 5 minutes peace then I could devote more attention to my lovely DC. But to be quite honest I am fecked just now and sometimes all I want is to do sod all.

[TheFeministsWife]

YANBU. My house is teeny tiny and I have 3 kids. I like to call it organised chaos.

[msbuggywinkle]

I agree. My Gran recommends sofas with legs that you can kick everything under.

[Alibabaandthe80nappies]

YABU I think. I have happy children and a clean if sometimes untidy house!

Agree that storage is the key, Ikea is your friend!

[failedmother]

Yes you can.

Just not at exactly the same time.

And you will have at least frazzled exhausted parent. Or a cleaner. or possibly both.

[GreenTeapot]

msbuggy I have those! THat's where I keep the important stuff I don't want to hoover up!

[MissingMySleep]

clean yes , tidy no, but everyone who visits us feels comfortable :)

[MrsTwinks]

To answer the OP, sil manages it but I've seen her and bil cleaning at 11pm so no sleep is my guess on how!!

[GreenTeapot]

I have tons of storage but the little blighters delight in removing everything from aforementioned storage and throwing it all over the floor. In fact, the 9 month old lives for removing things from their allocated places, it's her favourite pastime.

I think both of us working funny hours doesn't help - DP's in bed so I can't sort the laundry (our bed's the only place I can really use to sort it all out), I'm knackered because I worked 11 hours yesterday, then DP left for work as I got home so I was left dealing with the sleepless baby who got me up at 4.30am, and the house is a disaster zone because neither of us have been home much this week.

I so need a full time housekeeper!

[BsshBossh]

YABU. I have both. Admittedly I only have one child (3yo) and she's pretty well-behaved and lets me and DH clean the house without demanding attention and/or clinging to our legs. Also, I'm hyper-organised and have systems so housework takes a tiny fraction of my (and DH's) time - which is a good thing because we both work FT.

[happyhorse]

YANBU. I know people who spend all day cleaning their immaculate show homes. Personally I'd rather be having fun with DS. I don't think anyone, on their death bed, is going to regret not having spent more time cleaning.

[flooziesusie]

dooinmecleaning - hit the nail on the heeead.

My house is clean, but fecking untidy!

To be fair, it doesn't take long to get it looking tidy if needs must!!!

[Hullygully]

yes you can

[lesley33]

YABU.

To have a tidy, clean house with children, you need plenty of storage so everything belongs somewhere. You need a OH who does their share of housework and you need to tidy up/clean as you go along. Although not as easy and sometimes impossible, with young children.

I really notice this when I go on holiday with other people. Some people can turn a tidy room into a mess within 2 hours. You know, coming in and throwing your coat over a chair, make a cup of tea and don't wipe up the spilt milk on the work surface, read the newspaper and leave it on the sofa instead of in the newspaper rack, not washing up a cup or putting it in the dishwasher after it has been used, etc.

I think a lot of tidying up/cleaning can be eliminated just by putting things away as you do stuff and cleaning small messes as you go along.

And no my house isn't sterile, we and vistors wear shoes inside, we eat messy things sitting on the sofas and I let my kids do messy play.