To be at the end of my rope with the state of the house?

[DrDoMore]

I just can’t get on top of it. I can’t make it nice. It’s a riot.

Two wee ones. Three and (almost) one. One year old crawls (and is batshit). The pair of them are trashing the place. It’s a small house and there are toys everywhere which is to be expected. But they get food everywhere. Water. Juice. Bodily fluids. Urgh. I am constantly mopping up after them.

House is dusty and needs a decent proper hoover but our hoover is shite and the pair of them are terrified of it so I chuck it round quickly while they scream. I am so busy making sure the one year old doesn’t die that I don’t have time to do anything through the day and then at night I either have to work or it’s a mental race against time to get the bare minimum done before bed.

Latest thing is we have mice. Fucking mice. We have put down loads of traps but they are eating the bait and not triggering them. So I’m going to have to book the council to come but they’ll put down poison which I really didn’t want because young children but I’m not seeing an option.

I feel so down. The place also needs redecorated so badly. A new carpet in the living room. But we are so skint just now. So skint.

[DrDoMore]

50 bloody quid to get the council out and we barely have it. It’s going to make things really really tight but I can’t have the girls living with mice. There was poo in their toy box yesterday I’ve had to take the toys away to scrub them tonight 😞

[DrDoMore]

Feel like an utter failure of a mum

[Okaaaaay]

I would start by not letting them eat anywhere except sitting down at the table. That should discourage mice and help enormously with food around the house.
Wash hands when they are finished- go away and play without food.

[Fruitcorner123]

. I am so busy making sure the one year old doesn’t die that I don’t have time to do anything through the day

sounds so familiar!

This Is the hardest time. It gets easier as they grow. Is 3YO at nursery some of the time? Do you have some support (such as family or close friends) nearby? Does your partner help with anything?

try some different traps before soending 50quid on council. Someone might be able to suggest some good ones.

[Buscake]

Do one room at a time. Tonight, after the kids are in bed tidy the kitchen. Pull out the toaster, bread bin etc and clean them. Take everything off the counters and clean them. Wipe all surfaces down and then sweep and mop the floor. Make sure all washing up is dried and put away before you go to bed.

Make the kids eat at the table. Wipe the surfaces, clean away the dishes and sweep the floor afterwards.

The next night tackle the sitting room and do it very thoroughly as well. Then the bathroom the following night and the bedrooms another night.

Once the worst is over with it’ll be easier to keep on top of it all.

[DrDoMore]

She’s at nursery three days per week while I’m at work. They both are.

[Ivegotfamilyandidrinkcupsoftea]

Bless you op

Main rule here is food and drink in kitchen only (4 dc aged 1-10)

[DrDoMore]

DH does help as much as he can but he works long hours.

[IamXXHearMeRoar]

The mice are attracted by food dropped or on dirty clothes in washbaskets. I second no food or drink away from table and it is time to enlist help, can anyone take the dc for a walk to give you time to blitz?

Spend £30 on a cleaning company and you can build a bucket trap for free?

If you can hoover and mop back to a clean start then keep messy stuff to the kitchen then you should manage to have time for a quick wipe around kitchen every night once kids are in bed.

It gets easier!

[Storm4star]

Get a cat! Ok, it means you then have something else to look after so maybe defeating the object, but it will keep mice away. If you live in a terrace they may well come back even if you do get the council out. You're not a failure. It's hard with two little ones, and yes it does get easier. As the mum of two grown up kids, I can tell you that their childhoods are over in a flash and I wish now I had spent more time just enjoying it when they were young and not stressing over this and that.

[DrDoMore]

No dirty clothes. Washing is one thing I am on top of (because they play in the garden while I hang it out).

We don’t have any family around but what I might do is book a day of annual leave and clean it while they’re in nursery 🤔

[OhTheRoses]

Agree with food at the table only and drinks at the table too. Start now. Make sure no food waste in kitchen.

If there are droppings all over you probably do need council tbh. They will advise re tiny gaps and where they are. Keep those gaps plugged with wire wool and after this poison at nacks of cupboards near pinch points.

Keep things clean as you go. All crumbs disposed of etc. Good luck!

[DrDoMore]

I’d get a cat but DH is having absolutely none of it. We can’t really afford it right now. It’s the childcare costs they are crippling

[IamXXHearMeRoar]

Also try to get in to the habit of tidying as you go and get the dc to help. Clean the bathroom whilst bathing dc, tidy away clothes and toys whilst settling at bedtime. Make sure dc have easy reached toyboxes to put stuff away (you can decorate a cardboard box for free doesn't have to cost anything).

[IamXXHearMeRoar]

Your DH must get a day off sometime? Write a list and split it between you - one takes dc to park, one gets cracking then lunch together and swap.

If he needs encouragement tell him mice dribble wee everywhere they go...

[Neverender]

Book a day off, or even a half day. I couldn't cope without using my holiday!

[MobMoll]

I have a manic one year old who rips around the house destroying everything in his path. I put him in a playpen when I clean- could you do that? Also try keeping their toys in one place only, be it bedroom or toy box. Try to pick up every night as soon as they go to bed- all toys put away, kitchen countertops wiped down, dishes done, good vacuum and quick mop.

[peachgreen]

The Organised Mum method really, really works. And only takes 45 minutes a day. It's life-changing.

I agree with a PP - drinks and food at the table only. That will be a start.

[PinkHeart5914]

If they are messy with food & drink, then they eat & drink only at a table. If you don’t have a proper dining table even making them sit round the coffee table for example with an old sheet underneath will help with the mess.

The dusting and hoovering, well it needs doing so it is just as case of getting on with it really. One time when you and your dh are both in, one parent takes the dc in another room or in to the garden and reads a story or whatever to disctract them and the other just gets on with it.

Clean the bath or shower while your in it.

If you use the kitchen clean as you go.

Toys. They have a toy box each and they are told and encouraged to tidy toys away before bed.

With the mice. Do you leave your back door open? It needs to be closed at all times, although they can get in tiny tiny holes, this would be the easiest way in. Have you removed all potential food sources? (I.e all food is now in the fridge or high up cupboards) tbh though if your finding droppings even if the dc toy boxes you probably are going to have to get someone out to deal with the mice

I have 3 dc under 3 so I do know how messy they can be 💐

[LighthouseSouth]

"I would start by not letting them eat anywhere except sitting down at the table. "

this x 1000

we live in London and I'm amazed how many people we've heard complaining about mice while eating food all over the flat!

it's also really helpful in terms of just keeping the place clean, I'd never have let the DC wander all over the place with food.

[endofthelinefinally]

I would recommend using annual leave to keep on top of the house.
Holidays away are far too stressful with small children anyway. We had holidays in the garden for 10 years running when mine were little. The most I did was take them to visit family for a couple of days.

When we had mice we used steel wool and gaffer tape to block every single crack and crevice. They were coming in through the skirting board behind the fridge.
Once we had sealed the whole place, we set traps in the kitchen.
All food had to be kept in sealed plastic boxes. I bought the largest size that would fit in the cupboard and put all the packet foodstuffs in those.
As others have said, no food or eating anywhere but at the table. Clear up all scraps and crumbs immediately and don't leave dirty dishes out.
I bought a couple of sonic rodent repellers, but I don't know if those are safe around children.
We did get rid of the mice.

[endofthelinefinally]

Steel wool is the only thing mice can't chew through btw.

[Loonoon]

Get a playpen? One that folds flat when you need space. Put some ‘special’ toys in it that they can only have in the playpen, nowhere else, ever. Then put them in the playpen for short periods while you do what needs to be done. Doing this for 10 minutes three times a day will give you a bit of time to vacuum/straighten up.

And agree - food and drink in one place only. They will quickly adjust to it.

[irrate]

Put some chocolate or half a malteaser in the traps. Mice love it and you will have them caught in no time. I promise you things will get better. I am also in the middle to a tip of a house. I'm doing a room at a time and so far have half the house done. Not easy with little ones I know.