to think you can have a nice house with children and pets

[ruledbyheart]

Thats it really.
I live in nice house and have worked hard to get it looking as it does I have two dogs and 3 children under 5yrs, I am a sahm so have the time to keep it nice and I spend time all my time with DC'S they even help me clean - through choice not order.

My mum and some of my friends who have come round have commented on it and act like I must ignore my DC'S and never do anything messy - I love baking and painting with my little ones and we do make mess, they do just generally make me feel like I have OCD ( I don't).

AIBU?

p.s ofcourse yanbu and ofcourse its possible. its just not my thang.

YANBU. If having a clean, neat and pretty home makes you happy, and it is possible for you, then go right ahead. I am a bit jealous actually!

meths @pink bin with food detritus

I have a beautiful house - you just can't see it for toys and animals .

We have 4 dogs, and between looking after them and DD and fitting our conflicting working hours in, chaos descends!!

I spend a lot of time cleaning and organising but the dogs and DD make a lot of mess. I have to hoover every day, not becuse I'm a clean freak but because it gets very dirty in here very quick.

Before I had DD (and DP for that matter) I had 2 dogs and an imaculate home. I had a cleaner and enough spare hours to properly keep on top of it, but it took hours every day (sometimes mine sometimes the cleaner's).

At the end of the day now I'm lazy worn out and I suppose I could spend my evenings getting on top of things, but I can't be bothered!

I think you can.

If you are willing to stay up until 11pm cleaning and never sleep or watch tv or have sex. Only joking.

I have two under three and two large dogs and work part time and my house looks immaculate probably about three times a week. For about ten minutes each time... The shovelling in a snow storm analogy is pretty relevant.

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soYeah my 'home' growing up was a shithole to the point of neglect was on at risk register so I suppose thats why I want my DC'S to live in a nice house, my mum doesn't believe anything was amiss with the way it was kept and my sister has followed in her footsteps to a degree so I am in her eyes the odd one but I dont think I'm being unreasonable?

A few friends have commented because they dont know how I do it if that makes sense.

Hmmm not convinced its that easy ESP with smaller children - I agree if you have to have children that actively enjoy order its easier otherwise you are fighting a losing battle. I'm also at home most of the time with two small boys. I clean and tidy everyday but a some point during the day my house will undoubtably look like its been host to a student party! Today a curtain got pulled down and there are always spills and small bits of toy to pick up. To be honest it's never ending

Boasting by stealth much OP?

I hope that was a xpost.

ruledbyheart I understand. You absolutely do not have to pay ANY attention at all to what somebody who let their house be that bad has to say about cleaning. If you're still finding time to have fun and play with your kids, everything is fine and you're doing great.

'Boasting by stealth much OP? '

That's below the belt charlotte, the OP's just explained she grew up in an environment of neglect and wanted to break what could be a viscous circle with her own children.

Just because it's something other people would like but struggle to achieve doesn't mean the OP's saying it to make other people feel bad about how they live.

Why would you have taken it that way?

I should read the whole thread

If you contain the pets then you can have the house kept 'nice'.

Mine was never tidy when mine were little, i didn't want toys confined to bedrooms etc. I think that it is more difficult once they are over 5, tbh.

Where my pets go it is never fully clean, even though i mop/hoover every day.

"I have a beautiful house - you just can't see it for toys and animals "

Thank you to those who think IANBU I always feel like I have to second guess myself when I hear the comments.

My DC'S do have toys out downstairs but only what they are playing with as even they know that if it's left out the dog will destroy it and I have an otterman as a toy box so it blends in ( they can have any plastic character toy boxes they want just not downstairs )

My dogs have their paws wiped after theyccome in from outside ( ok so thats a little over the top I know but at least saves time mopping) and they are very good in the house so they are easy lol.

Its only the DP who leaves the mess usually but he makes up for it in other ways so not so worried about cleaning up after him

I have a nice house with 3 under 5's and 3 cats. I spend far too much time cleaning and tidying. I have no idea how other parents keep on top of the cleaning and tidying - the toys and washing are enough to keep me busy all day every day.

We both work and by the weekend the house is somewhat chaotic as we're too tired to do much but the minimum. We I then spend the weekend catching up. My mum is very tidy and I sometimes get catsbum expression about the state of untidiness we have here. I try to do better but If I cleaned to showhome standards every day I would have to give up sleeping! DH doesn't care and we would need Aggie and Kim if it was left to him (he will do things if nagged asked but doesn't see them and act off his own instincts). I am actually in awe and jealousy of people with immaculate houses.

Wiping the dogs paws IBU - you should train them to wipe their own on the mat

I would have a lovely clean and tidy home if my house and gardens weren't so vast...oh the down part is that we can't afford for anybody to do it all for me so its a tip. If I had a lovely two bed flat it would all be FINE FINE FINE...

3 kids and two dogs here. Our house is very tidy and clean-ish. I spend so much time cleaning-up after that there isn't much time left for proper cleaning, iyswim. I cannot abide clutter; it makes me really stressed out so I do try and keep on top of that as much as possible. Toys in bedrooms/playroom only. I used to have a cleaner, when the children were tiny, but it was soul-destroying to spend $250/week and have everything look scruffy again the next day . Our house is nice but it's big so it never looks nice all at once at the moment.

I think if you have the time/money to keep it show-home ready, why not if it makes you happy? Everyone's different when it comes to their home...I have a friend that brings a sandbox inside onto the living room carpet for her children to play with in the winter-time .

Well it's up to you how much housework you do and nobody else's business. Incidentally, how do you keep your house so clean and tidy with such young children and pets. I'd love to know!

As for "no-one will ever remember you for having a tidy home"...

well, it's not about that. It's about what you want to live in. Not how you want people to remember you. Who actually spends their life doing things in order to be remembered a certain way when they die? :s

Plus, they will remember that you lived in a shit heap ;)

VivianneMary - Dont know really more routine then anything I usually sort DC's out first thing then do an hour whilst they are drawing or playing with their toys then go out with them/ walk dogs and do another half hour in the afternoon after dinner whilst the DC watch their movie then another half hour once they go to bed - along with picking up things/putting washing on in between.

Once I sorted it the first time ( when we moved in) it is fairly easy for me to keep on top of ( bar illness)

JumpingThroughHoops, what a sad story about your friend.

It's all about keeping things in balance I think. Just been to stay with a cousin in Portugal who did have a very nice house. 3 million pounds worth with pool and maid but they were as mad as a bag of snakes!

I love to redecorate and redesign but it's a home not a show house. I like the kids to feel they can bounce around on the couches, make dens out of the furniture etc.