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AIBU?

To have laughed at my friend who said that I should be able to get all of my housework done on a Friday morning when I'm off?

118 replies

doublecakeplease · 09/05/2013 22:50

I teach in FE, 4 days per week. 1 hour commute each way. DH works in a similar job, similar commute. We're out of the house from 7.15 am to 6pm every day and both of us often have prep to do once DS is in bed.

Ds is 16 months - he's at nursery / grandparents when i work so is out of the house for 4 long days.

I was jealously admiring my friends' beautifully tidy 1 bed flat and bemoaning my shit hole of a house. DH pulls his weight (if i remind him!) but home often looks very lived in. We're also doing up our manky old house so it is getting lots better as we build rooms around our needs!

Anyway - friend reckons i should be able to get everything done on a Friday morning whilst DS sits in his highchair and watches nicely. Apparently this would save DH from having to muck in, give me loads of time for our myself and my house would be immaculate!

Was i unreasonable o laugh?? ;-)

OP posts:

Report

amazingface · 09/05/2013 23:27

On the other hand, DD does seem to have a bionic immune system, so the germs can't be all bad.

Mannequinkate · 09/05/2013 23:27

You can definitely do it in s morning with a toddler in tow. You have to move fast and get them involved. Completely doable, you are making it into more than it is.

If you really can't do it you have too much stuff and need to get rid of done clutter.

doublecakeplease · 09/05/2013 23:29

Mann - i DON'T WANT TO! I want to go to the park and play with my boy.

OP posts:

FreyaSnow · 09/05/2013 23:30

I couldn't even get all my washing and ironing done in one morning, never mind clean a whole house.

noisytoys · 09/05/2013 23:31

I can tidy my whole flat top to bottom in about an hour with 2 DCs but we don't own much (less than 7 outfits each, 3 toy boxes between 2 DCs, no ornaments or 'stuff' etc).

I agree though go to the park and have fun

dontlaugh · 09/05/2013 23:32

I'm not bashing your dh either, I know what it's like with 2 working parents. I suppose I idly wonder to myself when these threads pop up if the men in question ever get asked by their friends how do they get all the cleaning done. It's just one of my ishoos!

Snazzynewyear · 09/05/2013 23:33

I think your time would be better spent enjoying being able to focus on your DS on Fridays, and I'd tell your friend that.

One thing from Flylady (as mentioned above by trashcanjunkie) that might help you though is her point that you can do a lot more in 15 mins than you think. I appreciate you and your DH both have prep still in the evenings when you get home, but could you both spend 15 mins before bed every night just doing what you can? It may not get you the immaculate house your friend advocates but it would be something.

RhondaJean · 09/05/2013 23:34

IF I lived alone - in a very tiny flat...nah who am I kidding, it would still be a tip.

But yknow, WHO CARES, in thirty years are my kids going to remember that my house was immaculate, or will they remember the meals we cooked, the places we went, the books we read,the things we made?

quoteunquote · 09/05/2013 23:35

I actually feel depressed though. DD was born in January 2012 and my house has not been truly clean since then. Not even for a day

Let it go, I had my first in 1990, the only time my whole space has been perfect since then is on the rare occasion the entire family is away, and I have made sure before they have left, they have done "everything",

Then i have a massive clean up as they go, and it remains perfect for the entire time they are gone, I wander around astonished that the house doesn't magically untidy itself, and no mountains of washing develop every time you walk upstairs.

InLoveWithDavidTennant · 09/05/2013 23:40

i dont have any dc's and even i would have laughed in her face

i also dont work and i clean every blooming day... even dh has daily jobs to do and he works full time i have him well trained

Mannequinkate · 09/05/2013 23:48

cake your op suggests it isn't doable which isn't the same as not wanting to. If you would rather do something else fine it is your life and your home.

All I am saying is that it is perfectly possible to clean the whole house in one morning. It also doesn't have to be a huge chore or unbearable for your toddler. If you wanted to do it you could and you could make it fun for your ds.
Do yes YABU to laugh at your friend and also to be jealous of her home when you don't have the desire to keep yours the same way.

amazingface · 09/05/2013 23:51

Definitely would not be possible to clean my whole house in one morning.

Nope.

I accept we probably have too much stuff.

But definitely not possible.

VenusRising · 10/05/2013 00:01

Get a cleaner for two hours, that way you can also sit in a high chair and look on quietly. Maybe have some hummus and carrot sticks to keep your energy up

I take it that your friend doesn't have kids yet!

And what is she thinking of that you should do the main bulk of it so your DH won't have to do as much..... That's just crazy talk!

(Btw don't tell your friend you got a cleaner!)

trashcanjunkie · 10/05/2013 00:12

I'm living in two heads with this one... on the one hand, it's fucking awesome to know that when I've finished work for the week that the house is sorted for Saturday morning. On the other hand, I just can't maintain this all the time, and I shouldn't bloody have to. I do like FlyLady though. Snazzy shall we start an appreciation society? doublecake you could be our equal opportunities member......

trashcanjunkie · 10/05/2013 00:13

oh and for what it's worth, your friend is being unreasonable.... It's not her job to minimise your grind!

trashcanjunkie · 10/05/2013 00:16

FlyLady Just for shits and giggles

FreyaSnow · 10/05/2013 00:16

It is not possible to clean a whole house in one morning. There are lots of threads on this. Every time it turns out that 'cleaning a house' doesn't include washing clothes, ironing, putting clothes away, washing up, drying up, putting dishes away, sorting recycling, tidying away toys, school books and on and on...

The average woman spends 18 hours a week on housework. I do 16 hours a week and my house is dirty as a consequence. You cannot clean a house in one morning.

bamboobutton · 10/05/2013 00:32

You need to send her to this blog crappy pictures

ComposHat · 10/05/2013 00:40

I say fuck the cleaning and luxuriate in your own filth.

Tidy house = wasted life.

mum11970 · 10/05/2013 00:51

If you're out for 11 hours a day with one toddler then a good blitz on a Friday and both tidying away as you go it should be possible (dependant on size of house and how messy you or dh are). Once kids get older and start leaving mess everywhere it's more of a difficult job. I've got a 15, 12 and 8 yr old and it's an on going job to keep on top of the mess they can create in 2 mins, won't mention our 4 dogs and a dh who does have a tendency to drop shoes and leave plates as he goes, but as he works a min of 12 hours a day I (occasionally) let it go.

pofacedlemonsucker · 10/05/2013 00:52

Trash, there are flying threads already on mn by the gazillion. No need to set up your own society, just hop on over and join one of the threads. They've been going for years.

It is of course entirely possible to clean your house in 3-4 hours of a morning, especially if for four whole days all day every day there is noone messing it up. And if there's only one wee tot to make laundry.

I wouldn't do it because I am extremely lazy and can't be arsed. To say it's impossible is nonsense. And I live in a 2 bed flat with five of us and two giant shedding Labradors, enough stuff to fill a 5 bed house, a 3 bed house, and a 2 bed flat (I know this because that's the houses we emptied to move here).

It's still theoretically possible, just not with my lack of interest.

mum11970 · 10/05/2013 00:55

Also depends on your level of clean. I'm happy with not dirty; my sister goes for immaculate, if not almost sterile, and that takes her a lot more time.

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pofacedlemonsucker · 10/05/2013 01:04

I'm not entirely sure I could manage immaculate, even given a week with no interruptions, tbh.

mum11970 · 10/05/2013 01:13

I couldn't do immaculate with a week, 4 dogs in kennels, 3 kids in boarding school and my dh sleeping in work but we are certainly don't live in filth.

mum11970 · 10/05/2013 01:18

All my kids, dh and dogs do live at home full time (just in case that came across that I was a really lazy cow).

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