To ask you when is the best time of day to do housework?

[Littleonesgettingbigger]

If I do it in the mornings I am energetic and get it all done but two dcs end up spending the morning lounging and watching cbeebies (age one and five) and then when I take then out in the afternoon one year old falls asleep and misses it.

If on the other hand I take them out in the morning (eg swimming, toddler group) they have a brilliant time, youngest dd then naps 1-3 and oldest happy to do colouring or watch a movie, but I am too knackered by that stage of the day to do the cleaning and ironing I have run out of motivation for the day and end up watching the movie or colouring with my 5 year old or if it's her school day I just sit on the sofa and watch TV and recover from the morning! Is the answer to have a cleaning and ironing day where everything gets done one day a week?I tried that this week but went out on the cleaning day instead

Does anyone have a good routine?

However much time do you spend on housework?

Personally I'd stop thinking of it as a huge job and just do bits and bobs through the day when you get a minute. I'd aim to do half an hour or so after breakfast, then take the DC out for the morning. Then while the youngest naps, do something quiet/relax with the oldest. anything else that needs doing can then be done in conjunction with at least your oldest helping ... Then a quick tidy round at bedtime (again with DC helping - your one year old can put toys in a box or something).

I think I am just slow and inefficient at it........
I never did any pre dc and now it has come as a shock how long it takes me to make our home look presentable.

Also dh works nights, I work freelance from home so work after dds are in bed (approx 8pm - 10pm) and both dds still wake at night so I am permanently exhausted

I have a schedule ...with school age DCs. I do still have to tidy round/wash up/brush floors etc daily. When I worked full time and had preschooler I had a similar set up but all my cleaning and washing got done on a Sunday (but then house was cleaner anyway cos we were all out all day 5 days a week). Saturday was fun day.
Now as a SAHM I think a routine is still essential...you don't have to do it then so it is easy to put it off till tomorrow etc....with DCs at home all day you can give yourself less to do in a day...or maybe designate a cleaning day at the weekend when DP/DH can take them out of the way - or you take them out and DP/H can do the cleaning! Watching Cbeebies for a morning whilst you get stuff done won't do them any harm - just as long as it isn't all morning every day.
I do Sun is main washing day, Mon upstairs, Tue downstairs. Wed catch up/day off, Thur 'big job' (DIY/Gardening/sorting out), Fri I do my part time and voluntary work (from home), Sat shopping and fun with DCs day (although actually this often involves shopping for school shoes etc!) . I can't always stick to the days for eg work - often have to do things on other days but do the main things on Fri. If I do have to make a major change I swap days around and I make sure no matter what I do the basic cleaning and before my 'day off' (don't have unless other things are finished).

I was ill at the beginning of last summer and I got behind with everything and it was all getting too much - paralysed by having too much to do so doing nothing! This has made me get back on track. I have set times for things (eg tidy and dust bedroom -10mins) and set a timer on myself. So you don't get carried away on one thing and not get the whole area done. And as I am getting it all back under control, the basic stuff (dust and hoover) takes less time and means that I can do a bit more in every room every week (eg sort clothes drawers out). I also have an app (ticktick) on my phone & computer which has lists of stuff I need to do - I add things to it straight away instead of trying to keep everything in my head and some are re-occurring events so I don't forget things. I also do '5 mins or less' - if it takes less than 5 mins don't give it brain or list space- just do it.

All this means I am much more motivated and am often trying to get ahead. I drop off at school and want to get home and get today's jobs off my list. Or eg last night I sorted the washing into piles and put a load in the machine ready to be turned on this morning.

The only problem is DP has varying week days off in the week. So on a Mon I will come home fired up and want to do our bedroom but DP is having a lie in...means I have to start later...

No DC here so I do it all when I get up on my days off, or as soon as I get home on my working days - then it's done and I can slob out on the sofa guilt-free!

I always do mines in the morning after 12pm I can't be bothered

When the iPad is charging.

Spotify can play without the screen on so it doesn't slow down the charge in the same way MNing working would. I think.

I try to do a lot of mine first thing in a Saturday and Sunday. We both work FT, so I do bits and pieces during the week- clean bathroom while kids are in bath, put a couple, of loads of washing in, hang out before I go to work etc sweep every evening. as they get up early, I can usually fit and hour or so in each weekend morning, then I iron in the evening in front of the tv during the week.

Half an hour before anyone is due to come round

I seem to get my second wind in the evening and will happily spend an hour doing the washing up ect when ds is in bed. I then feel like I've earned an evening on the sofa/bed watching crap on tv

I just do bits and bobs throughout the day and as I go along. Clean up breakfast dishes/unload dishwasher etc straight after breakfast. Try and put a washing load in mid morning. Hang it to dry at lunchtime when DD is napping. Clean lunch dishes straight after lunch. If floor needs mopping/anywhere needs hoovering I'll do it during her nap too. Tidy up as we go along. Sorting clothes/ironing usually waits til the weekend (occasionally in the evenings but not very often).