How do you stay on top of everything with kids? Really how?!

[FlyingDucks]

I want to start a thread that will be full of useful ideas and tips for becoming, and staying, on top of everything when you have kids. I know similar thread have been done before, but I'm in need of some new inspiration to get us through the Summer holidays and into a new and very busy school year in September.

I have 2 DC that are not yet at school, and 2 DC in infants school. We live in a 3 bed with no outside space and a tiny kitchen.

While we are lucky to have what we have, I still find it challenging sharing a bedroom with our 1 year old, and having to constantly manage a 2 and a 5 year old sharing a bedroom and toys. My 5 year old needs/loves his own space and quiet time alone. He hardly ever has the chance for this sharing a bedroom with his brother.

These are my 'problem' areas that I want to get on top of. If you have similar issues or are one of those completely organised people that I aspire to be like, please come and share your thoughts!

1. Our kitchen is a constant mess. I could spend an hour in there 3 times a day to keep it spotless. How do you keep your sink free from dirty dishes always? My oven and fridge hardly ever get a proper clean - probably once every 6 months for the oven and it's always dirty ...
   

1. Toys are everywhere, always! My DC's bedrooms can go from tidy to bomb site in 20 minutes. We only have few toys and they all have a place. DC have 4 small accessible toy boxes each. But still toys are always muddled up with no one having a 'full set' of something to play with.
   

1. I never, ever find time to clean all the hidden spots (as highlighted in another current post!). Behind furniture, outsides of bins etc never get done. Where do you find the time? I am shattered by the evening, and really don't want to give up a Saturday or Sunday to do it.
   

1. House admin/banking/paying bills etc. When do you get the time to do all this? I still have school photos from last year I haven't yet ordered :(
   

Please come and share your tips for success, or just come and commiserate with me.

[blueshoes]

Make sure your dh does his fair share. Don't get sucked into the trap of doing everything because you used to do it during maternity leave.

The school admin and logistical planning gets more and more intense once your dcs start school. Make sure your dh gets used to doing this because it is only going to get much worse.

[Lioninthesun]

Bit of an extravagance but you could try a cleaner for a couple of hours a week? My friend swears blind it's the best £20 they spend a week. Also means she has to tidy before the cleaner comes so gets that done for a short while too before DC come back from school!

I'd also say dishwasher if you have space.

My friend showed me a great calender with pouches on each month - she puts all letters for school/party invites etc in the relevant pouch and deals with them when she turns each sheet over.

I'm currently drowning under school paperwork/nursery paperwork/ballet exam forms/re-writing will forms/last month's local papers I've not read yet (it goes on) and hoping I'll be able to see my kitchen worktop again by tomorrow lunch when DD returns from nursery. I've got some lever arch folders and intend to do one for each topic so that I can put them away and ignore until needed.

Another good tip is to put all bills into one pocket folder on the work surface. At the end of the year you can keep or shred but start a new one. You'd be amazed at how little you need to go in there to get stuff out. Less filing, easy access, no paperwork everywhere

[Lioninthesun]

calendar with pockets for up to 5 people

[Gdydgkyk]

I've gone from a total messy house owner (piles of crap everywhere including on floor) to a neat freak. Extreme decluttering was key to the change. Now I tidy up as I go and ensure the house is straight each night with packed lunches/uniforms/bags/shoes ready for the morning. It's much less effort to keep tidy these days. I just need to work on food planning now

[Gdydgkyk]

Also don't buy any storage at all until you're done your extreme decluttering. I found that I actually had enough storage once I owned less crap.

[sunshinerunner]

Gdydgkyk how long did it take you to become the 'new you' as it were?!

[Athenaviolet]

Move.

You are overcrowded.

It's never going to be easy for so many people to live in such a small space.

[Katreats]

Only have the one kid so may be unrealistic advise but we tend to accept the chaos through the day then have 'tidy up' time - clean kitchen, toys away and a Hoover everywhere, then bathtime and bed. I bring a load of washing down and then can just turn the machine on when I get up the next day and do one big job a night. At least if I have a relatively tidy space in the evening I feel I am doing okish

[keeptothewhiteline]

I would second the dishwasher.

Also a garden is vital- especially if space inside is limited.
A garden is a huge (fairly self- cleaning) playroom for kids.
My youngsters would play outside for hours. Great for messy play, painting.
Having a garden was very high on my list of priorities when my kids were small.

[Callofthewild]

I have one year old DTD's and work part time. We have a cleaner which means the kitchen and bathroom get a good once over each week. The only things that get ironed are my husbands shirts and we take those to the dry cleaners to do. Each evening after we've put the DTD's to bed DH does the cooking and clearing up in the kitchen whilst I tidy up the toys / sort nursery bags/ see to the washing etc. We normally spend 45 mins - an hour doing jobs which just about keeps us on top of the day to day mess but we still have piles of 'stuff' everywhere. We need to do a massive decluttering and then I think it would be a lot easier.

[editthis]

Put things on the stairs that need going upstairs (piles of laundry, new toothpaste, discarded children's hair clips and toys), then take them with you when you're next on the way up, rather than making a special journey.

Other than that, watching with interest.

[jeanmiguelfangio]

I have just created a helping chart here, with pics of what needs to be done- such as putting washing away or taking your plate to the kitchen. My dc cant read, but she understands the pics, and I set goals to complete.

I have just sorted out all my bills to DD. It was so much easier than i thought it was going to be, and now i can relax knowing its all done.

this is a great thread, im just trying to get my act together and there are so many tips.

[PHANTOMnamechanger]

Put things on the stairs that need going upstairs (piles of laundry, new toothpaste, discarded children's hair clips and toys), then take them with you when you're next on the way up, rather than making a special journey

I do this all the bloomin time, the problem is, everyone else in my house is oblivious and can walk right past anything without even noticing! Do they not wonder why there is a pile of loo roll/toothpaste/shampoo sitting there?? How do I train them better??

[Mooycow]

You will look back in 20 years and wonder where all the mess has gone , and the DC. Dont stress too much, 4 DC is a big task in itself , are they fed well, clean and tidy when they leave the house , well mannered and sociable , well then YOU ARE DOING A FANTASTIC JOB, dont be too hard on yourself .
I always found that letters from school , permission slips etc , do them when you get themand pop back into school bags etc ,
wash clothes every day it will lessen with time 1 load every evening makes a big difference.
clean as you go rinse out the bath with the last of the bath water , job done , cleaner down toilet every night , 1st flush in the morning nice clean toilet.
sandwiches for the next day do at same time as doing evening meal
try to encourage the DC to tidy as they go as well and DH?

[CheesyDibbles]

Apologies if I am repeating other posters:

I allow an extra 10 minutes in the morning to make sure the kitchen is clear before I take dc to school. I also have a quick whip round downstairs.

I allow 20 mins a day (morning for me, but whatever works) to sort through washing and get new load ready for the next morning. I can then set it going first thing the next day.

I have a four week meal planner stuck to the fridge. Every Wednesday I do an online shop to arrive on Friday.

I change beds on Mondays and do a bit of dusting.

Thursday, I do all the floors and clean the bathroom - takes about two and a half hours.

I try and tidy up as I go along.

Ruthless de-cluttering is wonderful. Just make sure that once you have bagged your junk up you get rid of it straight away.

I bought a couple of those big Trug bins. I keep them downstairs and chuck all random toys into them at regular intervals. When they are full I put them on the landing upstairs and tell dc to get busy reclaiming their stuff.

I have yet to find a way to deal with all the hidden corners and oven. They tend to get done when we have guests coming to stay. Ditto for the fridge!

[CheesyDibbles]

...and a massive ongoing To Do List helps! As soon as I think of something, it gets written down. Otherwise it disappears from my sieve brain immediately.

[Husbanddoestheironing]

Sigh. Really you don't. You do the best you can juggle, keep the children alive and not too filthy and prioritise the rest and try not to dwell on it. And discourage visitors from arriving without a 20 minute warning

[toffeeboffin]

Cheesydibbles, any chance you can post your 4-week meal planner?

Or at least 2 weeks?

[toffeeboffin]

As if you don't have enough to do (smile)

[answersonapostcardplease]

Op, I don't know the answer as my house is a state most of the time.

Just wanted to say be kind to yourself, you have 4 very young children. Thats full on.

I have 4 dcs but they are 13 to 2, only one at home and he does 2 school days at nursery.

[editthis]

Mine too! It's the thought that counts.

Now I've RTWT I see someone above (no doubt with better credentials than mine) has counselled against this...

However, I have learnt from my mother, who never lets a job go that can be done at once. So if she's on her way to get the vacuum cleaner, she sees a cloudy vase of flowers and immediately changes the water before actually getting the vacuum. It means she leads a merry dance around the house and you often sees items left inexplicably in odd places as she has interrupted her actions, but she gets a staggering amount done by the end of the day, in a dream-like way. And it must be good for her brain to have so many plates spinning.

[editthis]

^^ That was to PHANTOM.

[CheesyDibbles]

toffeeboffin I only plan for evening meals and have easy stuff for nights dc have clubs etc. Kids usually have pizza on Friday and dh and I have steak/takeaway. Here goes!

Week 1
Monday - Fish Cakes
Tuesday - Pasta, pesto chicken and green beans
Wednesday - Lentil and bacon soup
Thursday - Sausages and mash
Friday - Pizza
Saturday - Homemade chicken pie
Sunday - Chilli

Week 2
Monday - lamb meatballs and rice
Tuesday - Cod fillets, new potatoes and veg
Wednesday - Chorizo pasta (Jamie Oliver) and salad
Thursday - Chicken Fajitas and salad
Friday - Pizza/ burgers (Tesco half fat ones)
Saturday - Rosemary chicken (BBC Good Food)
Sunday - Lasagne (homemade)

Week 3
Monday - Cod fillets
Tuesday - Prawn and lemon spaghetti and salad
Wednesday - Sausage and lentil stew
Thursday - Pasta puttanesca
Friday - Pizza/ hotdogs
Saturday - Risotto
Sunday - Curry

Week 4
Monday - Steak pie (Tesco)
Tuesday - Tuna pasta
Wednesday - Sausages and mash
Thursday - Spag bol
Friday - pizza
Saturday - Seafood chowder
Sunday - Roast Chicken

[toffeeboffin]

Cheesydibbles you are a GURU!

Can I come and live at yours?!

Just kidding. (obviously)

Thanks so much for that - I need inspiration for my meal planning!