To not want to clean all day

[R2221]

Everyone at home. A 12yr old and two 5yr olds. The 12yr olds room is in a constant mess. She tidies up 50/60% when I ask her to, but she really cannot even see the other 40%. I made peace with it.
The 5yr olds are driving me mad. Things poking into my feet all the time. Toys, small Lego parts, food bits everything. I tidied and vacuumed at 7am today. Bits on the floor already everywhere.

Please tell me you all vacuum three times a day or please help me make peace with the mess.

Dh is totally happy with a messy house. He can’t see half the mess and always wonders what the fuss is about. I am not working at the moment, so I don’t want to involve him into this.

Your pissing in the wind. Wait till they all go to bed

If it’s toys I’d implement Tidy Up Time before each meal. And restrict the amount of toys they can have out at a time.

Hoovering three times a day? Craziness! Once before teatime so you can relax and enjoy your evening. If that.

If it’s toys I’d implement Tidy Up Time before each meal. And restrict the amount of toys they can have out at a time.

This. And I’d Hoover at night so it’s tidy for the evening, rather than in the morning... mentally it’d make me feel less like they had immediately messed it up again!

Start removing toys
Not to be nasty, but because you can suddenly find something next week that you hid in the attic, which will suddenly be much used when boredom occurs.

Do you have a garden of any kind you can chuck them all out in? That's what I'm doing as much as possible.

They tidy their stuff when I scream at them and remind them they won’t get fed until it’s done.

Then hoover now and again, usually late evening so I can sit down without it driving me mad

Make peace wit h it largely

Completely pointless. Just tidy up when they go to bed.

Once DS is in bed I run around with the little hand Hoover getting the obvious stuff. I don't bother while he is awake as it would be pointless.

I'm the same with the constant cleaning. It's hard to leave it all till they go to bed because it would end up an actual bomb site and I can't live like that.

Honestly, this is not the time to be hoovering three times a day. However nobody wants food bits on their feet so confine them to a room with tiles or lino to eat.

Why food bits? Make them sit at the table to eat and drink. Don’t let them walk around with food or take it out of the kitchen.

Currently on day 10 of this in Europe. So I have some suggestions - put some of the toys away - hide them. You might be greater I’ll to have them in the back ground in a few weeks
Only Hoover one day a day. Pick your time and stick to it.
All food to be eaten at the table
12yo and 5 yo can tidy up. My Ds is very untidy. His room needs quick tidy every day.
Decide when the tidying will be done - is it before food - hungry and possibly more motivated but grumpy or after food - less hungry but they might run off.
Also get them to help - set the table, Hoover etc. they won’t do it particularly well but it will save your sanity 🙂

Would your 5yo help hoover? My 6yo is happily going to do it with me later.

We tidy up before supper and if DS runs out of room for toys in a particular spot.

Oh, and I'm normally a tidy person but we've been isolating for 8 days, so I'm having to learn to let things go.

I jumped up in pain from being burnt on my bum the other day, only to realise it was a lego piece!
Those jammie buggers really get you

You need to chill out a lot

3 times a day is nuts

Pointless when they’re all awake and about, just have a quick blitz when they’re in bed and make peace with a bit of mess the rest of the time. Also teach them to tidy up after themselves so they don’t get a million toys out at once.

@Desperateforadviceplease your post made me laugh!

This is nuts. I hoover once or twice a week.

Why food bits? Instigate all meals at the table- they are not babies

Give the younger two an area they can play with little bits and tell them to tidy it at the end of the day

My 13 yr old needs some encouragement. Which comes in the form of the internet going off until he's tidied up his shit.

Works pretty good.

I'd also bag up a lot of toys. New ones mean, one that's out gets put away first and no husband gets away with nowt neither. But mines pretty good like that.