To wonder why the fuck I bother cleaning anything

[polexiaaphrodesia]

As above. DCs are 1 and 4. I cleaned the kitchen yesterday, washed the floors etc and within 2 mins it was back to the same state as before. Life feels like a never ending round of meals, clean up gigantic mess after meals while house gets trashed by the kids in a different room, cook next meal, clean up ad infinitum. And by cleaning up I mean putting stuff in the dishwasher and scraping food off the floor, highchair etc so not even making the house look presentable just trying to stop descent into squalor.

Oh yeah and don't forget actually try to work as well. DH is doing 50% of childcare so pulling his weight and is really happy and cheerful. I feel absolutely suffocated and would quite like to scream right now.

Would anyone else like to join me in a nice scream?

[Sandybval]

Only an 18 month old here but yep, yep, yep! I actually bought a really cheap hand Hoover made for cars for the floor after meal times to avoid having to do a full one all the time.

[polexiaaphrodesia]

@AudTheDeepMinded I will be waiting outside nursery the second it opens to drop them off although DD will need to do all her settling in sessions again as she only did 6 weeks before lockdown so my fantasy of depositing them at the door and driving off for a solo coffee and a walk is looking unlikely!

[TerrorWig]

When i was weaning my twins, I was having to sweep and mop the kitchen at least three times a day, plus bathe the kids at least twice they’d get so messy.

I promise it gets better. At 11 I can’t make them wash!

[heron20]

Audthe DeepMinded sit down wees for boys. That's the only way to stop it.

[Di11y]

it's hideous here too, although I've implemented post lunch movie and it only happens if 2yo and 6yo tidy up at least some of the morning carnage. doesn't get the hoovering done though and not quite at the doing the dishes stage sadly (so it all gets left and I look at it balefully and get DH to do it)

[lilywillywoo]

Yup, I have mostly given up. I could spend all day cleaning the kitchen floor, it’s a never ending cycle. I did get one of those robot mops from Aldi, but it was crap so sent it back. At least washing and ironing is less as no school uniform/ swimsuits/ karate suits etc to do, and I’ve given up ironing children’s clothes.

[Cherrytangfastic]

Our robot hoover is the best thing I've ever bought!!!

You can schedule them for specific times/days too

[AudTheDeepMinded]

@heron20 they all used to do until they went to school and saw how everyone else did it. I can't practically enforce sit-down peeing, and I would never be able to sort out the culprits that didn't (short of DNA testing pee splashes). I'm constantly reminding them to aim and wipe up spills but it is a losing battle. Any workable suggestions welcome!

[Healthyandhappy]

Ye just do it at end of day lol

[stretchedmarks]

I feel you. I'm due next week so I have no energy and tidying is really uncomfortable/sore for me (getting up and down etc absolutely kills my back), but 16m DD is just a wrecking ball. Living room is currently covered in toys, ripped up pages of books (don't get me started) and half of her dinner she chucked off her plate. Kitchen isn't awful, but I just don't have the energy right now to give it a once over. The sunroom is DD's play room so as you can imagine, it's also covered with toys and random shite she's pulled out of cupboards. She's also gone into the cupboard under the stairs and pulled out half of my books I have stored away in there so it's also a mess... again.

And, to top it off, the sunroom is the only way to get into the back garden. So there's random leaves all over the sunroom and kitchen floor that DP brought in last night after going outside... I know it would take me half an hour to sort it quickly, but I just don't have it in me tonight.

Tomorrow will be a better day I hope!

[Msfoxy17]

Agree with others that the constant tidying up/mess cycle has been one of the worst aspects of lockdown.

I wish I didn't care but I just can't live in total mess so am always tidying. I work part time but having my daughter at nursery a few days a week made a big difference in terms of keeping on top of it all.

I also live in a shabby old house and it just never looks clean but is even worse now.

Decided to crack on with some furniture painting this morning and proceeded to drop tin of paint all over the floor so half an hour then spent on mopping up the mess.
Urgh...

[AuditAngel]

Aud have you tried the ping pong ball trainer things in the loo to aim at? Ours were blue and had funny faces. Having said that, DS is almost 16

[everythingbackbutyou]

You are my comrades! My regular job is childminding out of my home but thankfully that is currently on hold. Trying to navigate a separation agreement/parenting agreement with 2 different professionals via Zoom while 5 year old screams for me to wipe his bottom in the middle of the call. Single parent of a 13 yr old, 5 year old and nearly 3 year old. Trying to make house presentable enough to sell in next few weeks (even though I don't want to sell it with every fibre of my being but that is narcissist exes for you) amongst the carnage of crumbs/booby traps in the form of toys EVERYWHERE. Like pp said, not actually achieving anything cleanliness-wise on top of the baseline of preventing descent into total squalor. Younger 2 kids intent on emptying out all their possessions in every room of the house and then ignoring said possessions until the exact second they see me attempting to put something away, and then squawking in indignation that they are USING THAT. Food-clean-change tv show-food-clean-mop up jug of spilled water-change tv-show-lock self in bathroom-mummy-mummy-mummy-MUMMY. GAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH.

[everythingbackbutyou]

And the dumping out of the lego onto the wooden floor so it skitters everywhere, sometimes immediately followed by the dumping out of the Playmobil. I .Can't. Even.

[searchaway]

It doesn’t get easier when they get older. At least when they’re little you can’t expect help but when they’re almost as tall as you and you find another pair of underpants shoved under the sofa or one sock everywhere...arghhh...one sock. All the flipping time. Where’s the other damn sock? So then you end up on a hunt through the house for the other sock and trying to get inside the brain of a pre-teen to try and deduce where the sock might be because they have no clue. No clue where anything is. Anything. Arghhh

[Equimum]

I thought I was getting past this with one at school and one at nursery a couple of times each week. In March, I even sorted the airing cupboard and the cupboard of doom. Then Lockdown hit. OMG there is constantly stuff, and crumbs, and sand,and socks and general grime everywhere.

[PlatoAteMySnozcumber]

Exactly the same position here, it is bloody relentless. The oldest moans when she has made a mess and then she can’t do the craft she wants to do on the table and she even complained the other morning that I hadn’t tidied up and put away all the toys while they were in bed. I couldn’t be bothered so I just left the mess everywhere. There seems to be no point!

[TheTroutofNoCraic]

When my DS was still in his highchair for meals, I put cling film over the tray part before each meal...just whip it off when finished. Saves so much time scraping the gunk off it!

[NannyPear]

Meeee. 1 year old and an almost 4 year old. DS2 is at that stage where he wants to eat independently but you're lucky if half of it reaches his stomach in the process.
And the toys, the pillows everywhere, the STICKS. WHY DO I ALWAYS HAVE STICKS IN MY HOUSE.

[Fanciedachange1]

I feel you and I have no kids!

I like a tidy, clean home but my dh and dog have other ideas!

DH just doesn’t see mess. I have to ask him to do specific tasks because in his mind the house is already clean. He thinks nothing of leaving rubbish lying around, and never putting anything away.

My dog leave toys, and stuffing mainly stuffing everywhere and a trail of fur wherever he has been. Can only imagine what a child would be like as well! :D

[Handsoffisback]

Omg rabbit you are my hero! You’re basically managing half a small class already! What’s the gap between your 1 yr old and 11mth old? I have 14 months between two of mine and omg the mess at the moment! One of them has taken to drawing on the walls whenever my backs turned. Gin is the only answer

[AudTheDeepMinded]

@NannyPear OMFG yes the sticks, and the random pebbles, leaves, chestnuts, acorns, conkers, usually picked in to bits and left. Gahhhhhh!

[GrouchyKiwi]

I haven't mopped for months. There's no point. I do it, then the children spill their juice and the dog walks on it and it's dirty straight away.

[TimeWastingButFun]

Yep! I get you. It's a never ending cycle! Today the garden got the wrath of the kids - a huge obstacle course using every garden chair, table,bricks and wood and anything else they could find. But somehow they managed to trash the house as well! They're having fun which is the main thing but I'd kill for an hour's peace in a tidy house!

[Sandybval]

Mops are a lot of effort, I bought a cheap thing from Aldi that sprays the floor cleaner out in front of the fabric mop, and then you just push it along and it rubs it into the floor. That's a really bad description, but honestly saves so much time!