help - my house gets so messy by the end of a day - is this normal

[BarkAtTheMoon]

Hi, i have 3 children of my own , school age and look after 2 or 3 during the day from 8 untill 5.30.
I start every day without fail with a tidy, organised house. I plan activities and am a pretty organised and tidy person, BUT each evening when parents collect the place is full of toys with dirty plates needing clearing and I feel it is quite chaotic. I have my own 3 to feed and the mindees, one being 11 months so needs help with eating and she makes lots of mess [which is to be expected].
It all gets a bit mad around tea time, then making sure baby is clean and has a fresh nappy, and finishing filling in diaries.
Is this normal for your setting. Perhaps some one has some tips for me

15 mins before dinner is ready i give a warning (important to avoid 'can i just finish this?' remarks) that it's tidy up time in 5 mins. Then they all start tidying (dole out jobs if they look helpless), wash hands and sit down to eat. After dinner they either get a book and sit quietly or i put the tv on till the parents come. Whilst doing this i start clearing the kitchen in between seeing them all off. My mindees are all 4+ but i do have a baby of my own (plus two school aged children) and i put her in bouncy chair.

I fill in diaries during the day (when i have them). They are always left out on kitchen worktop because i forget times etc easily.

Then just the floors get done after everyone has gone.

I think routine at the end of the day ensures they know what is expected of them. They will have to tidy at nursery/school so no shocks. And always good for little ones to learn young.

two words for you

tidy-up time

you need to start a routine of tidying up what's out before the next lot comes out; there is a balance between child-led play and rubble underfoot [exaggeration] - plus with the 11 month old toddling or near to walking you need some clear floor to support learning to walk effectively. Also we tidy up before meals and about 15 mins before home time; set a timer, make it a race, a game, who can find all the red blocks/doll's clothes/felt fruit, that kind of thing

have you a dishwasher? if not, get one; in the meantime scrape and stack neatly as you go

It's exhausting innit

that was a few more than a few words, eh?

fab x posts

Ha ha

NN are you new or a NC? I like your style

That sounds like really good advise - thank you. One of my problems is my 5 year old likes to play with toys after dinner for an hour or so. Would I say he can keep one toy out , to play with later or tidy everything away? How would I word it - I am too much of a softy. Also he plays so well at the moment and sets toys up imaginatively and like to go back to them.

my chaps are happy to tidy all away then get out stuff again after supper - try that

I know it means more tidying later but you will feel more 'in control' IYSWIM

What great advise. I think I knew that - I just needed reminding.
It is nice to hear from you all - thanks.

And I will start my new regime tomorrow and am looking forward to a tidier house tomorrow eve.

NC but I don't post on this particular board too often so you might not know me

And I will start my new regime tomorrow and am looking forward to a tidier house tomorrow eve.

good for you, Bark

Nice to bump into you, NN; you should come here more often

Oh, and let us know how you get on, Bark

Lots of experienced minders here for brain-picking

ah thanks! Will do! Feel like I know lots of you anyway as I'm bit of a lurker.

NB Am not a stalker just too lazy to type most of the time.

lol at too lazy

quick brown fox etc etc

what is NC? have looked on acronyms list and racked brains...

Agree with tidy up time before dinner and I couldn't live without my dishwasher!!!

Having said that, a couple of years ago I had 4 under 18 months and so my house WAS a mess as they'd pull things out then move to the next thing and were mostly too young to understand about tidying up so if I was really busy with them, I didn't always get time to tidy up before I needed to get 3 of them in a highchair and feed them (along with the older ones). I'm so pleased they are all (currently) old enough to sort the mess out now! And I have a rule that if they finish with one activity, they tidy up before starting with anything else! :)

Been there!! when I first started I had 4 of my own children and 3 mindees, I worked out pretty quick that the best thing was to be out of the house in the morning, at different groups, children centres, farm parks with friends etc.
We then went home for lunch, these were always packed lunches supplied by parents so we could do picnics when the weather was nice. Then it was quiet?sleep time, which is when I did the diaries.
Then they had free play which was always tidied up before the school run.
When the older children came home I found that we got different toys out and lots of the bits tended to stay away.
But you will find that when the weather is better the games/toys tend to be more outside based, water play, sand etc and somehow its so much easier when the mess is outside!!
Oh I also stopped offering cooked evening meals, we just do snacks at about 4pm, it was the best thing I did, as my children got older they are happier to eat later when everyone goes home.
For me that is more in the past as i'm doing more nannying and my house stays tidy, its great!!

at the no cooking dinners and parents providing packed lunches!!! . I don't mind the lunch SO MUCH but I hate dinner time with a passion!!! Haha, dh (assistant) will be doing that tonight as I've got the Drs and most are going home early but 1 mindee is staying for dinner so we'll see how he likes it for a change!!!

sorry, aceandskill

NC = name changer

Hi - well I think I deserve a gold star tonight.
I have finished work with a clean kitchen and tidy house. The children tidied up so well and loved getting reward stickers. I suppose I was a bit worried my own son would moan that he had to tidy up his things quite early - 5p.m rather than 6 p.m, but no moans and everyone mucked in. I said I would read them a story when the place had been tidied, and they were completely happy about this.
Fantastic. I ordered some new reward stickers on ebay so I can offer a selection each time.
It was so easy. I suppose its just a case of having a bit more structure and confidence.
Thanks everyone x

[thumbs up]