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Housekeeping

Find cleaning advice from other Mumsnetters on our Housekeeping forum.

Original poster

never catch up with it( housework)

144 replies

Ineedmetime · 15/07/2011 21:46

Anyone else????

I always seem to have a side of washing up, its rarely all done.
then theres the clothes etc washing I have a mountain!
bathroom needs cleaning although my house is nowhere near as bad as the ones on kim and aggies tv show, the main rooms I can keep tidy are living room, dining room, bedrooms. although living room gets trashed by 2 year old daily I mannage to keep it fairly useable.
is anyone else like this?? I must admit though I do procrastinate a bit!

OP posts:
sadalot · 08/08/2011 23:23

i am on maternity leave and want to go back to work next year.my younger sister came round to my house for a few days and told me my upstairs is cluttered and untidy and there are too many toys and also my bathroom is dirty!! see she is single and doesn't know what she is talking about!i have 3 kids and a lazy husband who loves to have fresh curries every night.i also have MIL that is puts kim and aggie to shame.

Mummystootired · 09/08/2011 08:56

Hello everyone, feeling a little better this morning but tired as dd woke up at 5.00am. At least my backache seems to have gone.
Not planning too much today but if I manage to get things done, that's a bonus.
Sadalot are you pg or have you had baby? either way it's hard work with a baby so I wouldn't worry too much about clutter unless it is really getting in the way. Just worry about the jobs that have to be done so I would say those jobs are: washing up, Clothes etc washing, and as long as your bathroom is clean enough for you to use then I would think that would be o.k.
Everyone would love to have a spotless house but its just sometimes too difficult. Not saying you should give up just don't go overdoing it.Smile

AngelDog · 09/08/2011 12:59

Glad you're feeling a bit better, Mtt, even if it was an early start. 5am is horrible, isn't it? Hope your afternoon improves.

I've had a productive morning - DS was in a cheerful mood and I was reasonably awake for a change, so I have sorted out the nappies & cleared and tidied the tip which is notionally DS's room. It's really tidy & empty looking now. Unfortunately lots of the mess has just been moved elsewhere for rehoming! Grin

Sadalot, your sister sounds a bit untactful to me. I agree with Mtt that when you have little ones, only the basics really matter. (Clothes to wear, food to eat & a clean enough kitchen & bathroom that you don't get ill.) It's more important to spend time with your family than have an immaculate house.

sadalot · 09/08/2011 13:20

everday both toilets and bathrooms get bleached by me but my sister still lives with my mum and day who dont have messy kids to clear up after. mummystootired hope you have a siesta this afternoon. my little one is 4 months old and i bf him which can be time consuming.Angledog since reading this thread i have cleared my garage this week but i cant part with my heels that i know i will never wear again but they are so pretty!!

SilveryMoon · 09/08/2011 13:55

I have done very little today!
I've spent most of the day trying to understand how twitter works so I can keep on top of what's happening and where, but am failing me thinks.
I should really clear up a bit at least.

Mummystootired · 09/08/2011 14:54

Hello all,
AngelDog I'm glad you made progress with Ds room. We do a lot of moving things from one room to another too. We must make the effort to visit the tip one day as we have stuff in our back yard and shed to get rid of.
Silverymoon I don't Know how twitter or face book work so I haven't even tried looking at them yet. Any hints and tips I would be grateful!
I really need to go and do some washing up soon before tea time creeps up on us. But am enjoying my time on MN a bit too much.Grin

AngelDog · 09/08/2011 22:39

Hello again everyone.

I did really well this afternoon - sorted out some more baby clothes and chucked out lots of stuff. Once I get going on decluttering, I do well, but I need to get into the 'zone' first, which rarely happens. In between times, I'm a terrible hoarder.

However, DS didn't go to sleep till 9.40pm (should have been 8pm) so I've done nothing this evening (been on MN since). Off to bed now - got to get up early to take DS to an early appointment.

Tomorrow:

  • Prepare dinner before going out for the afternoon
  • Wash some nappies
  • Think of another urgent job to add to the list!
Mummystootired · 10/08/2011 09:53

Hi all, Feeling much better today. and more motivated at last!Smile
Done:
get dc up and breakfasted.
Feed cat and clear out litter tray.
To Do:
Get washed and dressed,
Get dc dressed,
Wash up/dry up,
Clean table,
Tidy up,
Potty training.

SilveryMoon · 10/08/2011 10:15

Glad you're feeling better Mtt
How's potty training going?

Today, have done:
All dressed
Swished & swiped bathroom
2 loads of washing done and hung
Beds made
1 load of ironing
clean clothes folded and put away

To Do
Hoover
Clean all tables
15 mins detailed cleaning in kitchen (will start with fridge)
Quick dust off of toys in bedroom
Trip to the park
Lunch
Cook dinner
Check calendar
Clean kitchen
Lay out tomorrows clothes
More ironing
Reading time
Letter/number games

Mummystootired · 10/08/2011 14:06

DD has been wearing pants all morning. Nothing has happened yet, no wees and no poos. I wonder if this is normal?
SilveryMoon I can't remember if you said how old you'r DC are.
Anyway I have been having a look at FlyLady today(trying to find motivation from somewhere).Hopefully it might inspire me to do more and also how to go about it too. I'm a bit worried about leaving dc alone together, if I went to another room to do any housework, incase they hurt each other. DD has a bad habit of hitting at the moment and she is only 2yrs8mnths so I worry about what she might be getting up to. DS is 7yrs so he would be o.k on his own, it's just two of them together that sometimes causes problems.

SilveryMoon · 10/08/2011 15:43

Mtt I know what you mean re leaving 2 dc's alone whilst you're in another room.
I have 2 boys. Ds1 is 4yrs (last week) and ds2 is 2.6yrs, and they fight and wind each other up rotten!
It's not too bad though as I only do at max 15 minutes at a time, plus we are in a flat, so we are all on the same level all the time. Not much gets passed me. If they are being very difficult, I try to get them to help me. They enjoy cleaning the walls with baby-wipes!

Today, have done:
All dressed
Swished & swiped bathroom
2 loads of washing done and hung
Beds made
1 load of ironing
clean clothes folded and put away
Hoover
Clean all tables
15 mins detailed cleaning in kitchen (will start with fridge)
Trip to the park
Lunch
Check calendar

To Do
Quick dust off of toys in bedroom
Cook dinner
Clean kitchen
Lay out tomorrows clothes
More ironing
Reading time
Letter/number games

Think I might skip the numbers/letters games......

I used to do the whole flylady thing, did my control journal and everything, but then started to lose track of it whilst I was working last year. Am going to try to stick to it when I return to work in a few weeks though

Mummystootired · 10/08/2011 21:11

HI all, Had quite a good day apart from dc winding each other up.
Potty training has started, We had three lots of wet pants and on the last one we got a dribble in the pottyGrin Cheers all round!
I had a look at the FlyLady site and noticed it said about doing 15 minutes of housework/decluttering or whatever so I might give that a go as it won't be so overwhelming. I haven't signed up to FlyLady yet but I thought if I keep looking at the website I can get Ideas of what I could do.

Here's today's done list:
Clean table,
Did 3 lots of washing up/drying up,
( still have more to do)
cleaned toilet,
Emptied bins,
and potty training.

Will try and do a bit more washing up before bed if I don't get too hooked on MN

nickschick · 10/08/2011 21:14

My eldest ds is 18 tomorrow ...I wish Id have spent less time tidying up and cleaning and more time on the swings and playing football with him.

SilveryMoon · 10/08/2011 21:21

Mummystootired You don't need to sign up, the e-mails are a PITA really. Just click on the flightplan every morning over breakfast and you'll be fine.

nickschick For me, this is an ideal way for me to keep control of how much housework I do. It means I have small goals to reach every day and by putting into a routine, I ensure I have an amount of time with my ds's that I am happy with.

AngelDog · 10/08/2011 22:43

Glad you had a better day, Mtt.

SilveryMoon, your day sounds very productive!

nickschick, you have a good point. My aim is to be organised enough that I don't spend half my time flapping around and getting cross with DS because I can't find stuff or haven't got things ready that I need.

Didn't do that much at home as DS and I were out shopping then at the park, but my 'done' list is pleasingly long. :)

Done:
Washed nappies
Got dinner ready
Chose toy storage baskets
Packed away 0-6 month baby clothes
Washed up & put dishwasher on
Replaced chair cushion & throw
Tidied toys
Wiped down bathroom while DS had a bath
Half of evening routine

To do tomorrow:

  • Make sandwiches for DS to eat in car for lunch & tea when visiting Grandma
  • Wipe down floor under high chair
  • Ring Wilkos
  • Finish emptying pushchair from today

I'm adding to my evening routine:

  • Stop 'working' and start getting ready for bed at 10pm. I get very grumpy with poor DS when I'm tired and I'm dreadful at going to bed at a reasonable hour!
SilveryMoon · 11/08/2011 08:20

Morning.
Won't be doing much here today. My boiler is being replaced, so that means men and crap around the flat all day doesn't it.
tut

Mummystootired · 11/08/2011 11:00

Silverymoon I am thinking of you,That can be a messy job having a new boiler. Still when its done you'll have lovely hot water. We are sometimes having problems with our shower going cold so I hope that's not related to the boiler as the shower is one of those that comes off the taps.
Anyway making good progress this morning:
have done one lot of washing up and drying up
And got everyone breakfasted
Now onto potty training again.
To do:
More washing up
clothes washing
Try to get the kitchen more tidy/ clean.
And keep dc out of mischief!
AngelDog You are making good progress.
I think I also need to try to start going to bed earlier. Although at the moment dc seem to be staying in bed till around 8.00amGrin

SilveryMoon · 11/08/2011 12:15

I haven't done anything today. My kitchen looks awful!
Plus, I can't get onto the flylady website to check todays mission and flightplan.

Mummystootired · 11/08/2011 12:21

I've had trouble getting the Flylady website today aswell. Must be a problem at their end

SilveryMoon · 11/08/2011 12:29

Must be.
Today's mission, is to straighten pantry shelves.
Can't really do anything in kitchen today, but might have a bash at it later when I'm cleaning the mess up

Mummystootired · 11/08/2011 15:47

FlyLady is working again. How is the boiler going?

SilveryMoon · 11/08/2011 18:16

The boiler's in and working Grin
They cleaned up most of the flat after themselves (had a chemical flush of the whole heating system too), but I'm not doing any cleaning or anything now.
Will have to wait for tomorrow, but my floors are all a bit rank so my weekly blessing 2 hour may have to start tomorrow
How's your day been?

Mummystootired · 11/08/2011 21:03

DC have been driving me up the wall today. they are either winding each other up or climbing all over each other or fighting over toys. DS is getting a bit of an attitude lately, he has an answer for everything.
I can't wait till September when he's back at school. Bad mummyShock
No, seriously I do love them both but some days it's really hard work.
Today I've been trying hard to get washing up done but I'm sure it's breeding. it just never seems to go away!HmmWill try again tomorrow.
Glad your boiler is done.

Canistaysane · 11/08/2011 21:29

What do you think of this name, honest answers on a postcard please!
Have name changed again, I think I'm having an identity crisis (or a midlife crisis), What age are you supposed to get them?Hmm
Can you tell who it is yet?
Oh no I've turned into Rolf Harris.

SilveryMoon · 11/08/2011 21:29

Is it a full moon? My 2 are always awful on the days of a full moon, and they ahve been challenging today, just trying to have a look out the window