How do I get on top of the house?

[spingey]

At the moment its a mess. I suffer from depression and this week I have been ill. The place is going down hill.
I have taken some beechams flu plus and they have made me feel 100 x's better so I need to take advantage of this and sort the house out. I cant stand living like this anymore. Gonna take the kids to mcdonnals for tea just because I really cant face food/cooking right now and then when I get bk I can get them ready for bed and start tidying but where do I start. I have tried that fly thing but I didnt really get on with it.

I just dont know where to start. it gets me down when it gets like this.

Make a short list and do one thing on it today.

I think a brilliant thing to do is clean one surface entirely. Kitchen table? A counter? Clear all the crap off it and give it a polish. Will you really do this after coming home from burger place? No. Do it now while you are giving them cheese on toast, and put some nice music on as well.

Do one more thing tomorrow.

The kitchen is relatively clean and tidy there are just a few dishes to do from bfast and the floor could do with a good sweep and clean as dd has had playdough out today and it is everywhere.

Its the lounge and the bedrooms.....there is just stuff everywhere! My room is full of dirty washing, the kids is full of clean washing that needs putting away and the lounge is full of crap!

I have just put fish fingers in....ds is not happy!!! cant really afford to waste money eating out plus they were being naughty and not getting ready so this is just easier.

Ahh sorry you've been feeling unwell.

I used to have a kind of metal block ie fuck it to housework, I also have periods of depression. What works for me, giving myself a time limit to get the house in some sort of order (for me 3 hours once a week), sometimes this means the whole house will get a going over, sometimes a room might get left out etc.

Because I know my big clean is once a week for 3 hours with lots of small breaks, I can cope with it and battle the clock.

I also try and do at least and hour everyday of cleaning/tidying also timed.

HTH

I read a tip on netmums which I am trying to adopt. For 20 minutes a day, do a job that you keep putting off ie clean the fridge/clean the car etc.

It doesn't matter where you start; it matters that you start.

If you want a list, and these are all things the kids can help with:
clear the sink and clean it
collect all the crockery and stack it by the sink
collect all the letters and paperwork and stack
pick up all the rubbish and put it in the bin
put the toys away
put the clothes away

then you can:
put a wash on
take the bins out
wipe the table
do the washing up

You don't have to do it all today. You could do the bin today.

Thats a good way to look at it...at least I will have dented it by doing something.

I have a childfree day tomorrow so providing the flu tablets work I should be able to get on with doing some more then. I think I need to throw out a lot of stuff out......we have too much stuff!

Will put the kids to bed and then make a start.

When I feel like that I have a 'lazy' day. When you're in room a (say living room) and I have to go to room b (kitchen) before leaving room a I take the things for the destination room and the rooms I'll pass along the way. This way the right stuff ends up in the right room.

I then play games, so if I'm boiling the kettle I'll see how much washing up I can do/put away whilst it's boiling, I have to stop when it's boiled, same if things are in the microwave. If you have say 5 cups of tea a day that's your washing up done!

I wipe the bathroom when I've finished in the shower or the bath, wipe the sink after I've brushed my teeth, wipe the loo after I've finished.

That lots of cleaning and tidying done each day without actually having to make time to do it! Once you get into the habit, when you feel like cleaning, it's much easier to do cause the house is clean and tidy already and you haven't set time aside to do it already!

Hope that helps!

Thanks. Havent managed to do any yet, the kids are being really naughty and will not go to sleep.
If the worst comes to the worst I can start tomorrow once ds is at school and dd goes off to my sisters.

Thanks for all the tips. I feel a little better about the whole situation now.