Right, I need some very basic help on doing household tasks with a demanding toddler around.

[Pruhoohooohoooooni]

Feel very lame, but have had to farm my son out today (to his grandmother) because I have a mountain of washing-up. If he is around I will never get it finished.

Tips please for getting the big things done in the house whilst dealing with a toddler constantly asking for things (not unreasonably!).

I cannot ever imagine doing something like eg spring cleaning a room with him around. I'm assuming you all do things like this so how do you do it with young children around?

(PS have obviously gone down the dvd route but of course it doesn't last!)

Can't help with housewifely tips, but just wanted to observe for Bozza that maybe SAHMs need a cleaner more than WOHMs because while the WOHM is at work, someone else is looking after the chief cause of messiness in her house and providing at least 1, if not 3, of the chief cause's meals. It is as much as I can manage to shop for and prepare food, clear up after, load/unload dishwasher, and sort/soak/wash/hang to dry/fold/put away a load of washing every day, and tidy up the toys, playdough, drawing stuff that gets strewn around everywhere while you are buying time to get the above essential stuff done. If it was possible to quickly hoover the living room without first having to pick up all the toys and books, or having to stop every 10 seconds because DS thinks the best game is to turn the hoover off at the wall, or needs a poo, or leans against my thighs wanting a cuddle, then I'd probably do it more often!!! Our house is a disgraceful tip and it pains me. All sympathies, Proohoo.

So twoisenough when do I do the hoovering, washing, shopping, preparing and cooking food etc? Not when I am sat at my desk!

Bozza - I thought you were a SAHM. All I'm saying is that when WOHM's are at work, at least their house is not getting trashed, and they are not having to do ALL the food preparation/ clearing up. I assume you do your washing and other housework in the evenings and at weekends when your partner if you have one might help or might take kids off your hands for a few hours so you can have a quick whizz round. Just like I do ...

Ah, twoisenough, if only! my childcare is a combination of me, DH and my mum, all looking after the kids on different days IN MY HOUSE. I obviously do not expect my mum of indeed DH to do housework while they are being run ragged by the kids so my house is a permanent mess. The solution...ignore,ignore ignore and think of my kids forming lovely little brain synapses while the house collapses around them.

Cripes I really am not alone, am I?
DS is 2.10, just not a sitter. V needy of parental involvememnt in everything he does, which normally I like but when you have to do things it's a pain.
We have guests coming hence house needs to be tidy enough for sitting room to be used as bedroom etc.
I had a look on the Flylady website but gawd it was such a lot to trawl through. I will give it a go though, because I can manage 15 mins!!
I also do have a cleaner for one hour a week who washes floors and does the hoovering, cleans the toilet: she is a godsend and it is totally worth it just to know that if nothing else, once a week those things will get done. Usually I can manage to do them a bit more often (well not washing the floors, only really good housey types wash their floors more than once a week surely?) but tbh not always!
Am seriously going to ask for a mini-hoover for ds's birthday. He will love it.

at the cleaner

Only this morning I said to DS2 (18 months), "Will you just let me get on?? Its like trying to do stuff walking through treacle"

He just grinned at me and carried on unloading the washing machine that I had just loaded

No you are not alone at all. It is a challenge to nearly every parent who is the primary caregiver. And don't feel bad about farming them out for a one off to get on top of things.

I do take your point twoisenough (and agree with the name!) about the house not getting trashed while we are not there. But I do have to provide breakfast and tea for DS (he has school dinners) and also give DD the same because although she has nursery tea it is at 3.45 so will not see her through to the morning. And the washing does continue.

My routine is to clean upstairs with DD in tow on a Monday - difficult to do this when the kids are asleep in the messiest rooms! And then downstairs with DH on a Tuesday evening when they are in bed. Ironing is also an evening chore. Washing I quite often put on in an evening and then get out in the morning before the kids get up so about 6.45.

My latest sly trick is to arrange a play date for DS on a Monday. Then while the boys are playing in his bedroom I can clean the rest of the upstairs but also keep an eye on them and DD can join in with them but still come back to me. Otherwise I was always upstairs and downstairs anyway because DD wanted to be with the boys but was still checking up on me. It works well. Will have to sort something out for next Monday!

I work 3 days and try and do stuff on my 'days off' (ha!) but find that I want to play with my girls instead and vice versa. So it is easier to make the cleaning into a sort of game, even though it doesn't do anything for my blood pressure.

At weekends I whisper to dh that I am going upstairs to make beds or whatever and run away but 5 mins later hear "where's mummy gone?" and they come pestering me.

At night I just prepare sandwiches and bags for the following day and clear up the kitchen, havn't the heart to do anything else.

Well MIL took him for 2 hours and I got it all done.
Ha, nearly all, I still have to prepare bedding, prepare dinner and lay the fire.

I used to work full time with ds in nursery. There is the thing that whilst you are not there, it is not getting messy, but omg getting the shopping done, the meals prepared, the washing done and hung out and put away (we never iron) plus having some semblance of a life...it was too much. That was one of the (many) reasons I gave up working. (For now.)

I tried flying but I spent all my available cleaning time looking at emails....

now clean before 11am, set the cooker timer, and anything that's not done by then (apart from washing which is 24/7) just doesn't get done.

when los are in bed I whizz round the lounge so I can relax without looking at toys.

Dd has twigged that if she leaves me alone or helps till the alarm goes off, then she gets all the attention she wants.

And each thing gets put away before the next comes out.(in theory anyway,and usually by me!!)