House is in chaos

[hypeman]

Hi All,

I need some help/ accountability / ideas and encouragement please.

Our normally clean & tidy 4 bed is currently in total chaos for a number of reasons. Our dog is not well & is taking up a lot of time but also losing her coat (collie) and it's causing a lot of mess. I am 10 weeks pregnant and I am tired and unwell. Our toddler is up all hours of the night and it's exhausting. We both work full time as well. We were limping by until I got two quite severe bouts of illness and was literally bed bound.

Our laundry is literally over flowing in every basket which is depressing and stressing me out. Bathrooms not cleaned for a couple of weeks now. Bedrooms are a complete mess and not hoovered in ages. Stuff everywhere. toys are disorganised and laying around making the place look a complete mess. No floors have been mopped for about a week. I've started to tackle the hoovering downstairs this morning but had to stop due to being sick.

I'm determined I'm going to get back on track this weekend to start the week better. An untidy and unclean house makes me really stressed but I feel totally overwhelmed and don't know where to start. I feel like I'm never going to get it all done and also feel guilty my toddler is going to miss out on time with me having already been missing me all weekend.

DH is away with work so I'm on my own so got to juggle a just turned two year old.

How do I tackle this?

I'd love to just get a cleaner in but we are tight on money right now following Christmas etc and I don't want to spend unnecessarily.

Help!

Have a look at TeamTOMM on Facebook it's a really supportive group with loads of good advice. Especially about taking care of yourself. You have a lot on!

Do you have family nearby who could come round to help? Or could you take a day off work to do a big clean? I can imagine it must feel very stressful and overwhelming.

Be realistic, with a toddler and being pregnant and your partner away it's going to be difficult to get on top of everything. I would concentrate on keeping one room tidy and try and do the washing. I get bin bags and fill one with darks another with whites etc and take them to the kitchen and plough through it.

We called it housekeeping bankruptcy when it got to this point, happened a few times when the kids were small - so please don't worry.

Things that helped;

1. service wash at the laundrette - drop off clothes in pre sorted bags, pick up clean dry clothes, costs around £15 a bag but we'll worth it

2. keep one area clear in the kitchen so you can always prep food, then chip and clear the rest

3. do brief 5- 10 min bursts of tidying, or tidy one area like a table top, or just picking up rubbish

4. turn a blind eye in the short term, you will feel better and this won't be forever

I was also about to mention 'laundry bankruptcy'. There is a website/app called Laundryheap which will pick up and drop off for you, next-day turnaround, prices are comparable to a service wash at your local launderette and all you have to do is bag the laundry up.

And yes, just focus on the basics. If you have a clear kitchen sink, clean dishes and clean-ish countertop to work on, that's enough to get on with. Quick wipe-down of the loo and bathroom sink if you can. You'll feel better and motivated to do more probably, but just do what you can and take it easy on yourself.

The kitchen is the one room of the house that's absolutely fine. I manage to do the dishwasher etc and wipe down sides each evening once DS is in bed so not a problem there it's just everywhere else.

I'm no laundrette near here open before Monday and I can't get there & drop DS to nursery & get to work for 8am. It's a push as it is.

Problem with the washing is getting it dry. Once the tumble is on and the radiators hill I'm stuck. Guess I'll just have to keep plodding on.

Got absolutely nothing done today as DS been demanding. Maybe once he's in bed I'll get a few bits done.

I've got no leave left for work now but I have a couple of days off later in feb but then I'll have DS again as it's days I don't have care.

So tempted to give up & become a slob.