how the hell do you get anything done?!

[labebete]

I am trying reeeeally hard to keep the house clean and tidy and do the ironing and all the things a woman who works part time and has small children should be doing. But I can't! the minute I try to do anything, from washing up to tidying my 1 and 3 year olds go insane with lack of attention.

They don't sleep much in the daytime, and never at the same time, and don't go to bed until gone 8.30 (any earlier is a disaster). The only thing I have found is cbeebies but that kind of goes against my TV feelings for little ones and I find myself ironing at 10.30 at night.

What do you do?! Am I just rubbish at this?!

IMO you have to do it more and involve them in helping (even if they aren't helping at all)

they have to get used to the fact that the house doens't have fairies who clean up at night. It is work, hard work to keep up with looking after a house.

You could Iron with them playing in the same room as you.
they could play the drums (pans) in the kitchen whilst you wash up.- infact your 3 year old could help you wash up. Things take longer whilst they are helping but at least they learn how things get done and you aren't doing it at midnight.

You aren't rubbish at all. I just don't believe it hurts your children at all for them to learn these things from day one.

Lower your standards
don't do ironing
get them to 'help' ie play in the kitchen if you're cleaning in there etc

ironing with them playing is impossible unless I do it at breakfast (like this morning) because the 1 year pulls on the cord and the 3 year old jumps on the 1 year old ...

i've just tried putting the little one in a travel cot with toys while I wash the floor while 3 yo played outside. lasted 2 mins but then 3 year old just climbs in the travel cot and gives her grief then has a tantrum when I separate them - so another 10 mins wasted on that and floor still not clean!

standards are pitifully low as it is!

God knows, I have a 4yo and a 5mo my house is a bombsite

I've given up.

No advice but at least you are not alone.

I read somewhere that while your kids are small you should concentrate on them and resume your relationship with the hoover when they are bigger.

I don't even know where my hoover is

the ironing part i can't help with as i gave up on that and now oh irons as we want stuff.

other stuff, chase them round with the hoover??? my 18mo finds that hilarious & it means she's not pulling at the wire or getting tangled in it. washing up, give them an empty bowl and a few plastic pots or cutlery and a sponge or something and see if they will sit while you wash the real pots, mine also does this but thinks anything to do with water is hair washing time so washes her hair with the sponge.

i do the same with dinner time, sit her in living room to do some 'mixing up' of her own with an empty bowl and spoon.

bathroom, she just gets in the way plain n simple n making the bed is a giggle just throw the covers on top of them and straighten as they get out.

hth, they work for me but everyone finds their own way!

so you don't have constant yelling while you do all these things? seriously, round here I'll be 2 mins into something menial and the pair of them are shouting mummy mummy and mamamamama respectively. The big one stamps on the little one's hand, the little one clings to my legs, the big one throws all the washing on the floor ... you get the picture. Hanging out the washing takes about half an hour instead of ten minutes. Very frustrating!

I have tried the joining in approach but have to admit I have given up lately as it wasn't working at the time. 1 yo was too little and 3 yo wasn't interest. Maybe I'll try again.

I only do the ironing pretty infrequently and mostly do the same as you, lucysmam, but was trying to be a bit more organised for once.