I feel like I never stop

[fidelma]

I have 4 children 10,8,4,8months.I have help in the house during the week but I still never stop.

The weekends are so full on.I have done 5 huge american loads of washing.cooked,swept cleaned toilets and gardened like mad.I have huge piles of clean laundry sitting in baskets and the kitchen still needs some attention.I am not a neat freak (although I wish I was)And the house is relitivly clean but it is not as tidy and organised as I would like.

Do you domestic godesses have any advice ?

I think that it would be almost impossible to fully get on top of things. I only have 2 dds but I struggle.

The main thing that helps me is to constantly declutter. Also I keep on top of the basics, i.e. laundry,bathrooms and kitchen.

I have lowered my standards re cooking. We have healthy food but quite basic most of the time, which limits the clearing/ washing up. (we have a dishwasher thankfully)

Also I try not to do unnecessary cleaning. e.g bathroom floors weekly, unless there is an awful spillage. Children have clean pants and socks daily, everything else is inspected and if clean will be worn again. (ditto adults' clothes)

Rarely iron. Wash clothes on a slow spin programme, shake out well and if necessary give them a tumble for a few minutes before hanging up.

No advice here, I've only got 2 children and my house is a sh&t hole atm! But can't your older children do some things to help? And what about your DH/DP?

Don't underestimate how much 10 and 8 year olds are capable of. They'll try to convince you otherwise but they can certainly help put laundry away/empty the dishwasher/gather up dirty washing/keep their own stuff under control etc etc. It's good for them too to understand what's involved in running a household!!

DC help tidy up, empty the dishwasher,get all their things ready for school,water the veggies and tidy up everything that they have been playing with in the garden.
However it can be exhausting getting them to do all of the above.

DH will often cook a bit at weekends and he has been working away in the garden most of the day (Quite a large garden with alot of grass that needs to be cut)

out www.flylady.com flylady
She ahs weekly/daily tips and advice on keeping each room/area tidy and clean in an easy way, eg, 15 mins of putting school stuff in the hall ready for the next school day, saves stuff not ebing found/kids late for school etc.

Thanks Luciemule I am off to check that out.

advice-lower your standards

but seriously, slow down a bit, do the important stuff but in the grand scheme of things, you know you will get far more enjoyment from spending time with your dcs than you will from scrubbing a loo.

I know totally how you feel. I have 6DC, aged 12,10,8,5,4 and 25 months
I honestly feel atm as if EVERY waking minute of my life (and quite a few sleeping ones too) are spent tidying,cleaning,shopping and cleaning. I have NO family or friends nearby, and no extra help in the house. DH works long hours. Heis out 7.30 till 6pm each day,then does extra teaching 2 evenings a week, so isn't around to help much.
Despite my never ending efforts in the house, itis still a total tip, and I must admit it really gets me down.I love gardening , but never even get round to that as every second is taken up by the house
In theory,yes the older ones should be able to help out, andthey do, but sometimes getting them to do the simplest things is more trouble than to do it myselfThey all make SO much mess
And as for washing....I have a large capacity WM, it is pretty much always on. There is always a mountain of clean washing to sort and put away,and I have long since giving up on ironing anything.
I do do FLY lady, but tbh the bottom line is there is just way too muchto do, and no where near enough time or energy to do it

TBH, I have given up hoping it will everget any better...think I'm just stuck with it till dc leave home

It gets me down tooOFM, also screaming at kids to tidy up, really really gets me down.

My mother who had four was always in a state about untidy the house was, I wish she had just been a bit more confident that we could be a team with her, that she didn't need to care what anyone thought. And relax and enjoy life with her kids. I think we wanted to be with her, and help her, but screaming at us to not make a mess, made us run a mile.

It's easy to compare oneself with other people who have different circumstances, arrangements.
My cousin who has five children and never screams at them has a fulltime housekeeper. Her house is immaculate, her meals are cooked by someone else. She does no cleaning and no ironing. But she is in a constant state of anxiety about running this immaculate clockwork household. She says she wakes in morning feeling sick with nerves.

I think you are right, there is too much to do, possibly because we set ourselves rather high standards of what the house SHOULD be like or family life should be like.

Anyway, I agree it IS GOING TO BE LIKE THIS TILL THEY LEAVE HOME, and then we'll miss them terribly

LOL swan yep...we'll miss them, and wish we would could trade in our immaculate houses to have them back!

Also I cant imagin going to the supermarket without a huge trolly load of shopping.Why do pepole need baskets !!!

Yes I guess this is our life.

I wouldn't change it.

OFM You could do with some help that is ALOT.