What five things do I need to do each day without fail, I'm talking right back to basics

[TrinityTrinityTrinity]

I'm trying to force myself to shower every other day which isn't working at the mo but I am showerin more than I was so it is working to an extent iyswim

next is five things that I can do every single day around the house, force myself to do and it will become habit

right now the house upstairs is drowning in clothes

the dishes need doing and I feel like I never get a chance to breathe and I'm trying to stop drinking

just to give you some background is all

'm drowning in everything so I'm talking really really basic, acheivable five things

Ive lost sight of normal

so what do you think

real basic

I forgot to say btw that I do not manage to do all those things on the MS lists though I aspire to!

Other tricks for appearing to be on top if things more than you are....

Call the room the kids toys are in "the playroom" even if it's your only living room - seems far more normal for it to be messy then! Close the door on it and retire to bed if you can't face tidying it in the evening (sit down with a cuppa and get the dcs to do it under your supervision)

If you have a hallway, try to keep it clear - if possible put coats in a cupboard & shoes on a shoe rack or in a basket.

Tidying away toys should definitely involve your DCs. I really really like DecorHate's idea of you supervising with a cuppa while they do it!

I think your list sounds manageable - the washing up and cleaning counters can be done all in one go. If you plan to wash, dry and tidy one set of laundry per day then I'd suggest actually putting it on to wash last thing at night before bed so it is ready to hang out the next morning. That way you can get 2/3rds of that task done by the time breakfast is over and immediately award yourself brownie points / cake

Make beds
Open windows
Empty all bins and take out rubbish
Clean kitchen, including dishes
Wash laundry

yay trinity ! thats a good list.

Interested to see how much washing goes on out there! Blimey I only do one white wash and two colour washes. How green am I

Wash up, dry up, hoover or sweep downstair rooms (normally means you have to pick up as you go) so two jobs done.

Plump cushions on sofas and chairs and make the beds.

That is basic for me.

Your list has it covered I think, Trinity.

Even if you only manage to get the pots washed and the living room tidied some days, it'll all help!
Get the kids involved if you can, even if its not every day, thats a list everyone can help with!

trinity get a dishwasher - you have far too many people in the house to wash up.

Other than that - we found splitting the house into 4 zones and spending 1/2 an hour each tidying/putting stuff away (with alarm going off every 10 minutes) makes more of a difference than you'd think.

Good luck.

1.wash hands 'n' face,brush hair.Feeling clean helps moral.
2.eat breakfast, just enough to keep you going til lunch time.
3.wipe kitchen worktops,antibacterial wipes kills germs and helps kitchen to smell nice.
4.tidy living room.
5.wash one load of laundry, depending on how big or how dirty your family is.
To me there should be a sixth, have 30 mins of me time with a cuppa.(not alcohol)

oi Trinity !
today your list is ....
one load of washing , dried and put away
wash up
wipe kitchen counters
tidy away toys in living room at end of day.
put clothes out for next day

.... and sit down, put your feet up ,have a cuppa and relax for 30 mins or so .
(remember the "me time" )

1. sort one load of washing i.e wash, hang out/tumble dry, put away.

2. wash up at least once. You don't need to be obbssive and fill sink as soon as a coffee mug is dirty.

3. give at least one room a quick tidy and clean (once you are on top of everything that's all it will take to stay on top of it)

4. go out for some fresh air at least once a day, even if you just nip to the shops

5. delegate at least one task per day per child. Even Gecko can help, she could be in charge of putting away shoes or something simple like that.

I think your list is great and realistic Trinity.

Hope you are ok.

Did you ever get your fence put up?

Trinity, al ittle job that I think also can help lift spirits and feel positive.Sounds daft but give all mirrors, windows and reflective surfaces a real good clean.Even when everywhere is a bit untidy it can make it appear clean iyswim.Especially with their being more sunloght now.I need to do my own howeverInvest in a good chamois leather, and a squigder thingy that window clearners use.

Sorry, that should have read sunlight.

morning all

I'm ok

Good glad to hear it.

How are you getting on with your list?

Invite people round. Unless people are coming around I'd say I hoover once a week and clean the bathroom once a fortnight and change the sheets once a month if we're lucky or sick!

When the place is tidy I start cleaning regularly but then it gets back to the same state again after a busy couple of days.

Get myself showered, dressed and teeth brushed every morning;
Get DS (13) out of bed and make sure he showers, brushes teeth and gets dressed;
Get DD (2) out of bed, shower her, put her eczema cream on her, get her dressed;
make packed lunches;
get everyone out of the house to nursery/school/work.

In the evening - cook dinner, wash up, tidy round and that's about it....

I like the idea of having containers for everyones clothes so you just sort them into them instead of one big washing mountain - I find it gets stuck in the washed and ried but unsorted phase - trinity would this help you as well?

I do:

Kitchen - pots and surfaces and hob
Sweeping floor in kitchen and under table
Wiping table and highchairs

Thats the only things that have to be done in my house everyday - I attack the washing only when its dry and you can get 2 loads out and in a day - its not worth it when its wet and its all indoors.

Make yourself do one of the things Trinity - I know its really really hard.

thanks all
I've showered even though the water was cold

had to pick gecko up form playschool 15 mins after I'd dropped her off as there was a gas leak in the adjoining buikding and they were all evacuated

sun is out and I'm attacking washing

containers for everyines clothes would help alot

Hi Trinity, I am glad you have a sunny day to help you along with the washing.

You are doing brilliantly. I hope you don't mind me saying but your threads are really helping me get through a tough time- your determination is inspiring!

Just a couple of thoughts: would you benefit from a clothes clear-out, just wondered if things might be easier to stay on top of with less clothes (sorry if way off the mark)? Also, you could maybe expand your 'get clother ready for next day' task to include getting everything ready for each of DCs to get where they need to be for the next day- bag ready for pre-school, gym kit etc?

Trinity I have 5 girls (and one ds) but the girls are all similar sizes apart from the baby .
I let the washing get on top of me and it was awful.

I bought three crocodile boxes from Morrisons at 6.00 each (you can get them in wilkinsons and homebargains too) and put all
trousers and skirts in one ,pyjamas in the other and hang tops in the girls wardrobe.
The third box goes in the bottom of my wardrobe and I put clean washing in it if I don't have time to put it away right then and sort out later (or when the pile gets so high I can't shut the lid).

All of the girls underwear and socks go in one drawer as it is pointless sorting knickers between girls as I have to buy the same size for all of them.

I also have three crocodile boxes downstairs for toys and stack them on top of each other at the end of the day in a corner of the room.

Trin I am sending you a bit of my alien

my alien
is it there yet?

theres something strange here but I dont htink its your alien

its a big hot ball in the sky, haven't seen it for months
not sure what it is

I'd stay inside and shut all the curtains till it's gone - try coming out about 10pm ish??