Tidy/houseproud mums-please tell me your secrets/routines.

[Mirage]

Hi,I have a 16month dd & am 20 wks pregnant with our 2nd baby.I have never been a particularly tidy person,but did begin to make a real effort once dd arrived,due to all the extra clutter/baby stuff that accumulates.

Sadly,it isn't working & when baby appears I'm going to be in worse straits than ever.I've met some really nice mums at toddler groups ect & would love to be able to invite them around for coffee without doing a huge clean up 1st.Our house is quite spacious but always seems cluttered & untidy compared to other peoples.I seem to spend every spare minute cleaning,washing ect,but it doesn't seem to make any difference.

What am I doing wrong.Do any of you organised tidy mums have any tips for keeping the mess at bay? I really am quite clueless.

They had Index in 1890 ?

fol de rol

Got to go to bed now because I'm knackered from all the cleaning and everything. Night ladies! And remember not to SLEEP unless your sink is SHINING!

now part time so hoover once a week downstairs and upstairs a little less often.

when full time used to clean every month or so, or when the dust got so thick you could write your name easily!!!!

Well, I spent part of last night getting down and dirty with my dyson as its just not picking up properly! Pinpointed the problem to a broken belt so should be back in the land of properly hoovered carpets today and I cant WAIT.

I really would LOVE to be like morningpaper I really would, I just dont know how to get from where I am now (try very hard to keep on top of it all, manage it sometimes fail miserably others) to being as organised as that. Although at the moment I have a 5 year old, 16 month old and my 26 year old injured sister to run around after. Its a nightmare.

remeber becca
dull women have clean houses
(have that on fridge magnet) also have a good poem that used to be in my loo will look for it later

Mirage-

Two tips re mums from parent and toddler groups:

1. Clean ONE ROOM and ONLY let them in that room. When making the tea, say "can you watch the kids while I make the tea?". This works fairly well. Remember-if one or both of the kids escape from the tidy room say "no, you sit there, I'll go and get them.". Maybe bring some biscuits back with you so she gets the mesage to stay put.

2. If this does not work then take out the hoover, and some dangerous chemicals and put them prominently in the middle of the room. Then when she turns up say "Oh, I was just about to clean up in here-never mind, lets have a coffee instead.". This does not work so well if it is an arranged playdate.

Bascially they will know that you are putting it on but they will be polite about it and you can just get on with things.

Or jsut be honest and say-I'm not really a very tidy person/I've had such a hectic week/ etc-if they're tidy then they will feel superior, if not, they'll be relieved. Either way, everyone wins.

I have been to a couple of houses which are a mess-even one NCT morning. Eg washing drying over the sofa, piles of books etc. I actually prefer to be in a somewhat messy house, especially if its kids mess-it makes me feel more relaxed.

When houses are very tidy, I sit there thinking "is it okay to move on this sofa or will I un-plump a cushion?" .

I'm saying all this and I would LOVE to have an obsessively tidy house.

Seriously, I think it is something in people's personalities that makes them obsessively tidy. I honestly DON'T think it's something to aspire to. I look at mums with perfect clothes and make-up on and think 'gosh I wish I looked that good' but actually, if I felt obliged to turn up to toddler group looking glamourous I'd be exhausted. Must be the same kind of thing?

Mirage I don't think you can quite aspire to mp's levels of organisation. I work 3 full days a week and have DS (nearly 4) and DD (8 months). This is both good and bad in that while they are at nursery they are not messing the house up but OTOH we are all creating laundry (DD often 3 complete outfits) and I need to get a dinner on the table when I get home at 6.

This is my system. Monday is cleaning day so I make sure the house is tidy on a Sunday night. I then get on with cleaning DS's room (before he gets chance to mess it up) and DD's room before she needs her nap and the children play in DS's room. I can normally manage to finish upstairs (3 bedrooms, one home office, two bathrooms) by about 10 ish. Then DD will have her mlk and a nap and DS and I will leave his (already trashed again) bedroom and go into the kitchen where I will do some sort of craft/activity type thing with him and then he will do some colouring or something or help me while I make a start on preparing the evening meal. Then the rest of the day is ours (apart from I try to get the stairs hoovered). When DH comes home we all eat together at about 6-6.30 which saves messing the kitchen up twice (this is the same every night). Then once the kids are in bed we clean downstairs together - takes us about 40 minutes each max.

Tues, Weds, Thurs I work and on these days I mainly do washing, ironing (share this with DH but can get my half done while watching Coronation Street) etc and sorting out for the next day. Get my clothes out for next day while getting changed out of work clothes. Get DD's out and her bag sorted while getting her undressed for bath. Always cook double when not working so that it just needs getting out of the freezer the night before and heating through. Order shopping on internet at work. Get it delivered 6-8 on a Thursday. DS loves helping to unpack it and his giddiness entertains DD. DH empties dishwasher in morning while supervising DS's breakfast. DH does DD's bottles (only two).

Change beds on Fridays (my other non-working day).

So thats about it. I'm not excessive on housework. Only hoover once a week. Occasionally do living room a second time (on a Thursday so nice for weekend).

I agre MP and dh is obsessively tidy in his nature although his mother says it's a recent thing! He just developed a routine when ds's mum left when he was 5. He had a rule that he would not be doing any kind of chores after 8pm at night and ds used to help him with the dusting etc on one day a week.

I don't think I have a routine as such. ds helps with the chores and always has done. I just tidy up as I go along most of the time. Beds get changed once a week (usually on a Friday when ds is off), washing gets put in as an when it needs to be and ironing gets done once or twice a week.

Cooking is our downfall as although we try to meal plan, we often end up not fancying what we've planned and resorting to take aways or ready meals.

I'm not house proud, but I do like my routine and I can't rest until everything is done.

Everyday I get up at 6. Tidy the kitchen and mop the floor twice. Once with cleaner, once with disinfectant (we have a puppy!!!!) Get the kids and DHs sandwhiches, flask etc ready. Start the washing. Kids get up. DH goes to work at 7. Get the kids breakfast. Bleach the kitchen while kids eat breakfast. Do the dishes. Send kids up to wash faces while I hoover downstairs. Change and dress ds2 (11 months) Other 2 kids into uniform. I go up and get washed and dressed, make the beds and clean the bathroom. Leave the house at 8.35 for school. Get back at 9.20. Feed the dog. Put ds2 down for nap. Check emails and MN!! Play outside with dog for a while. Do anymore washing necessary. Have a bath/wash hair. 11am go to collect dd from nursery and take dog for a walk at same time. Get back at 11.50. Have dinner. Start on tea (if having something I can prepare in advance like cottage pie, lasagne etc) Wash the dishes. Play with dd and ds2. Mop the kitchen floor again. Bleach the toilet. Quick whizz round tidying up where necessary, before leaving to go and get ds1 from school at 2.55pm. Take dog. Get home at 3.45. Sort out ds1s lunch bag and wash sandwhich box etc. Play with the kids for a bit. Get kids tea on. 5pm kids have tea. Wait for DH to come home. 6.30pm kids on pjs, washed cleaned teeth and ready for bed. ds2 has a bottle. Read them a story each. 7pm all kids up to bed. DH has a bath while I put dinner in. 8pm we sit down and have dinner, then wash up and mop the floor again.

Then flake on the sofa!!!! phew! Thats my day. I check MN when I can inbetween as well. I try and get as much done as possible in the morning.

I have a box at the bottom of the stairs that I put things in that need to go back up stairs.

I'm cruel but the children are allowed 2 toys each downstairs. If they want to colour they have to do it at the table or in their bedrooms (cos of ds2 getting the crayons and swallowing them) All the childrens toys are sorted into relevant drawers/boxes so they know where everything is. They can have as many toys as they like out in the bedrooms as long as they help me tidy up after (which we turn into a race to see how quick we can do it.....never fails!!)

I would write down all your big jobs for the week and split them up into days and then that way you've not got it all to do in one go.

Monday I go up to the bank to put dhs wages in and pay bills.

Tuesday I have a tescos delivery. I clean the fridge before while its empty and wipe the cupboards out as well.

Wednesday I make sure all the washing is on top of, ironed and put away.

Thursday I change the bed linen.

Friday I make sure everywhere is clean for the weekend. Tidy up any cupboards/drawers that need it, sort out stuff for recycling and sort out all teh mail from the week (recycle junk and envelopes etc and file all the relevant bills and paperwork)

Saturday and Sunday try and keep the place relativaly tidy but spend most of the time with the kids.

Right.......am off to put some more washing on now......

Message withdrawn

yes i do....i have to due to excess puppy wee, poo and mud from outside that she brings in!!

wow Titania you do so much in a day! I'm in awe of you

I am a domestic slut.

I do work as well - DD goes to nursery 10 hours a week and I work about 25 hours a week - the extra hours are in the evenings - which is why it all needs to be tidy before she goes to bed. DH also studies most evenings. We have Fri, Sat Sun evenings off and spend these together. I think perhaps the part-time work means we have to be extra organised. Don't know.

By the way I'm a complete slut with bed linen because I only change them once a month. And my eyebrows need pruning with shears...

Actually my changing the sheets on a Friday only started last Friday. My plan is to do ours one week and DS/DD the other week so once a fortnight.

And am planning to go get my eyebrows waxed on a Saturday morning because they are like yours mp. Can't do it this week because I have an eye test and can't fit both in before DS's swimming lesson at 11.30. Once they are sorted will have to try to be organised about plucking them.

Mp - oh that's Ok then - I did my eyebrows this morning

Well i set my alarm for 6.30, then put it on snooze five times. At around 8 o clock i jump up, shout at my children , scream they have to get ready but realise i haven't got any school uniform clean. 8.20 i pull the dirty dishcloth out of a sink full of pots and try and wipe dinner off a school jumper. The kids get ready while i scramble around for some clothes that haven't been put away or folded. Just as they are about to leave i spray them with fabreze as i realise i have forgot to wash them. We all run to school running into the shop to buy juice and breakfast bars as i have also forgotten to feed them.
After they are dropped off i realise i have missed my bus to college so stand in the pissing rain for 45 minutes. I get to college late and begin to paint. Tutor asks where i have been and i think of appropriate lies. Nothing he says matters anyway as i am too busy perving at him.
Spend the day there until i rush home and grab my boys. I then stop off at the chippy which i serve on tupperware lids as i have still not washed up.

rofl @ ff

tut tut you don't bleach food - wasn't it the guy in holby city who got a stomach ulcer from bleaching his cups and things?

LOL ff