Mess!!!

[Thirstysomething]

Am I the only one who seems to live in a total pig sty? It doesn't seem to matter what I do or say, threaten or promise, my two (three if you count DH) children create chaos wherever they go and I spend my life just moving around the house after them picking up everything they drop, destroy, dirty...
we just moved to a bigger house from our tiny one and I thought it would be easier to keep under control... but at the moment it looks as though a giant has picked the house up and given it a good shake, so everything has come tumbling out of every cupboard, drawer, and off every surface.
I hate myself when I hear the nagging that is starting to come out of my mouth. And I am becoming really boring Mummy, not wanting to start any game that I know will end in mess, eg painting.
I am a pretty untidy person myself, but this is getting ridiculous.
how do you do it??

Oink! Big sympathy from a fellow sty dweller! If you find out. let me know!

We're the same, the only solutions I have found are first to relax about it and second to get a cleaner once a week- best value for money I spend all week. I also have a couple of mantras I repeat to myself, one is something about how life is too short to iron your underpants (or indeed anything in
our case) and the other one is about how many hours of women's lives have been wasted futilely pursuing a spotless home..then I remind myself my children will
Never be exactly this old again whilst the house will still be just the same tomorrow and play with them instead.

Could you restrict toys to certain areas of the house? Anything left in prohibited areas 'disappears'! How old are your DCs?

Two DDs, ages four and two! I think part of the problem is that we haven't got a dedicated playroom in the new house. I am going to try and create one somehow -- everyone told me that once they are past the crawling stage there is no real need for a playroom, but I miss having somewhere to chuck everything at the end of the day, so at least the rest of the house can be vaguely ok for DH to come home to.
I have just asked someone to come and help me around the house for two hours a week, so am v excited about that! Although I give it an hour before it is back to how it was. Sigh.
Oh well. Half a mind to chuck nearly all their toys away and make them just play with one or two, just for tidyness! Sure I didn't have all these toys growing up, but what can you do when they are given so much by grandparents, friends etc?! Every surface is festooned with broken plastic, but if I try to throw a mangled Barbie away I am bound to hear "muuuuummm nooooo, that's my favourite".
Maybe a stealth raid tonight - I bet they wouldn't even notice if half their toys disappeared!

Oh how I long for a play room. Not just for dc's - somewhere dh can keep his crap stuff. And a music room, so I don't have guitars/bags of music lying around all over the place.

One day I shall have a house with a grown-up lounge, where children will only be allowed with prior permission, and I won't have to sit surrounded by a sea of plastic crap toys.

It's kinda heartening to hear that moving to a bigger house hasn't helped you (sorry) because we can't afford anywhere bigger at the mo and it was getting me down because I thought that would mean it would be all sorted, so cheers

Nope, more space just seems to mean more space to fill with crap stuff!
One day I will have a library for myself with just one big armchair in it and a lock on the door.... oh, and a children's dining room, a playroom, laundry and ironing room, a bathroom in a separate building in the garden with booby traps on the path, hot and cold running maids and a turret to retreat to when it all gets too much.
Actually maybe we could just buy the house next door and the grown ups can live in there.
Well, a girl can dream....

Actually maybe we could just buy the house next door and the grown ups can live in there.

Marvellous idea! Though I'd be sorely tempted to leave dh with the kids.