Does tidying EVER stop

[ImYourWomanJonSnow]

Just finally sat down from a fairly ordinary day in our home. Started settling the kids at 6.30 (a 4yo and 9mo), been back and forth with them, and came downstairs to an absolute tip of a house which I have already tidied five times today. Dinner dishes, crumbs and food smears all over, toy explosions, kitchen cupboards emptied, with tins and saucepan lids all over (and I can’t even complain about this, it’s literally the only time when they are occupied enough so I can get a moment to myself); upstairs there’s clothes strewn all over the floor and in the bath a little bonus pressie from the baby in the form of a large turd. After I’ve folded yesterday’s laundry and hung up today’s two loads I’m absolutely spent. I spent whole day yesterday doing the weekly vacuum/change of sheets etc and I feel I’m on a treadmill with absolutely nothing to show for it. And tomorrow will be the same. This is my karma for never helping my poor mother as a teenager isn’t it.

Following. I need to know there's light at the end of the tunnel. It's not quite so bad (but still a shit tip) when my 4yo is at school. I've been fantasising about dumping half of the shite in a massive skip for weeks.

Exact same for me, put the 3 dc to bed at 7, and start cleaning as soon as they go in bed, start with bathroom, then kitchrb which takes the better part of an hour to do, then living room, then laundry, only to repeat all over again tomorrow, crossing my fingers it will be worth it.

Not in this house! I read threads on here about people tidying up for 10 mins max after DC in bed and wonder where on Earth I go wrong!

Your OP is very familiar. It takes at least an hour to tidy up and that is not including laundry and cooking tea. That is only the after school chaos. If the kids have been home all day we are probably talking two hours.

I follow Flylady on and off and am on the threads here but have yet to find a magic answer.