Does anyone get anything useful done while looking after kids?!

[Bizzle123]

I have a 1yo and 3yo and I can never get anything done around the house. Ok so I can manage a bit of cooking / tidying / putting on a wash if needed. But I struggle to do much else unless I stick on the TV for the kids.

I expect this is quite normal but wondering what others do. Any tips or do you just accept defeat and do it all in the evening?

I find it impossible. My house is a tip until 9pm.

Queue a chorus of Mumsnetter about to tell us that they cook five course dinners every night in their immaculate homes despite having five sets of triplets all with SN.

My house is still a tip! There is a wash on so I feel I did something. Tomorrow I am looking up The Organised Mum method, heard great things about it but so far cba. No other tips, just solidarity!

I babysit my grand daughter who is 18 months old five days a week (her and my daughter-her Mummy-live with me) and I only manage to get the essentials round the house done!

I’m surrounded by half finished situations. Half the washing up done, half the ironing done, half the floor mopping done...

So I gave up last week and accepted that I will never get anything ‘finished’ properly😂

I work from home with the DC here after school and during holidays.
They’ve been used to it since they were babies though and my house is a midden (despite the best efforts of me, DH and my brilliant cleaner).
Something’s got to give. I’ll pick failing at housework over my work or family happiness.
I do get jealous of friends’ lovely homes but tell myself I’ll do that stuff when the DC are older.

Impossible without either a) getting toddler to “help” or b) put the telly on.

I’m going with a) more often these days as was relying far too much on tv. So toddler has a set of plastic knives the chop veg (really do chop), a duster and “polish”, heaps with the hoovering, and will load/ unload/ push buttons on washer. Also v good in the garden and has started to wash up with me.

Everything takes 10x longer and is done half arsed, but it does get done.

Peppa Pig when I just need to get done fast (before work particularly)

So I’m not alone then!

Mellow - that is me, half finished jobs!

Sheepofwallst - that’s a good plan to get the toddler involved. Is it too far to get her cleaning the loos?!

Ok so I can manage a bit of cooking / tidying / putting on a wash if needed.

Erm... that's shit loads while looking after two toddlers!

It's hard, I went out a lot with mine because if we weren't at home they weren't making a mess! Though I'm still disorganised now so perhaps it's me more than kids

I read something on here about "all fed, none dead" or something. Yeah, that's the goal! If the hoover gets an outing and the dishes get done we are onto a winner.

At those ages, no, not a chance.

I’m surrounded by half finished situations.
that is the perfect description of my life!

Mine are 2 and 4yo. They make mess quicker than I can tidy, let alone clean as well. Our house stays fairly ok as we have a cleaner come once a week (so we have to do a decent tidy the night before), and try and blitz through the basics once they are in bed each evening. I stick to making meals, clothes washing/putting away, and childcare during the day with a bit of futile tidying if I get a chance.
If we have people coming over we put back to back films on, provide plenty of 'good' snacks, and sacrifice the state of the living room to get the rest of the house ship-shape.

I'm always impressed when both my eyes have mascara on at the same time. Or I've actually put the clean washing or clean dishes away. On days I manage all these things I feel like I've made it as a mother. They are pretty few and far between though. Most days one eye has mascara.

I get very little done with my 4yo (just 4) and 10m old. It's slowly sending me loopy.