S/O housekeeping it takes over my life...

[Lovedtodeath]

I cannot find balance. Either it is intolerable. (we currently have no clean towels or underwear for DH and every room needs to be vacuumed). or I spend all my time cleaning. I have no fun, watch no movies that DH has time to watch with the family, I don't visit my mom, I miss religious meetings and I cut our homeschool way down (2 R's).

 

So how do you find balance?? Is it just a personality thing of mine? I also was motivated to keep a clean house by watching "Clean House". One or two episodes a day while rocking the boy to sleep. I stopped recording it, and now my house is a shambles again.:glare:

[Blessedfamily]

I have learned to take small short cuts. Getting laundry folded and put away is a big chore around here. Yesterday, I decided to lay the kids' undergarments flat instead of tri-folding.

 

I used to tri-fold everyone's t-shirts the way stores do...forget that. I folded them in half crosswise and lengthwise and called it a day. I was done so quickly. What a relief.

 

Picking up toys...I took two big boxes and put toys away and left a much smaller "working supply". Kids will pull out stuff if it's available. When it's put away, they make less of a mess.

 

In fact, taking a day or two to de-clutter the whole house saves time on a daily basis. Put stuff away (in boxes) and don't buy more junk to take its place.:001_smile:

[The Governess]

What helps me so much: after dinner, dh puts the girls to bed while I clean up. I get the dishes washed and the kitchen clean, then go through the house and tidy up everything. If I can wake up to a clean house, I can stay on top of it during the day. If I wake up to a mess, I tend to give up before the day's even started.

 

I try to spend 30 minutes a day actually *cleaning* (for me, different than putting things away). The laundry, counters, and dusting are easy because the girls like helping me fold and clean surfaces so I can do that with them. Mopping is the hard part for me, because it's a pain to do when the girls are awake and it's the last thing I want to do during naptime or at night. So I've settled for only doing a real mopping job once every couple weeks. During the week I use a microfiber mop to touch up the kitchen and around the dining table every few days, which takes about 5 minutes.

 

And when things get really busy or I fall miserably behind, I have someone come over and clean for me and don't beat myself up about it. :D

 

As for trying to find the balance, maybe try setting a timer for yourself. Give yourself a certain amount of time each day for cleaning, be it 15 minutes or an hour. When the timer goes off, you're done for the day.

Edited December 30, 2008 by lovelearnandlive

[alpidarkomama]

Definitely don't fold. Unless you have to. Each kid (of 4) has a clean laundry basket and a dirty laundry basket. Everything that doesn't get hung (we hung a second bar in the closets) just gets stored in the clean laundry basket (undies, leggings, pants, etc.). All our kids are 5 and under though, so their clothes aren't very big. We also only have a 10-day wardrobe per kid. That helps too!

 

I do all the laundry on one great late-night movie night for mama. DH & I keep the machines running all day Sunday, then Sunday at 9:00 I sit down, fold, and watch a double feature. It's not too bad!

 

As for the rest of it... well, yeah. We all get fed and get clean undies every day. I figure with 4 kids 5 and under that's an accomplishment! :)

[TammyinTN]

At our house getting everything put away by bedtime really helps. I'd rather spend an hour at night recouping the house than waking up to it.

 

Laundry is a twice a week thing. I just do it all at one time and were done.

 

Floors are vacuumed daily because of dog hair..:001_huh:

 

But at 9pm everything is done and it's hubby time. I'm off the clock and for 2hours it hubby time and relaxing before bed. We either watch a movie, tv, read or just sit and relax..it's heaven!:D

 

Hang in there...this to shall pass.:grouphug:

[Peela]

flylady.net

[elegantlion]

Your dh has time to watch movies with the kids but you don't have time to relax? In my house that would be out of balance. I tend to be a more relaxed when it comes to household chores, but I have a job too. Homeschooling is a job, even if you're at home doing it, doesn't mean you have time to work on the house while schooling.

 

My dh chips in when I get behind. He does his own laundry sometimes, he'll do dishes, he even cooks. I plan not to cook on Mondays because that day is so hectic. We usually get pizza.

 

I don't expect him to do it all the time, he works long hours most of the year. However, without his help I'd be behind all the time.

 

Your kids are little, they do require a lot of your time. It does get easier when they are older. We worked to build some habits in our household when ds was little.

 

Some of the things we did at those ages..

He must remove his toys from the living every evening.

If he gets something out during the day I remind him that is all has to be put in his room at the end of the day

Show him how to put away laundry, make it easy for him to put away his own clothes

help me unload the dishwasher

 

Some things we still do...

have a set laundry day. Okay I'm bad we start it on one day. It's usually done by the next

zone cleaning weekly

Have cleaning products handy. we used to have a carry tote I would move from room to room.

 

Clutter gets me more than anything...

If something comes in the house, a like items should go (ie: clothes, toys, home accessories)

go through the mail before you set it down

purge paper and magazines weekly

file paperwork as soon as you are done with it.

Baskets are pretty and hold a lot of stuff.

A place for everything and everything in its place is a good thing.

[LaxMom]

I am notorious for the same thing: obsess, spend all my time cleaning... burn out, spend NO time cleaning. A couple of years ago, I fell into a good routine (and for the life of me cannot remember how I got there) where I really had a handle on things. I would even look for laundry to do every day and took to changing the beds a couple of times a week just to keep my laundry routine flowing.

 

Then, we remodeled the kitchen (where the laundry room door is) and it became a pain to drag the laundry through the construction zone and, frankly, I had other projects... like remodeling the kitchen. I have never gotten back to it, though I have tried.

 

A bunch of us have started (or restarted) Motivated Moms. I am liking it because the chore lists should keep me on task, but also keep me from going overboard. As long as I discipline myself to no work ahead, anyway. You might want to look into it.

[Blessedfamily]

It is hard when your kids are very small. My 1yr old goes through tons of clothes and creates a load of laundry in no time.

Edited December 30, 2008 by Blessedfamily

[Blessedfamily]

What helps me so much: after dinner, dh puts the girls to bed while I clean up. I get the dishes washed and the kitchen clean, then go through the house and tidy up everything. If I can wake up to a clean house, I can stay on top of it during the day. If I wake up to a mess, I tend to give up before the day's even started.

 

I try to spend 30 minutes a day actually *cleaning* (for me, different than putting things away).

 

One person putting the kids to bed while the other cleans sounds like a good plan.

 

I agree cleaning is more than putting things away, but I don't have any short-cuts for other cleaning. :D

[Lovedtodeath]

DH will clean his bedroom and the kitchen (but not mopping). He just cleans the kitchen 3 times a week or so, and it is supposed to be his job. I am thinking about switching him back to laundry.

 

It is a mind set for me, I think. I have looked into fly-lady before. Shining the sink is the last thing I would do. lol. There is good information about establishing new habits though.

[Ferdie]

When my children were young, the thing that helped me the most was to have a written morning routine. I did the routine in the exact same order every day until I could do it in my sleep.

 

After my morning routine was done, the rest of my day could fall apart, but I still knew that laundry was started, dinner was prepped and my bathrooms were wiped down.

 

Hang in there because it gets easier when you children get older.

[Tammyla]

I'll second Flylady. The book (checked out from the library) is a great place to start if the e-mails are too much. The sink thing is just one small step that is set up to propel you forward as nothing else will be that hard or take as long. Establishing new habits and an attitude of blessing your home and family can be key to success.

 

I do laundry almost daily...not all of it...just some of it. Heck, they are just going to make more.

 

Clean as you go in little bits. Five minutes here, ten minutes there add up over the course of a day.

 

De-clutter....Amazing results for keeping it clean and comfortable.

 

If you have little ones, know they will grow and things will get easier. Plan and have realistic expectations.

 

Establish those habits and follow the suggestions that work for you and one day you will find yourself feeling in control of your home vs. it controlling you.

 

Good, good wishes...it really can be done.