Do you ever get fed up

[onceinabluemoon]

of the endless round of cleaning and tidying that seems to go with childminding?

I expect to be constantly tidying toys, games craft etc away but no way did I expect the amount of extra housework I have to do!

The bathroom needs a good clean on almost a daily basis. The kitchen also has to be thoroughly cleaned on a daily basis. I dont just mean the worktops wiped etc, it seems to get horrendous in there!

The floors are constantly being hoovered, even my dear little robot Roomba can't keep up at the moment as on top of the munchkins mess, my lab dog is shedding :(

I'm forever wiping away sticky fingerprints, yet the munchkins are brilliant at washing their hands and so there shouldn't even be any, lol!

On top of that is the playroom and always I am amazed at how 3 little people, 2 of which can barely move can make so much mess in one day!!! This house NEVER looks clean and tidy despite me working away at it every night and bits and bobs in the day (just picking up, not polishing etc)

AM I doing something wrong, other minders seem to find it sooooo easy to keep up with it and I'm knackered! I work from 6.30 am to 6pm so its a long old day anyway, and then comes the cleaning and paperwork... (yawns)

How do you manage?

[kindredspirits]

oh i gave up on having a clean and tidy house ages ago :laughing: seriously there is always something to wash up in the sink and the kitchen always looks like a bomb has hit it - and the toys go from being all over the floor to chucked pell mell into the cupboard at the end of the day (i ask the kids to help tidy up so nothing goes in the right place.)

its not just you but no words of advice i'm afraid.

[Marshmallow]

:blush: I know exactely what you mean, I rely heavily on beloved hubby, but I know I shouldn't :blush: :blush:

[caz3007]

I was talking to hubby about this the other day, saying that if I went out to work, the house would stay tidy and clean. Yes I have long given up. I know someone whose house is immaculate and she said to me yours must have to be clean with the job you do.....uuuummmm perhaps I wont invite her round, she would be in for a huge shock

[Katiekoo]

Oh my gosh yes, I get fed up! And I'm not doing full time hours yet! The most mess seems to come from my lump of a lovely husband! I don't manage, I scrape by!

[miss mopple]

Yep it drives me mental. The place is always cluttered and in need of a clean :blush:

In fact my mindee piddled on the hallway floor as she was leaving tonight and I joked to her mum that she was probably hinting that the floor needed a mop :laughing:

[Alibali]

I was talking to hubby about this the other day, saying that if I went out to work, the house would stay tidy and clean. Yes I have long given up. I know someone whose house is immaculate and she said to me yours must have to be clean with the job you do.....uuuummmm perhaps I wont invite her round, she would be in for a huge shock

Being clean and being tidy are 2 different things:D

[lma]

I totally agree. My kitchen is always looking like a bomb has gone off in there and I think my parents realise that I'm human and find it hard to keep ontop of everything whilst I am caring for their children.

To help with the work load I have gotten a dishwasher recently, I have a large american fridge/freezer in the kitchen and have another fridge and chest freezer in the outshed to help with buying the food and making less trips to the shops.

I have spoken to my parents about a set nap time. At 1.00-2.30 (if I'm lucky) its nap time and I use this time to load the dishwasher, sweep the floors, put the washer on and anything else I might have time to do and they are all fine with this knowing I'm working from home and need to have time to do certain things. Of course there are days when a certain little one wont sleep and they often enjoy helping me do the housework and I have a special cleaning set for them to help me with, small dustpan and brush, a retractable lower washing line for them to hang up my socks :laughing:

The paperwork gets done at the weekend apart from stuff which must be done daily e.g. daily diaries, accident and incident forms etc.

Also I know this is a little cheeky but at the weekend my daughter loves doing the jobs around the house that I dont find the time to do such as dusting the skirting boards, sorting the toys in the toy boxes which have been put away in the wrong place, tidying the books in the childrens library and to say thanks I usually spend quality time with her on a sun doing something she wants to do.

There are times when things get on top of me for a day or two but my parents have all been with me long enough to know than a day or two later and I'll be caught up.

[hayleychildcare]

My house is past help.:blush:

Parents drop off and collect the children from the passage so i make sure that is clean and tidy :thumbsup:

Heaven help them if they ever venture into anther room :eek:

My house gets tidied on a sunday (well eye level tidied).

When i get a day off through the week (once every few month) i do the bleaching and skirting board etc ............

I live with 3 boys (aged 37, 16 and 10) so the house is never clean, THERE IS MRE TO LIFE THEN A CLEAN HOUSE :laughing: :laughing:

[Dragonfly]

Bleach skirting boards what are those:eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek:

[onceinabluemoon]

, THERE IS MRE TO LIFE THEN A CLEAN HOUSE :laughing: :laughing:

try telling that to my mindees!

Girl (5years) some weeks ago: 'Our house is tidy!' in the middle of a conversation about goodness knows what as she looked around my house. She's a lovely little thing and didn't mean to be cheeky

then 4 YO boy a few days ago ' Blue you house is messy, I think you should clean it up!' Now this LO has no idea what tact is lol (probably a tad too young, lol!)

Both parents were mortified when I shared their children's thoughts, lol

and then there's 12 month old who just tried to eat the little bits of paper etc he finds on the floor, lol :laughing:

[FussyElmo]

Tidy house :ROFL1: :ROFL1: :ROFL1: whats one of those then.

Mine is rarely tidy and thats just with my little dears I dont find the mindees make any more mess :thumbsup:

[BlondeMoment]

I have a tidy up at the end of each day but refuse to clean more than once a week. There's no point! I have mondays off so I ue that day to go right through the house. I work 7.30 - 8pm (live by station so lots of commuters) so I really need that day or we'd be up to our eyeballs in dirt lol!

I run hoover around downstairs after tea also. With all the ins and outs and traffic the place needs it lol!

[keatingschick]

:blush: I know exactely what you mean, I rely heavily on beloved hubby, but I know I shouldn't :blush: :blush:

Dya know something I know exactly what you mean. Up until 3 months ago, if anyone said anything re partners doing anything around the house, I'd ave said I do 99.9% of ANYTHING in our house.

First week in January my hubby ended up in intenstive care, swine flu and pneumonia. I couldnt work, obviously I was in a state so emotionally not fit to work, but there just wasnt enough hours in the day, sorting the kids out, getting them off to school, running up to the hospital visiting twice a day (being forced to eat:( )
And the thing is, while I say he doesnt do anything, it was the simple things that I missed....one morning my daughter said " I know you have alot going on mum, but I've no school socks." I sat down and wept, the thing is I am always going on saying he is like an old woman faffing with the socks on the radiator, and also he puts the tea on at night while I am still minding, just those little jobs, but we probably all take it for granted and dont even realise cos its just the way you work and you both have your odd jobs, but its all what keeps the wheel turning, take out one cog and its curtains!!

[onceinabluemoon]

Ah well, I am somewhat relieved it isn't just me!

I really would like a cleaner and have just text one of my mums to find out who they use. Fingers crossed they have a space!

I just want to live in a house where I can open a cupboard door and nothing falls on me, or I can walk without tripping over stuff...

[Noomie]

Just hired a cleaner. She comes twice a week, total of 3.5 hours. This helps immensley! She does downstairs loo, downstairs hoovering and mopping twice a week, kitchen thoroughly one day and a good once over the other. Now I just hoover the other 3 week days and wipe and grubby spots on the kitchen floor.

Finding it all much more manageable.

[mushpea]

i feel so much better reading this thread knowing my house is not the only one thats constantly untidy:laughing:
as for my partner he hoovers before he goes to bed and changes the beds and sorts the washing at the weekends,, the rest is left to me , he did teach the kids to change their own beds but that only cause hes to lazy to do it for them:eek: :laughing:
and when i asked him to set the table for tea tonight he had the cheek to say 'this should have been done before i got home':eek: can you imagine my reaction! i wouldnt minde but i work longer hours than him plus do the housework etc on top of that,

[Ripeberry]

I was talking to hubby about this the other day, saying that if I went out to work, the house would stay tidy and clean. Yes I have long given up. I know someone whose house is immaculate and she said to me yours must have to be clean with the job you do.....uuuummmm perhaps I wont invite her round, she would be in for a huge shock
If the house is immaculate, it means that they spend all day OUT of the house ;)

I feel like that sometimes, feel like I live in the kitchen making snacks, cooking.
At least I've got a dishwasher so don't have to worry about washing up.
But the rest of it, feels like I'm always picking up after everyone.
Only had 5 after school today and they managed to make a great big mess outside (thank goodness). Made loads of mud pies with stones,twigs and leaves and left it all over the lawn and patio.
Can't be bothered to pick it up, got enough work in the house, also when I finish at 6pm I've got to cook dinner and then go to my second job, cleaning a pre-school.
I find that when they only have a few children it gets very messy, but when 18 children have been in, it's tidyer!

I want a cleaner for my house :idea:

[crazyXstitcher]

I thought about getting a cleaner but knowing me I would end up cleaning up first so the cleaner didn't think we were disgusting skanky slobs (not that we are of course:D ), so there would be no point.

[Hebs]

I thought about getting a cleaner but knowing me I would end up cleaning up first so the cleaner didn't think we were disgusting skanky slobs (not that we are of course:D ), so there would be no point.

I have a cleaner :thumbsup:

and do exactly this :laughing: :laughing:

[Twinkles]

A tidy house is a sign of someone who needs to get a life !

[The Juggler]

my house is rarely tidy. it is hygeinically clean and that's good enough for me.:)

[little miss chatterbox]

my house is a tip and hubby is always moaning about it. I wouldn't mind if he helped but he doesn't lift a finger!

[marnieb]

I agree - my house is a tip all day unless I can get it tidied when babies are asleep, but normally then i have to wash up and get tea/snack things ready, and getting something to eat myself!!

I have a cleaner on a Monday, and on a Thurs I try and run the vacum around, but I really try and not do anything at the weekends so i can spend time with my own lo's!!!

[Roseolivia]

My house is mostly always messy and i'm on maternity leave.:laughing:
Our house is quite big so to tidy and cleanit all takes hours and with a small baby is impossible, we even have a cleaner once a fortnight. My partner does bot all in the house and makes just as much mess as Rose. I keep telling him that once i start minding again he'll have to help- his response was 'i work':angry:

[ajs]

I thought about getting a cleaner but knowing me I would end up cleaning up first so the cleaner didn't think we were disgusting skanky slobs (not that we are of course:D ), so there would be no point.

i have a cleaner and although i don't clean before she comes i do tidy, as i donot want her wasting time picking up toys and clothes before she starts cleaning
so monday nights in this house is a run around for all of us just making sure the house is tidy enough for her to clean the surfaces and also me making sure that all the dirty washing is either in the basket or washed.

[angeldelight]

A tidy house is a sign of someone who needs to get a life !

:laughing: :laughing: :laughing:

Angel xx

[Rmead]

I've only been minding four weeks, I'm glad to hear it's not just me. I was thinking yesterday in the kitchen, if Environ Health came now I'd be shut down! It's the kitchen mainly, stuff piles up so fast with all the drinks, meals, snacks and then just crumbs and bits everywhere! I'm buying one of those old style carpet sweepers so I don't have to lug the vacuum around daily. I also would love both a dishwasher and cleaner :)

[mrs_scottydog]

My house is constantly untidy too. I wouldn't mind but I don't even work full time at the moment! I do have my own 2 yr old though and I like to spend time with him when I'm not working. I run the vacuum round when necessary (seems to be most days as our cat loves to roll around on our rugs). There are constantly toys everywhere and I always seem to be picking them up. As long as the house starts off ok then I'm happy as I know the parents would rather I was spending time with their children than cleaning. I have had the odd occasion when we've come in from the school run and the first thing my 6yr old mindee said was 'It's quite messy in here!' Hx

[messyplay]

So refreshing to hear that am not the only one with this problem. I would love to have a tidy house and be in a easy cleaning routine( anyone got one) but dont know where to start with the mess am already in I ve got paperwork on every surface. im so disorganised am ashamed of myself:blush: . Anyone with a magic wand would be welcomed.

[Stace]

I just want to live in a house where I can open a cupboard door and nothing falls on me, or I can walk without tripping over stuff...

ha ha lol - this thread has made me laugh :laughing: - I too would lovvvve a house like this - I've kind of given up now and I've only been minding a few months - so there is no hope for me :blush: I'm sooo glad I'm not the only one - does make me feel bit better.

I really should be tidying up now while they are asleep - but my excuse is I don't want to wake them just yet lol - so dipping in and out of ever increasing paperwork instead !!

xxx

[gegele]

i apologised to a mum who took kid toilet at collection for the mess upstairs, i asked to have tunnel vision LOL

and that i was going to be able to show her her lo learning journal soooooon as i was a bit late in paperwork and she said :

"if you were on top of cleaning and paperwork, that wyour house was spotless when i came to pick up not only i would be really jealouse but i'd want to know what my child did while you were cleaning your spotless house!!"

perfect, even the parents agree, just have to convince hubby ah ah ah ah

[onceinabluemoon]

Well I've bitten the bullet and organised a cleaner. She starts in a fortnight. I've had her highly recommended by one of my Mums so am hoping for the best. :)

Next week she is going to pop around for a look (!) and for me to let her know what I want her to do...

Hopefully this will make things easier, specially as I'm just starting on the diploma and want to be able to fast-track it.