Keeping on top of housework?

[jax clinch]

How much housework do people do when minding? I'm getting to the stage where my upstairs looks like a bomb site and can't summon up the energy at night t get going on it!! I have got 4 children of my own so appreciate it's not going to immaculate but need some motivation from somewhere!!!

[harleyrider]

How much housework do people do when minding? I'm getting to the stage where my upstairs looks like a bomb site and can't summon up the energy at night t get going on it!! I have got 4 children of my own so appreciate it's not going to immaculate but need some motivation from somewhere!!!

Completly my situation so will be watching for replies :-)

[vickie-marieo]

It's so difficult isn't it! at the moment I've surviving by doing the 'fly lady' technique. she's on line if you haven't heard about her, she helps you set up a system to help organise yourself and the housework. It's worked quiet well with minding and having my own family. You don't have to follow it to the letter but helps break it up into smaller chunks and once you get into the rhythm everything gets done in the end! Be interested to see what everyone else says (:

[RuthJ]

For me, organisation is the key. Everything has a home so it makes tidying up much easier. My own children (5 & 3) are quite good at tidying their own bedrooms but the majority of toys are downstairs anyway and have their own boxes. They go away each night.

Every morning PJ's get put under pillows and beds made. Diswasher unloaded and put away and reloaded with brekkie dishes (only takes 10 mins max as all my cupboards are accessible). Vacuum downstairs (we have a dog so I do daily). Do upstairs weekly usually once last mindee has gone.

I aim to do a load of washing each day and tumble dry underwear, kids PJ's etc. Everything else goes on the radiators in winter which is why I do small loads each day.

I always clear as I go in the kitchen.

This makes my house sound immaculate but it isn't! I also don't feel guilty about doing a bit of dusting while the mindees are playing. Or sorting clean washing into piles to be put away. But you should see my ironing pile at the moment and my laminate floor

[FussyElmo]

House work whats that then? Well thats what my dh says as it rarely happens in this house

Decided as long as the house is cleanish thats good enough for me

My dh used to be a clean freak but I can wear anyone down given long enough

[dette]

its hard work here too.i can sort of keep on top of downstairs but the bedrooms are a tip.I dont finish till half 6 or half 7 every night and its just too late to start emptyin bedrooms.i spend sunday morning ironing then i give everywhere a good clean just never get the bedrooms done

[cathtee]

I either do whole house on saturday or sunday, the rest of week just a quick whizz with the vac, and a clean of the kitchen each evening.

[hectors house]

I don't know what the "fly lady technique" is but I have a couple of different strategies I use depending on time available - in morning I just do 5 mins tidying in each room and hoover rooms used for childminding (have dogs so hoover each day), sometimes I walk into a room and think what 3 things will make a difference. eg: bathroom - put bleach in loo and shut lid, wash basin, pick up & fold towels.

I or my husband (whoever is out last) always make the bed in the morning, I do dusting sometimes downstairs if mindees playing nicely - my house isn't tidy by any means but if I didn't do a bit each day I dread to think what it would look like by weekend. My husband does most of ironing at weekends - its the only housework he can do and still see the TV!

[SandCastles]

Totally the same.
Downstairs is acceptable, even downstairs toilet is hygienic and gleaming (in my opinion)
Upstairs is a complete tip and family bathroom is unclean/scummy

When lo has a nap I run dry clothes upstairs and bring next load downstairs, change bedding and have a quick clean, but cannot turn hoover on or lo wakes up.

I read somewhere a quote like 'Tidying up is a bit like shovelling snow while it is still snowing'

Think I will take a look at 'fly lady'

[susan10]

Don't forget that correctly supervised, and when/where appropriate, your minded children will so some housework role play whilst you actually do some light housework!if you are lucky enough to have room for some sort of home corner then brilliant, but if not - improvise! Children can have a duster and pretend to dust and tidy the toys, whilst you really do some polishing and dusting. Hoovering can be copied also. Needless to say you would not iron whilst you are minding, but the children can help you put clean socks on the radiator to dry, or clean towels into the tumble dryer. This is easily a numeracy and KUW exercise, how many? Which is bigger? What colour/pattern? Etc etc. and as long as you can hear the children, if you are lucky that they all sleep at the same time, quickly wipe round the bathroom/ sort laundry to wash/ tidy upstairs. Lets teach the children that housework is a part of life, in tiny, fun bursts (for them!). Doing little bits is acceptable esp if they are learning and having fun!

[Marshmallow]

I is a very lucky girl, I have cleaners

[jax clinch]

Thanks everyone. It's just reassuring in itself that I'm not the only one with a messy upstairs!!! My friends (who don't work) always seem to have immaculate houses. My children have to make their beds, open their curtains, put pyjamas/clothes in wash. I don't like spending a whole day cleaning at weekends because it's my time with my children so going to make a conscious effort to do a bit each day (I like idea of thinking which 3 things will make a difference and doing that). At the end of the day where the children spend their time is clean so I suppose that's the important thing!!!

[Roseolivia]

I struggle with this too and i have cleaners who come once a week. I find the upstairs is messy too but also struggle in the kitchen as i seem to always be in there either eating or craft activities. Now Rose swims on a Sunday i try to have Saturday morning for housework ready for the cleaners coming on a MOnday. When working i'll put washing in and generally tidy up when the children have free play but that's it.

[VeggieSausage]

I struggle I have teenagers of my own, 2 cats and 6 mindees every day including after schoolies until 6.30pm, there is not enough time in the day to do housework too. I am getting better though at juggling it all. I do a quick clear up of the kitchen in the morning and fling the hoover around, sweep dining room floor, make sure loo and handwashing stuff is acceptable. After that upstairs is left to its own devices and every now and then I have a blitz, downstairs I do one thing a day when I have 5 minutes, it ticks us over without disintegrating into complete chaos.....we are very scruffy around the edges anyway and doing housework in the evenings after cooking dinner for us all when mindees have gone is a no no as I am exhausted. My dh does no housework and does not seem to notice that the house is filthy, messy etc - so v difficult but I just let it go. I don't own an ironing board so never do any ironing - no time or inclination!

[MessybutHappy]

I try not to walk past something that's in the wrong place without moving it closer to where it should be...So clothes may not get put away, but they will end up in the right bedroom, then when I next get there they'll maybe get put away!

[SYLVIA]

Im lucky that the toys are stored in the conservatory so I roughly tidy them each night but put it all away on friday. I do the house upstairs and down on a sunday. Then vac and wipe floors during the week and tidy kitchen each day. I say my house is never tidy but it is clean.

[Cottonsocks]

I started with Flylady years ago & then adapted it to suit me. I have to say my husband's a godsend. He most definitely pulls his weight with the housework. We have 11 mindees every day plus our 15 year old & 11 year old. We live in a 5 bedroomed house & work 7am - 7pm mon to fri. We're just managing to keep our heads above water. Couldn't do a day with no housework though or we'd immediately sink! Grrr! I hate housework!

[SammySplodger]

I struggle with this too - manage to keep on top of kitchen (clean up as go along) and bathrooms but find floors hard to keep on top of and stuff like windows, skirtings & cobwebs.

I'm seriously considering surrendering a bit if CM income each week to paying a cleaner, just to keep on top of it all.

[greanan]

Glad lots of other people struggle with this aswell. I can generally manage to keep on top of downstairs but upstairs was turning into a nightmare. I try to do one job upstairs each night, no matter who small it is it stops it all mounting up x

[lubeam]

Love this thread!!! I struggle to keep on top of house work at weekend wi 3 kids at home ! Was wondering how I'd cope in week with mindees! Now i no I can just relax and except the fact that we will have a clean down stairs and an even messier upstairs )) (till hubby gets me a cleaner )