Amethyst

I am a stay at home mom and I try so hard to keep my house cleaned but I feel like as soon as I get one thing done my kids (girls ages 4 and 8) mess it up and then I am back were I started. I try so hard and get so frustrated. Let's take today for example my husband is working 8am to 8pm and my oldest daughter had a half day of school. My youngest daughter and I cleaned up. I cleaned the kitchen moped the floor cleaned the toy room, cleaned and vaccumed the living room and the only room that is still clean is the living room. My kids spilled jelly and syrup and juice all over the kitchen floor at diner, the messed up the toy room and it is a total mess. I just don't know what to do. Any ideas?

raeanna74

I"m a SAHM with an in-home day care. We have just a 2 bedroom apt so no toy room even. I do hear ya as for the messes. Most of the time I find I can keep up with the basics. My laundry is my hardest area because as long as it's clean I know I can function. So the clean clothes just sit in baskets in our bedroom. My daughter is 3 (almost 4 - July) and is learning to help clean up stuff. But there are 2 little girls that I babysit full time who are 2 yrs old and 2 (almost 3 - June). So they aren't quite as capable of cleaning but VERY capable of making messes. There are some times when I feel overwhelmed. Usually then I'll get something out that I know they find engaging and just let the mess build. It's a bear to clean up but I know I need a break. I keep certain toys put away even when I have the older kids and use them as "emergency" toys. They are for when the kids are acting up, a bit cranky, or the mess is building to unbearable levels. Then if it's the mess I will encourage them - we can do "such and such" if you will help me clean up. Then as soon as the worst part of the mess is cleared (mainly toys) I will let them sit down to play.

With drinks and things I keep those little plastic cups with lids that you get at restaurants for the kids. Not the kid from fast food but the hard plastic like from Applebees or such. Those I use for the kids 5 and under mostly. It helps keep down with the spills. Either that or I use sport bottles for the kids. The older ones don't mind the kind of individual bottles that you get gataraid in. I just save then, wash them, and refill them with koolaid, juice, or even milk.

I don't have a big kitchen so it's easier to keep the floor clean. I have a drawer full of rags. Washrags that are stained beyond recognition. I'll wet one of those and just spot clean if I don't have time for the whole floor. We have a cat and so I keep one of those mini dustbroom and pan in the bathroom cupboard for sweeping up her litter that gets on the floor.

I use Goo Gone like it's going out of style. It gets everything off from grease, to ink, to marker, and crayon. Cleaning places like the vent over the stove or the back of the stove is a breeze with it. Spray it on, let it sit a sec, and the grease should just wipe off.

With our apt being so small I keep an area in our diningroom/living room that is designated for toys. I don't worry if that looks cluttered so much. I usually try to keep them out of my daughter's room even though she has a lot of toys in there. If they want a toy they bring it out here to play with usually. It keeps her room halfway clean. Also our bedroom is almost always off limits.

There are just time to sit back and let the storm blow. I gotta let mess happen. Not taking a defeatest attitude but not being compulsive either about messes. Get creative. Get organized. The more organized I find myself the less mess I end up with. If the kids know where things go it's easier for them to put it back. (Don't let them fool you into thinking they can't figure it out either. ) It's hard and very frustrating.

Do you have a park close by? Or a nice yard to play in? Take them there for a couple hours. Or sometimes I've even taken the kids to BK or McDonalds, gotten a couple sodas or icecream and let them just play for an hour or two. It gives them lots to do and when you're done and ready to come home there's no mess at home from those past 2 or 3 hours. I've done that a lot if I know I have something special in the evening that I want to keep the house clean for. Makes the day much less work.

I hope something here gives you some ideas. I feel your pain and I'm in the same constant struggle. Plus I plan to start homeschool/preschool next fall. I'm sure that will be a new challege of it's own.

__________________
"Always learn the rules so that you can break them properly." Dalai Lama
My Karma just ran over your Dogma.

sexymama

When my son was just a few weeks old and it was time for me to head at the door for school and he needed my attention, I was freaking out because the bed wasn't made. At that time I took a deep breath and let go. I realized that time with him was much more important then the bed being made.

Here is one of my favorite emails:

"Dusting - 'A house become a home when you can write 'I love you' on the furniture.'

I can't tell you how many countless hours that I have spent CLEANING! I used to spend at least 8 hours every weekend making sure things were just perfect - 'in case someone came over.' Then I realized one day that no one came over; they were all out living life and having fun! Now, when people visit, I find no need to explain the 'condition' of my home. They are more interested in hearing about the things I've been doing while I was away living life and having fun. I f you haven't figured this out yet, please heed this advice.

Life is short, enjoy it!

Dust if you must, but wouldn't it be better to paint a picture or write a letter, bake a cake or plant a seed, ponder the difference between want and need?
Dust if you must, but there's not much time, with rivers to swim and mountains to climb, music to hear and books to read, friends to cherish and life to lead.
Dust if you must, but the world's out there with the sun in your eyes, the wind in your hair, a flutter of snow, a shower of rain. this day will not come around again.
Dust if you must, but bear in mind, old age will come and it's not kind. And when you go -- and go you must -- you, yourself will make more dust!"

Yes, my house stays very clean. (I've never been able to completely let go.) But I've learned a lot about loosening up. My children and my love come first. They help with the chores and I no longer obsess over it being done perfectly. The bed often goes unmade -- but (hopefully) my children never go unloved.

__________________
If you can go deeply into lovemaking, the ego disappears. That is the beauty of lovemaking, that it is another source of a glimpse of god

It's not about being perfect; it's about developing some skill at managing imperfection.

:::OshnSoul:::

There's no such thing as keeping a house clean- unless you have a maid. I am cleaning daily, whether it be dishes, garbage, clothes, sweeping, vacuumin...........and it's endless. And not a half hour after I actually "clean" thoroughly, it's messy again. But afterall I do have a 4 yr. old son and a husband. I don't stress out about it, I just enjoy life and keep it at least clean for health reasons (while not sparkling 7 perfect 24/7).

amonkie

If the kids messes are what get you the most, I've found the time I've spent with those younger than 5, just to keep the mess from toys contained to one area during the day. This could be a corner, a bin, maybe the space on the floor covered by a blanket. Before the kids take off for the day or go to bed, actually put all the toys away and straighten. Make it a game and you'll get their help as well, and you can work from there to the "put away after you use" stage. You'll get at least the nighttime of straightness... and most kids I know will put off actually having to get into bed as long as possible.

__________________
Calling from deep in the heart, from where the eyes can't see and the ears can't hear, from where the mountain trails end and only love can go... ~~~ Three Rivers Hare Krishna

ngdawg

If I can get from the front door to the back and not step on anything painful, my job is done.
In the end, it won't be how clean my house is, how much stuff I acquired-it will be the effect I have had in the lives of my children.

raeanna74

Amen and AMEN! It's the whole reason I'm still at home and not at a good high paying job.

__________________
"Always learn the rules so that you can break them properly." Dalai Lama
My Karma just ran over your Dogma.

Polyphobic

Mine's a mess. My wife is not a very clean person and to top that off we are tired from working and raising our 10 month old son. Cleaning now is more like "crap, I can't see the floor" instead of "there's a speck of dirt. Must vacumm". Amazing what having a child does to your priorities.

__________________
<--The great infidel-->

orange monkeyee

I'm 17 and the only thing i can recall as keeping the inside of the house clean was to be let outside like a dog. Our house had a huge backyard that was fenced in ( probably like 65 feet by 45) with a large walnut tree with a swing on it. NExt to it was a huge 10 foot tall 2 story lumber jungle gym with sandbox below it. It was redneck built, but always entertained me and my 3 older sibilings. Give the kids a few buckets of water balloons or something.

Averett

My folks house is a disaster. It drives me nuts.

My place is pretty clean. Its a bit of a mess right now, but nothing that won't be taken care of in about a half an hour.



Amethyst, your kids are old enough to start cleaning up after themselves

__________________
Absence is to love what wind is to fire. It extinguishes the small, it enkindles the great.

sashime76

It's important that both spouses are sharing the house chores loads. I pretty much do everything outside the house, yard, garage, screens, windows, cars. Some of the mentioned chores don't need to be done everyday/week so I also help out inside as much as I can.

Doing dished, laundry and vacuuming are on my list, too. My three year old leaves a trail of destructions but he is leaning to clean up after himself. He is doing quite well and often tells his little brother (13 months) not to make a mess.

Polyphobic

Then you have my wife. A completely messy person. I spend my time attempting to clean up after her and my son.

__________________
<--The great infidel-->

maleficent

I shouldn't admit this to people...

Hello, My name is maryellen, and I'm a messy-holic. Currently, I'm not sure I could tell you what color my living room sofa was, it's covered in so much stuff.

i can't help myself, I've always been like this. but my small apartment with no storage space at all doesn't help me out any.


I spent approximately 35 hours a week at most, in my apartment, I don't want to waste time cleaning. I get in for the week in the wee hours of Saturday morning, at some point I unpack my suitcase, do laundry, and repack my suitcase, frequently stuff never leaves the sofa.

My kitchen windows are always open, while I haven't cooked a meal in there, using anything other than the microwave at best, in more than a year, there's a disgusting coat of grime on everything, because my apartment window faces the parking lot. But if I close the windows all week, then the apartment just gets stale.

I keep saying I'll have a maid in again to keep on top of things, but right now I'd be too embarassed to have one come in until I get it cleaned up. I just need to light a match and move... It'd be easier.

__________________

Derwood

My daughter is 15 months old, and I consider it a small victory just to keep her toys somewhat contained to one area. Dusting is out the window. We have all hard wood floors, which are harder to keep clean, as every little piece of dust and dirt will end up on my daughter's hands and feet. As long as the things that she eats from/around are clean, that's the most basic need. Her high chair, her cups/bowls/spoons, etc.

__________________
"You can't shoot a country until it becomes a democracy." - Willravel

gibingus

keeping things orderly is one thing: i need at least one place that is clutter free so i can rest my eyes and keep some semblance of zen. other than that, we have toys everywhere. our interior design palate of subtle earthtones was overwhelmed by the glaring primary colors of a crayola box before our first child was ever born and it will never go back.

keeping things clean is another thing: i don't worry about dust, but mold and pockets of food that attract bugs are bad news. allergies run in our family, so we have to keep up on that and we also have a dog (his seemingly prehensile tounge is actually a great asset in keeping our feeding area clean). i've bought some pretty hefty air conditioning filters to get dust and dog hair down.

finding time to vaccuum is the hardest, the kids hate the sound of it and no dog likes it. sometimes you just have to bite the bullet.

__________________
if everyone is thinking alike, chances are no one is thinking.

pinkie

We have a pretty good system here. I'm a stay at home mommy at the moment, and I do all the cooking. My husband and daughter do a great job helping around the house, especially in the loading and unloading of dishes department. My daughter seems like she would make a good interior decorator someday. My husband was trained well by his mother.

I try to keep the house in reasonably clean shape, although, sometimes I get a little obsessive about keeping tidy. I'm an artist, but that for me means everything must have it's place. If it's not aesthetically pleasing, then it needs a home. Unfortunately sometimes that home may be the trash. We do make many trips to the Goodwill as well, however.

I'm a collector, so this is sometimes a challenge. My most recent motto is, "Less is more." I also have started a decorating theme, and don't just clutter up the place with unnecessary junk, or knick-knacks like I used to when I was younger. Pictures need to be in frames if they are on the walls, papers, books or mail has a place, and doesn’t just sit in random piles of unorganized chaos.

Orderliness is very important to me, so I'm really big on keeping the sink empty (sometimes even shiny) and laundry consistently circulating. I will not say I have mastered any of these areas, or have them down to a scientific methodical process, but I try.

There is no smoking in my house. I'm big on things smelling good. I have two cats, but you would never know it by the smell of my house. My house has a pleasant odor, I like to just refer to as, "Home."

imkeen

I think everyone needs to take some lessons from 'Clean Sweep' on TLC. Great show. Watch it enough and you'll be inspired to get rid of clutter and crap that you don't use or look at, even if its some gift your late grandma gave you. If its in a box, you obviously don't cherish it as much as you think you do.

I have *3* kids to keep on their chores. Our system is that the kids take care of their own things they make messes with, but like any parent/kid relationship, I think, we're only mostly successful with that. And my 15 month old son is getting good at creating messes, and just beginning to understand putting things back. (Its very cute!) The 10 yr old is the worst, however. We find things of hers *everywhere* around the house, with the promise that 'I'll take care of it later.'

My wife is a weekend cleaner and I'm a weekday pick-er-up-er. So things inevitably pile up for me to sort and organize into piles during the week that we can then deal with actually putting away and cleaning (mop, sweep, vacuum, dust, etc.) on the weekend. I'm trying to convert her into a 'do a little at a time all week so we don't waste our weekend cleaning' type person, but have only been marginally successful. :-) To give her credit, we really only clean, in earnest, once a month, balancing fun weekend activities for the kids and us the other three.

joeb1

I am an ex-military guy. I used to be really anal about cleaning. My wife is a pack rat who must keep everything!

NO.. I mean everything! She collects Snoopy "things" and has since she was a kid. Get this.. our kids will have a fruit snack that came in a snoopy wrapper.

Which they have to save for her.

I am the offical jackass. I throw them away if I see them laying around. I could see saving one that could possibly have some type of meaning to it. But why every freakin one I will never understand. As you can tell... this issue still irks me.

I used to get really upset at the mess. It was just to chaotic. We have four children. I find it is pretty much impossible to keep everything clean. You can drive yourself crazy about this being out of place, or that room is way to dirty.
So now we do our cleaning on the weekends. With pickups during the week...whenever we see too much clutter. It is still an ongoing process to learn how to manage our time and still be proficient at keeping a clean home.

__________________
Disco Duck...

meembo

I was a SAHD and I cleaned like a freak every day -- and one day when the kids were 3 and 1 I stopped, and I've never looked back. The TIME it consumed -- I ignored kids in order to vacuum. never again

__________________
less I say, smarter I am