how organised are you?

mummyyummy_2

anyone got / know of a list of all possible chores/jobs/things to do that I can then adapt for myself?? xx

alyth

thanks mummy, spend the evening researching Shakespear and the book for my critical essay for my exam, that's my way of relaxing!

There is a very anal (even by my standards!) website called flylady, it's an American site and it's been mentioned a few times on the old style website, sorry, I dip into this website on and off but there used to be a thread going on it on that forum, it's all about the fact as long as you have a shiny sink then life is cool!

You have different priorities, you have kids, quite frankly if the floor is mucky but you're having fun with them then who cares whether they go to school in creased clothes, I would say enjoy them whilst they are young! i guess as they get older you can maybe engage them in the chores, as I say I don't have any and my life is very different to most people, I think I have some sort of ADHD because I love the regimented lifestyle I have, and I'm 39 today! But it gives me structure, I kind of admire those with kids that have to go with the flow, it's not for me, I would have thrown myself under a truck the first time a child mashed a banana into my sofa as I watched my brother's kid doing last weekend (!) but live is too short to worry about dust bunnies!

Sounds as if you have enough going on as it is, if you get a chance one night then google something like "housework list", that came from the top of my head, I spent far too much time googling weird things, the most important thing I guess is that you and your kids are happy, they are not starving, you have fun, and that you have time to yourself.

juby_2002

hi,
i always seem to be doing one thing or another.

daily,after the school run ill come home and = make beds, tidy bedrooms, clean bathroom (OH is as bad as DD (5) at getting toothpaste everywhere), tidy living room, clean couch, hoover room, wash up, sweep and dis-infect kitchen floor.

weekly = polish upstairs, hoover upstairs, power foam the bathroom, change bedding, hoover hall+stairs. polish room and buff the couch. in the kitchen i clean all tiles and wipe all the cupboards and fridge etc. basically give the house a good going over.

monthly= do windows, clean inside the kitchen cupboards, wash curtains and cushion covers.

i do the cooking as well.

i do the washing as and when it needs doing as well as mowing the lawn.

weekends i hate as im trying to clean up DD and OH are running about wrestling, having pillow fights, messing about with various toys and un-doing everything i do basically, it really gets on my nerves (im a bit ocd:p)

what particular annoys me is that we have got tab top curtains and each of the `tabs` has to have the same amount of gap inbetween them, i will spent a good hour sorting them out and then OH will come and knock them all out of place while grabbing the cord to close the blinds:mad:. i will then stop whatever im doing and sort them out, OH sits on the couch watching me thinking im crazy (im not am i?) while i grunt expletives at him:D.

mummyyummy_2

juby_2002 wrote: »

hi,
i always seem to be doing one thing or another.

daily,after the school run ill come home and = make beds, tidy bedrooms, clean bathroom (OH is as bad as DD (5) at getting toothpaste everywhere), tidy living room, clean couch, hoover room, wash up, sweep and dis-infect kitchen floor.

weekly = polish upstairs, hoover upstairs, power foam the bathroom, change bedding, hoover hall+stairs. polish room and buff the couch. in the kitchen i clean all tiles and wipe all the cupboards and fridge etc. basically give the house a good going over.

monthly= do windows, clean inside the kitchen cupboards, wash curtains and cushion covers.

i do the cooking as well.

i do the washing as and when it needs doing as well as mowing the lawn.

weekends i hate as im trying to clean up DD and OH are running about wrestling, having pillow fights, messing about with various toys and un-doing everything i do basically, it really gets on my nerves (im a bit ocd:p)

what particular annoys me is that we have got tab top curtains and each of the `tabs` has to have the same amount of gap inbetween them, i will spent a good hour sorting them out and then OH will come and knock them all out of place while grabbing the cord to close the blinds:mad:. i will then stop whatever im doing and sort them out, OH sits on the couch watching me thinking im crazy (im not am i?) while i grunt expletives at him:D.

hahahaha, ur not crazy no but u r funny!! :T:jYou do do an awful lot of housework-well for my poor standards anyway. thankyou for joining in, these are definately the kind of ideas I wanted, now I need to try and 1) sort my house out to a kinda cleanish standard 2) make a daily/weekly/monthly list that I can try and work from.

TBH I used to be like you about my tab tops too, but now Im lucky if they even got opened!!!
x

homeaway

I have three teenagers and they meant to have set chores, ie unloading dishwasher, helping to cook and putting washing on. The only problem is that they all like to cook, sometimes do the dishwasher and hate doing the washing
I would start by having a clear out of any clothes and toys that are no longer used, i am always amazed at how much i get rid of and i do it every six months or so( but they are still growing). I try and do room by room, the kids rooms are sometimes easier to do when they are not around to tell you that they need that sweet wrapper etc... Once it is all tidy then it takes a lot less time to clean.
I do the windows as and when they need doing.
Kitchen gets done every day, sides get wiped, floor brushed and moppped if needed.
I find doing the ironing as it is washed helps me as it only takes around fifteen minutes and it is not building up.
I put the washing machine on as i get up in the morning so that i can hang it up before i go to work. If i need to do another load then i do that when i get home. I put the dry washing away when i get home from work and do the ironing. Beds get changed at wknd when i have more time. Kids have to do theirs with some help.

Dishwasher goes on after dinner and gets emptied as i am wiping sides down in kitchen in the morning before i go to work. Floor gets mopped when i get home.

Bedrooms and bathrooms get done at weekends when there is more time and everything else has to slot in.

I find that trying to keep things tidy on a daily basis so they dont build up really works for me.
Hope this helps.

juby_2002

mummyyummy wrote: »

hahahaha, ur not crazy no but u r funny!! :T:jYou do do an awful lot of housework-well for my poor standards anyway. thankyou for joining in, these are definately the kind of ideas I wanted, now I need to try and 1) sort my house out to a kinda cleanish standard 2) make a daily/weekly/monthly list that I can try and work from.

TBH I used to be like you about my tab tops too, but now Im lucky if they even got opened!!!
x

wrote down it looks alot, but the daily jobs take me around 1-2 hours depending on if im doing washing etc as well.

i have to do it, OH is useless. i was in hospital last year having my ovaries drilled. when i came home after 2 days i was supposed to rest (the op went wrong). when he came in from work he caught me stood on a stool sorting the curtains out;) and the hoover was out along with my cleaning box.
i tried relaxing on the sofa but i couldnt help noticing the curtains, or the fact the carpets hadnt been hoovered for 2 days, the PILE of washing up and the mountain of dirty socks and underpants infront of the washer, and yes we do have a laundry basket!!!!.

how he thought i was supposed to relax in the mess is beyond me, especially as he knows what im like. he told me off though:o

pulliptears

VERY unorganised, and to be honest I dont really care.

I'm a full time student, 2 kids, OH and an elderly Mum. When I get time to actually stop and think I tend to sit, have a coffee and relax a bit with my OH rather than worrying about a bit of housework, I value our time together much more than a bit of hoovering. The house is far from dirty though
The kids are 12 and 16 so they muck in, each in charge of cleaning their own rooms. 12 year old has her room and kitchen, 16 year old has his room and bathroom. All works quite nicely.

Washing gets chucked in when we get chance, by any of us who happen to notice the basket overflowing. lol

mummyyummy_2

homeaway wrote:

"I find doing the ironing as it is washed helps me as it only takes around fifteen minutes and it is not building up.
I put the washing machine on as i get up in the morning so that i can hang it up before i go to work. If i need to do another load then i do that when i get home. I put the dry washing away when i get home from work and do the ironing. Beds get changed at wknd when i have more time. Kids have to do theirs with some help."

this is my biggest problem, washing and so much of it!! Now, I always do the washing daily at least 2/3 loads a day and always either hang out or tumble depending on weather but thats as far as I get, it never seems to get folded straight away any more or even put away- just 1 huge pile of washing in my kitchen! It always seems that every time I go to do it, the baby wants a bottle/change/cuddle etc and I never get back to it, then its school run time, then dinner time, then bath time..i think if i sorted the washing out everything else would seem much easier x (p.s. im eating my brekkie as im on here so im not sitting doing nothing ) x

mummyyummy_2

Just to make it clear, im not one of those people who have to constantly be doing housework and having no fun time with family and kids...far from it, but the reason for my post is i dont even seem to be making time for the most menail of daily tasks that have to be done...like shopping, cooking, dishes, washing, baby bottles etc and my house is just a big dis-organised mess so really I just wanted to tap into other peoples cleaning routines to see if they can help me at all. [i have 3 kids (1 of which is a newborn) and OH works away so I NEED to get organised so i can make time for the better things in life x]

aligerdie

Hi mummyyummy,

I've got 3 little ones, and hubby is away all week, so I know how you feel! DD1 is 6, DD2 is 2, and DS1 is 1.

My house is hectic to say the least, and not that tidy either. I struggle to get my housework done in the day, and at night I'm too exhausted to do anything else!

I dont' iron anymore - it took up too much of time, and after hurting my back a while ago, I find it painful to stand in that position now. I just fold straight, and only iron shirts.
Washing - I have that much to put away, sometimes it piles up before I spend a good hour putting it all away. I've found that taking a pile upstairs everytime I go to the loo etc, means that it doesn't pile up so much.

I have to say that I do sit the little ones in front of the tv for an hour in the morning while I run upstairs and put things away, pick up washing etc, bleach the toilet etc. (bad mum!)

Windows get done when I have time, living room gets hoovered daily, everywhere else weekly. Kitchen surfaces get wiped daily, but blitzed on a weekend.

I found that online shopping was far easier - juggling 2 toddlers and the weekly shopping trip was too stressful. So now my shopping is delivered and that saves me a morning! (and I don't spend so much)

I did spend time worrying about the house, but there's only so much you can do on your own - and you have a newborn too! In the grand scheme of things, it's not hugely important that everything is immaculate, you need to make time for yourself too.

How old are your others? My DD1 is very helpful, and in exchange for helping me with housework, taking rubbish out etc, she gets pocket money every week. £1 a week for helping, and £1 per week if her rooms tidy too. She saves half and spends half.

I could do with some encouragement with my housework too, so if you fancy a housework buddy - here I am!