Weekly Flylady Thread 12th April 2010

DadOfTwo_4

Hi there

I have suddenly become a lone parent to two great kids - 14 and 12. I work full time, and am struggling to manage all the household tasks.

I've never had to keep house before and I have some really dumb questions to ask... please bear with me!

How often do you need to do the following kind of things:

Change bedding
Defrost the freezer
Hoover
Wash windows
Wash curtains

I'm sure I'll think of other things.

Also, how do you manage your time? And how do you get the kids involved? Bribery/pay them? What sort of things is it okay for them to do at the age they are?

Please don't send me to flylady - I had a look there and was utterly baffled!

Thanks for your help.

ankspon

change bedding once weekly/fortnightly,defrost freezer when ice starts to build up or get a frostfree one,hoover every other day,windows fortnightly,curtains 4 times a year.This all depends how messy you or your kids are.

hollyh

Hi,

In my slightly elongated HHC i

Put bag of rubbish that DSD had left next to the bin in the bin:cool:
Watered plants
Put washing out
Wm x 1
Opened windows
Made beds
Collected laundry
Washed & dressed Ds2
S & S Bathroom
Sorted recycling
Put dry dishes away
Washed up
S & S Kitchen
The boys tidied & hoovered living room

I'm going to make the boys some lunch now, i'm still full from the fry up my Dad cooked me this morning,:D then we're going out in the garden to enjoy the sunshine.

seraphina

Your kids are more than old enough to pull their weight around the house. I don't believe in bribery for things that have to be done - they should do chores around the house, end of! It's part of being a responsible family member - after all, if you had to be bribed to cook tea where would you all be?

However your parenting style may differ. I would appeal to the kids' sense of fairness- they should see that it's not fair for you to do everything.

A bit of dust and mess won't kill you, I can't remember the last time I washed curtains to be honest! Keep on top of the kitchen on a day-to-day basis and you'll be well away - I mop the floors once a week and that's it. For me it helps to have a list of what we're going to eat during the week so I know I can sling dinner together quickly - I shop for the meals I'm going to cook during the week and then when we get home from work we have a look at the list of meals and see what we fancy.

I've defrosted a freezer maybe 3-4 times in 8 years - it just doesn't need doing unless there's lots of ice build up - it's good to keep a freezer full to keep it working at its best.

Hoovering - get the children to do it, you could alternate every other week?

Bedding - change once a fortnight. If you have a small house drying space can be an issue so you'll need to co-ordinate washes - one child's one week, the other's the next etc.

Just take it as it comes, you'll be fine.

pandora205

I'm also the parent of teenagers and work full time (and study too) so not much time for housework. The key to remaining sane is to involve your children in doing their bit - changing beds and tidying rooms in particular.

Tasks you mention:


change bedding weekly/fortnightly
defrost freezer - never since I bought a frost free one. It used to be every few months
vaccuum and wash floors (I have laminate in lounge/diner and bedrooms) weekly or more if looks bad. I have a vaccuum cleaner that does laminate and carpets, so it is one task.
wash windows: I have a monthly window cleaner. Inside it is done when it needs it (a couple of times a year probably)
Wash curtains - most of mine aren't washable. I sometimes borrow a steam cleaner from a friend and give them a clean that way.

Other stuff:
bathrooms: cleaned thoroughly weekly, with a quick swish most days.
kitchen: cleaned and cleared every day. I keep surfaces clear so thats easy, and wipe up marks when they happen. I have a dishwasher which is a godsend.
polishing/wiping: weekly for downstairs, about fornightly upstairs. I've given up with sprays and use either a microfibre cloth (wet or dry) or feather duster for laminate stuff (bookshelves, desk etc.). I use beeswax on my wood furniture.
Oven and hob are cleaned immediately. I use a George Foreman grill which is easier to clean that grill pan.

I use Stardrops for most cleaning (floors, surfaces - spray, windows, car). It saves having loads of bottles of stuff.

I'm not particularly house proud but don't like dust or untidiness. The biggest problem is clutter not cleaning! I've tried to be as labour saving as I can be in the house, though my taste for old-style cooking tends to generate more work than it might.

Re. kids helping - they seem to be more reluctant the older they get. I've started doing a system of one lift=half an hour's helping (my son has his own part time job so doesn't get pocket money any more). Today, DS is hopefully doing an hour in the garden helping me - otherwise, no more lifts! It works a treat.

MrsChaos

[STRIKE]go out to get new garden bench and other bits and pieces (must make list)[/STRIKE]
[STRIKE]drop bags of at charity shop on way
[/STRIKE][STRIKE]plant heathers and check on plants/seeds[/STRIKE]
[STRIKE]swap benches around/sweep[/STRIKE]
school work

Oh dear... We had a lovely day, though. DS2 and I didn't get back from our outing until 4pm and then I spent a couple of hours in the garden, as it was such a beautiful day. DS1 and friend put my cheapy greenhouse together - it's now in the dining room by the window and all plants have finally disappeared out of the kitchen. Also went out with DH last night, so we had a lie-in this morning.

Jobs for today (at least it's overcast, so the garden isn't as tempting):
finish building new bench - to be delegated, if possible
get a cover for it
cook tea
laundry
SCHOOL WORK
get DS1 to do some jobs in his room
do some homework with DS2

Friend/colleague is still stranded on Lanzarote - I wonder whether so many teachers are in a similar position that we can't open school... Must ring other friend/colleague. She's 'senior management' and may have more info...

Hope everyone has a nice end to the weekend/holiday, all BDs can be banished and missing get-up-and-goes turn up.
Will have a quick coffee and turf DS1 out of his bed. His fault for having such a late night.

Pollybear

I've edged two borders out the back, very hot in the sun. Some washing brought in and I've got the throws from the settee in the wash now.

Just put the roast potatoes in.

Lindy_-_Loo

hiya, i've got two boys aged 2 and 4 and trying to get them to tidy up is hard enugh!

I clean the bathroom each morning and then do it really well once a week.
due to having cats I hoover daily (including the front room curtains), mop once or twice a week.

As some of the others have said wipe your kitchen down daily and keep on top of it.

I tend to use washing machine daily, or 6 times a week if I'm lucky!

I clean inside the windows fortnightly and OH is meant to do the outside on his day off work - still hasnt happened this year!

I'm a full time stay at home mum so I've got more time than you.

Make sure you get some time to sit down each day - dont let the housekeeping take you over xx

They_Were_Up_In_Arms

Gooooooood afternoo n to all the flyladies :cool:

Looby_Lou

I have a chart that I made with the weeks along one side and a list of jobs along the other side, some jobs may be done weekly others monthly. I then tick the jobs off when I've done them. For me it helps me to remember the jobs that are not daily.

I would suggest

• make a list of jobs and deciding how often you want to do them. If you are not in the house very often and everybody takes their shoes off when they come in, then vaccuuming can be done once a week all over and more often in messy areas. Start off with what you think is possible - there's no point in making stress for yourself
• Look at doing a meal plan and ordering your food etc on line
• Get a notebook for the kids/you to write down anything that you will need to get at the next shop
• At 12 & 14 the kids are capable of doing most housework. I would suggest that at a minimum they should be keeping their bedrooms tidy (although their standards will be different from yours:D) I also have a rule that clothes not put in the washing basket will not be washed.
• Talk to the kids, can you do a deal where pocketmoney / extra pocketmoney is available for doing certain jobs
• If you can afford it, look at getting a cleaner in - the time could be better spent with your kids doing something more interesting/fun. In fact I think that spending time with your kids is far more important than having a spotless house and curtains that are washed 4 times a year. The kids won't remember that windows are mucky, they will remember football matches/ days out/ help with homework. You don't have that much more time before they will be leaving home, make the most of it!