How do you people get motivated?

vivw_2

Mics_chick wrote: »

I think my 2 biggest problems are my total lack of organisation and wanting to do everything straightaway so I feel overwhelmed and give up before I start :rolleyes:
I think I will start with the one day a week thing and see how it goes from there

How are you getting on?

Mics_chick

vivw wrote: »

How are you getting on?

I started well coz I did a bit of baking and it went down well with the family

I lost it a bit after that coz first we were both a bit unwell and then we were quite busy but it's still at the forefront of my mind and I'm definitely going to get back on the bandwagon coz my dd is back to school tomorrow

Thank you for asking Viv :kisses3: it means alot to know someone is interested
Gail

smiler34

Hi all, so here's the situation basically I have a 3 year old, and 18 month old and I am 3 months pregnant. Ever since OH and I moved in together I have been pretty damn useless at keeping up with anything house work related (i.e. ironing, washing, drying, hoovering, cleaning bathroom, sweeping, mopping, changing bedding etc) It's got to the point now where I am sick of my OH complaining bout mess and my kids having to wear un-ironed clothes. I was just wondering if anyone could give me some advice on the best way to establish a routine. I will probably have to do washing and drying every day. Was just wondering if people find it easier to just leave a whole day for cleaning, or if it's easier to break it up and do it over a few days? Also how often do people do things like changing bedding etc? I'm just so sick of making excuses why I can't or don't keep up with housework. Also I'm probably gonna have to do a deep clean next weekend as you can imagine the house is in a pretty poor state so don't really know where to start with that either, suppose I will just have to start from the bottom and work my way up lol. Thanks in advance for any help xx:D

Pink.

Hi smiler,

Have a look at the Weekly Flylady thread. This week's is here

There are daily lists posted as guidelines and they cater for different levels. That is the best place on Old Style to get motivation and support with housework and decluttering so I'll add your thread to that one later.

Pink

annie123

Don't be too tough on yourself, thats hard work with 2 little ones and your bump.
Can your OH not offer to help rather than just criticise is my first thought.

When my son was small I did this:
saturday as a clear up/clean up day along with batch cooking..son got involved to 'help':rolleyes:
Sunday was time with my son and 1 hours of ironing...everything we would need for the week.

never had time to do anything before going to work, all I could do to get to nursery and work on time, but I did do bits in the evening whilst dinner was cooking, put a wash on, wipe surfaces etc I could get quite a bit done in the 20 mins or so whilst doing dinner.
The nursery taught him 'toys away time' which was great as he did it automatically before going to bed:D

I'm sure others will be along with lots of ideas.

Olliebeak

Two kiddies under the age of four and another one on the way - no wonder you struggle to keep on top of things, smiler! ((((((hugs))))))

Does your OH give you a hand around the house? Cos he certainly should do - even if he's working outside the home!

I have to admit to not being one for ironing - I dry as much as possible flat so it doesn't need it :rolleyes:. You will probably find that you need to wash one load everyday - maybe a load of whites one day, a load of coloureds the next, then a load of darks! I give things a good shake and then hang over the bars of one of those indoor airers (used to do this when my kids were little - including nappies for two of them for a couple of years!). When the weather is good - hang stuff outside to dry. On really good 'drying days' try to do two loads of washing and you may find yourself with the occasional 'laundry-free day' :j.

Little ones have bulky toys, so you're not going to be able to keep the place really tidy during the day - so don't beat yourself up about it. Keep a large box handy and chuck everything in it once they're in bed . A travel-cot makes a good 'play-pen' and helps to confine kids to a 'safe area' when you're trying to cook a meal or doing something with a mop/bucket/vaccuum cleaner. Baby-gates are also useful to keep kids away from the kitchen and stairs.

Concentrate on the really important things like making sure your worktops and floors are kept as hygienic as possible. The fly-lady thread on here is good (just avoid the fly-lady website or you'll end up like me and feel totally inadquate ).

As regards changing the bedding, you'll probably find that the kids bedding needs changing more often than yours does. They're either puking or piddling on a regular basis so theirs will just get done as a matter of routine. How often yours needs changing depends on a few things. Do you both bathe/shower before bedtime? If so, then sheets won't need changing every week if the weather isn't good enough for drying properly. Do the kids ever get into bed with you - then, as with their own, they often leave their very own reason for why yours will need changing .

If OH complains, show him where the washing machine/soap powder/fabric conditioner are and how to switch the darn thing on :rolleyes:.

I'm sure you'll manage fine - it just takes a little getting used to - AND a sorting of priorities. Some things are just more important than others .

Butterfly_Brain

Phew! You must be exhausted.
I would definitely get OH involved with helping out or even better prove to him just how hard it is. Go out for the day with your mates and leave him in charge they are his children too and see how he copes - I think it might open his eyes.
Do your little ones have a nap during the day? A lot can be done in an hour
Better still do you have friends or family close by who could come in and help
There is no shame in admitting things are too much sometimes
Nobody is a perfect housewife if they have small children so cut yourself some slack and enjoy them now - better happy kids in an untidy home than unhappy kids in a house where they can't play for fear of making a bit of mess

Hawthorn

Aw bless ye!

I'm not a born organised type either.....much to my mums consternation - she and my sister, well, things naturally stay tidy for them LOL.

What works for me is doing it in short bursts. Ten minutes at a time (it's amazing what you can get done in ten minutes if you just get on with it)
Never go upstairs empty handed - take something up that needs to go up (usually clothing when you have kids!)
My washer goes on twice a day, minimum. I don't let it build up because otherwise it's too much to handle.
Waiting for the kettle to boil? Wipe a surface down, put some dishes away, wash a few dishes.
All of these things add up, over time. Some take two minutes, but make a HUGE difference, and it's not so daunting as tackling a whole house on one cleaning day
Another thing I do is grab a bag (it used to be a binliner.....it's downgraded to a carrier now, yay) and throw stuff. Five minutes, walk through the house, and anything you find that is broken/rubbish goes in and out of the house.

I bet you'll find it less stressful doing it this way. Doing a whole day is impossible when you have little ones, and by the end of it you'll be tearing your hair out. Plus, you need to rest. Ten minutes, then put your feet up.
I don't do any longer than this unless I'm really into it, and my house is fine (with four kids!) If I don't finish a job, I leave it for the next ten minute shift LOL. Everything you do, improves it, just a little
Flylady thread on here is also great for giving you ideas of what to do - and it's great to note down on there when you've finished a task.
I kind of do ten minutes on, ten minutes off (or at least that's the idea) but more often than not it ends up ten minutes of housework, cup of tea, half hour of MSE.......you get the picture LOL.
Meals - for now, stick to basic, nutritional meals. They don't have to be worthy of masterchef Quick and easy, until you get things in order. Rome wasn't built in a day, remember.
As the house gets more organised, you'll need to do less each day, and then you'll be able to dedicate more time to food prep.
Don't expect to do it all in one go though, or you'll get discouraged, feel like a failure and give up.
Remember, every little thing you do, is an improvement.

Good luck!

irishwexford

This reminded me of when I had three young children. OH did not moan about the mess but my in laws used to drop hints. I did as much as I could but at weekends we always went out for the day, even in winter we would walk along the beach. These are the things I remember now and I'm glad I did it. My ironing basket used to climb up the wall and the cooking was like a conveyor belt but always found time to take children to park and beach with friends. I was never organised but we got through it all and when I had an empty nest I missed them so much. Do what you can but enjoy your little ones as time goes so quickly and suddenly they are gone. Looking after three young children is much harder than going out to work so try and find some time for yourself in all this and do not try to be perfect.
This is not what you are asking I realize but just letting you know my experience.

Hawthorn

You know IrishWexford, that takes me back to my own childhood, somewhat. Mum and dad both worked, but when they were at home, it was all clean, clean, clean. We did go out, but not often.

In comparison to my grans, who my mum said is not a housewife......the house always seemed clean and tidy(ish) to me? The FUN we had there. There was always something to do, and because my nan didn't obsess about cleaning, least not whilst we were there.....and we were there a lot, somehow, that house always seemed more like home. That's where my fondest memories lay.
All I remember from being at home, is kind of 'don't touch that, no you can't have paints in case you spill it, no you can't have play dough, it gets stuck in the carpet, put that away, tidy that up, wash that dish'
At my nans, I was given a HUGE old fashioned paint box (remember those, in the tins?), a homemade easel and left to paint to my hearts content LOL. We were allowed to cut up cardboard boxes and make car race tracks, and when I had this little obsession with cutting things into tiny triangles, my gran gave me a pair of scissors, a couple of polystyrene egg cartons and sat with me whilst I went at it for a couple of hours!
Even now, as an adult, I know where I would rather be

Now I must admit, it drives me NUTS when the kids make a mess of the living room with toys, but at least they can play, and that's what it's all about, being a kid. So, I just get a coffee, turn on the blinkers to the mess, and sit with them. It'll tidy later