Housework - with 2 yr old twins....

elff

Any one got any advice for me?

I have been trying REALLY hard to get on top of all the house work today but the twins are making it a nightmare!!

I spent 2 hours in the kids room (twins + a 5yr old) and removed the toy box and sifted through all toys cuddley toys etc... looked nice went and got washing on from line and i am sure they have thrown a party in there!!

I have just spent aged cleaning slimfast powder of no. 1 twin and while we were in the bathroom no 2 twin has pulled my neatly folded washing from the sofa and kicked it about the room as well as emptied the toy box looking for a helicopter.

stairgates are NOT working the boys have huge upper body strength and can happily pull them selves up and over a gate:mad: I have about 4hrs of ironing to do which i can't when the kids are awake as they pull on the lead / drag the hangers/ clothes about etc hubby is getting really stroppy as the house is nearly always a mess when he gets home and he wants me to sit down with him for the evening when i know i have sooo much to do.

We live in a 2 bed ground floor flat with a little garden if that helps (the twin's rarley play together and if they do it genrallys ends in tears after 5 minutes) they get up at 6 and go to bed at 7 -730 and havent had a nap since they turned 1..

there just dosnt seem to be ebough hours in the day

Doozergirl

Become a flybaby!

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/3232810

Rome wasn't built in a day. Lots and lots of moral support, the feeling that you're not alone and a list each day to tick off and feel like you've achieved something

puddy

drop the ironing, why people do it i will never know

how old are your twins

sorry, ive just realised its in the title!

they are old enough to occasionly enjoy a game of clearing up, but also your partner cannot expect that with 3 toddlers the house is spick and span and you have time to sit down with him. he doesnt have time to sit down in the evening as he should come home and help out with stuff

elff

Thanks for the replys i will have a look at the flylady link.

I have at least managed to pull the kids beds out and tidy/hoover underneath them and managed to hoover our room so at least he can 'see' i have done somthing when he gets home.

On the rare occasion he has them for a few hours he just ignores them and cleans the kitchen... I say clean he will load the dishwasher and throw things in a cuboard (that i have to get out sort through and put away in teh propper place) so he dosn't see why i have a problem i am sure he believes me and the boys watch daytime telly all day long:mad::mad:

Absolutely

...I feel your pain! I had a 14 month old daughter when my twin boys were born. 3 children under 2. Nightmare.

The one single piece of advice I was given by a Social Worker was "lower your standards". Seriously, joking apart, she was right. I had 3 children, a husband (now ex) that worked full time and he expected a spotless house, but when he looked after the kids the house was a sh*t-tip! And that was just for an hour or two!!!! Never mind all day.

I realised I didn't NEED to spend 4 hours ironing. I NEEDED to iron the clothes for the next day, that was it. Takes 10 minutes. The other stuff can be put away until it's needed. I used to say to ex "what do you need ironing for tomorrow?" and then do it. No complaints there.

My new mantra is "shut the door/drawer and forget about it". I used to try to keep the kitchen cupboards and the clothes all orderly and pressed and folded, only to find one of my little tikes had had a field day and messed it all up so now I shut the drawers, and forget about it. My pans and pots are all over the place, but we manage. Plus, now the kids are getting older, it's all getting easier and some semblance or order is returning.

It's taken me a long time to get on with this way of thinking as I'm a Virgo (Perfectionist), but since I've let go a bit, it's working just fine.

Good luck. Parenting is hard. Parenting with twins is hard. Parenting with twins plus 1 is hard. lol. Anyone with more than 3 children is deserving of an medal IMHO!

WestonDave

4 hrs ironing - are you mad! The only thing that gets ironed in our house is shirts, and then only if the tumble drier hasn't made them look OK (and I do my own! - five shirts for a week = 25 minutes tops).

Forget trying to get the house tidy for oh probably at least a year. Until they are old enough to be reasoned with, they will simply make mess as fast as you can clear it up. The best you can hope for is to confine their free play to one room so that you just have that one room to clear up. That said we followed on from the lunchtime nap with lunchtime rest time - which now they are 6 and 4 means 30-45 minutes playing quietly in a room on their own. They don't really need it (although sometimes it is good downtime for them) but it does give us a chance to talk without being interrupted or get on with jobs whilst they aren't expecting interaction, which in turn frees more of the rest of the day for us to spend with them.

Practically speaking I'd be tempted to spend all day wearing them out with no TV on, and then let them have CBeebies bedtime hour while you clear up. Your OH need to get a perspective on this - with 2 two year olds the best you can hope for is basically clean and maybe the lounge looking tidy and even then he probably needs to chip in with this especially if he is coming in after you have got the kids to bed.

daveyjp

4 hours ironing - stop now. Just iron what really matters. In our house it's 5 shirts and 5 polo shirts for my daughter - 20 minutes a week. Everything else out the dryer, folded put away and worn again.

Absolutely

The people above talk sense! :T. Ironing is wasted time.

And if you don't have a tumble dryer, put it all away creased. And then enjoy the extra time with your kids.

sukysue

I tumble dried everything and got it straight out of the dryer and folded/hung it all up I ended up doing barely any ironing atall. I also used to take them to nursery /mums and toddlers about 3 times a week to try to get us all out of the house and let them mess somewhere else up. I used to take it in turns for visiting friends with kids and we used to find the more kids the merrier they played together and let us get 10 mins to ourselves. I also lowered my standards if we were all dresssed and fed did it really matter about all the rest after all said and done they are tiny for a small time just chill and enjoy surrender to the moment! Good luck m'dear .Oh yes and I discovered my slo cooker abs marvelous device !

4_kids_and_counting

glad to here their are other people out their like me i have children 6, 4, 2 and 3 months and the baby is likes to be carried around constantly!!! i end up doing things with one arm and a toddler dangling off my leg!!! but dont worry were all in the same boat as long as the meals are cooked, you do a load of washing a day or every other day, minimal cleaning will get you by with help from the flylady thread! my advice to you is ask for help if you need it and give youself time off after 7 30 pm

Sambucus_Nigra

elff wrote: »

I have at least managed to pull the kids beds out and tidy/hoover underneath them and managed to hoover our room so at least he can 'see' i have done somthing when he gets home.

Seriously - I'd feed them on whatever makes them hyper and disappear for an evening and leave him to it if he's so perfect.

Doesn't he ever have them for a full day? This needs to happen or he will never appreciate what you do.

The above comment made me very angry for you!