How do you do it?

mummyroysof3

some very good sugestions on here so far...glad to see someone cleaning their bathroom walls with a mop

do you have a spare room you can get ready for bed in or even get changed downstairs?

when mine were little or for my youngest who wouldnt let me leave the room i had a baby chair, an activity station a door bouncer or their cot to put them in and it ment they could see what i was doing and were quite happy to play while i got stuff done.

maybe try a little list per day, i have simple things on it like wash pots, hoover etc then add a couple of extras but i dont worry if things dont get done..3 kids, studying, school runs etc all eat into the day. as long as you all fed clean and happy thats whats most important but if the mess etc is getting you down its better to come up with ideas to start towards tackle it than let it get worse xx

marywooyeah

sounds like you're halfway there already mildred! the only other thing I forgot (although you probably have one of those too! :rotfl:) is a big toychest to shove everything in then close the lid so it looks tidy.

I have a "hierarchy" of cleaning. do pots - although you have dishwasher so I think thats a help for you ie one less job to do - then clean the surfaces down then hoover.
hoovering imo is the best chore cos you see the results instantly!
maybe have a hierachy something like dirty dishes go in dishwasher, washing in machine, couple of wipes around the bathroom and kitchen, keep him in his jumparoo so you can run a hoover over the place etc

I also have "places" for everything, ie those books go back on the shelf, those paints go back in the craft tub etc and find that makes it easier to keep on top of.

starrystarry

mildred1978 wrote: »

I wear long lasting makeup that takes quite a bit of effort to remove. Add to that 2 minutes minimum toothbrushing and you've got much longer than 5 minutes to get ready for bed.

If you can find time to put make up on in the morning surely you can find a couple of minutes to take it off in the evening. It takes much longer to put it on that it does to take it off.

viktory

mildred1978 wrote: »

I'd love to see you try and get changed in almost complete darkness when you have no night vision and without waking your sleeping baby when there are piles of things in front of your cupboards.

Get changed in the bathroom - remove your makeup and clean your teeth while you are there - 10 minutes maximum.

I agree with the majority though, you sound depressed. There is a world of difference between only washing the kitchen floor once a month and going to bed dressed and fully made up!

pigpen

Why are you bothering to put on make up if you are staying home all day?

I'd rather spend that time loading the washing machine or dishwasher for example.

Be_Nice

Is your baby in a routine? If they go down at a reasonable time at that age mine were sleeping 7pm-7am, you have all evening to yourself, especially when your husband is away. If they are not I would suggest working on this so that you actaully have some time.

I wouldn't have won any awards for being the greatest housewife when mine were small I had 2 under 2, I am not naturally tidy, so long as its clean a bit of clutter doesn't hurt. I would focus on getting up-to-date in one room at a time, even if it takes all week with an hour here and there, once that room is sorted it shouldn't then take to long to keep on top of it each day whilst moving onto the next one.

As for the bedding, strip the bed as soon as you get out of it and shove it all straight in the machine on your way down to put the kettle on, it takes seconds to put the powder in and press go, you then have all day to transfer it to the dryer, hang it on the line etc.

I think some people are naturally more organised and tidy, for example my sister-in-law keeps her house spotless but it comes at a price, when the kids were small we'd plan to go out to the zoo or something for the day, so I would get up get ready, make a picnic and the housework could wait til later/tomorrow, she couldn't do that she would either get up at 5.00am or wouldn't be able to leave until almost lunchtime meaning you'd miss half the day out and as the children were small you'd have to get back at a reasonable time or they would be tired. Another example would be having a children's birthday party, I would play with the kids have some fun, obviously clean up any spills but the bulk of the tidying would be done after the party, she could never relax though everyone else was playing with the kids and she was always running round sweeping, washing, wiping........

They don't stay babies for long though so enjoy!

Lozzy88

pigpen wrote: »

Why are you bothering to put on make up if you are staying home all day?

I'd rather spend that time loading the washing machine or dishwasher for example.

totally agree with this, put the make up down and change the bedding tomorrow morning;)

mildred1978

marywooyeah wrote: »

hoovering imo is the best chore cos you see the results instantly!

It would be if I could see the carpets!

mildred1978

starrystarry wrote: »

If you can find time to put make up on in the morning surely you can find a couple of minutes to take it off in the evening. It takes much longer to put it on that it does to take it off.

I used to spend 40 minutes each morning putting my slap on. Now it's a flick of mascara (about 10 seconds) and a dab of creme blusher (another 10 seconds) and it helps me to feel human. I don't do it every day but maybe 4 days out of 7 (if I'm expecting a food delivery or a parcel ).

It takes about 3 minutes to get the mascara off.

Be_Nice

mildred1978 wrote: »

It would be if I could see the carpets!

That should be your first task, at 10months old little one needs to be on the floor building his/her strength learning to roll/crawl/walk......if nothing else gives you the motivation your baby's well being should.