How to get my house back

So, ever since the boys were born, my house has been one huge pile of mess. I can't help it--I'd rather snuggle my babies than do housework! :lol:

So, now the time has come, as they are 6 months old and taking regular naps and mostly sleeping through the night, to start getting my house back under my own control. I am dedicating each day for the next week or so to a different room and getting it under control one room at a time.

Please, please, please share your strategies for storage/housekeeping/babyproofing/etc.

THANK YOU!!!!

 

I just removed a lot of baby stuff they no longer use, swings, bouncies, floor mats. That helped free up some space and got rid of some clutter. Good luck-

 

I have several bins of toys that we rotate though. It keeps the baby clutter under control. I work outside the home, but on my afternoon's off (2 a week) and on the weekends, I dedicate part of nap time to cleaning. I also clean when the girls are up too... I clean their room after morning nap on Saturday's- I put them together in a crib with toys and dust and vacuum and change their sheets. I dust and vacuum the main living areas while they play sometimes too. I clean the bathrooms on Sunday morning during nap (I clean our shower while I shower!). Having a schedule and not tackling everything in one day has helped me a lot. I also don't stress out if I rest while they nap sometimes because I need a break too. GL!

Oh and after they go to bed every night I clean the whole kitchen. I hate having a dirty kitchen and can't go to sleep without it clean.

 

I try to do it during naps on weekends when DH is home to help. I've also had a mother's helper come once so I could do it during the week, before my MIL came for a long weekend.

 

I swear by F.L.Y. Lady. My advice, check out http://flylady.com/ I think they have a forum somewhere on the site too.

 

I subscribe to flylady and it keeps me doing small things daily and gives me tips! It has you do things for 15 minutes a day in specific rooms!

 

Where's that blushing smiley.

I'm such a dork. I already subscribe to flylady, and half the time don't even read the emails. I'm beyond help, aren't I?

 

I was going to suggest flylady too- although i never open the emails either- LOL! I'm not there yet! I'd like a clean house, and I really do try, but with minimal success. Summer break + 3 kids (and sometimes little friends over) = Messy house
BTW- I'm not sure if I mentioned this before but I LOVE your boys' names!! They were both runner ups for DS before we decided to name him after hubby :good:

 

I started doing my own version of Flylady before I had heard of it, and it's working great for us. OK, my house is not clean, but at least it's respectable. I think the key is to try a few things and do what works for you.

 

Ahem. And when you figure it out, please come organize my house, LOL. You would DIE if you saw it on a daily basis. I do rotate the toys like a PP suggested, but beyond that, we just sort of wing it. I'd much rather play with the babes, and after they go to bed, I'm just too tired -- or selfishly, I just want time for myself. (I'm addicted to Facebook these days -- like I needed another time suck!)

So, we live in perpetual clutter....some day, I'll get it together.

 

QUOTE(Becca34 @ Jul 24 2008, 09:40 AM) [snapback]893807[/snapback]
Ahem. And when you figure it out, please come organize my house, LOL. You would DIE if you saw it on a daily basis. I do rotate the toys like a PP suggested, but beyond that, we just sort of wing it. I'd much rather play with the babes, and after they go to bed, I'm just too tired -- or selfishly, I just want time for myself. (I'm addicted to Facebook these days -- like I needed another time suck!)

So, we live in perpetual clutter....some day, I'll get it together.

Ditto!! I feel the same way!

 

QUOTE(Becca34 @ Jul 24 2008, 11:40 AM) [snapback]893807[/snapback]
Ahem. And when you figure it out, please come organize my house, LOL. You would DIE if you saw it on a daily basis. I do rotate the toys like a PP suggested, but beyond that, we just sort of wing it. I'd much rather play with the babes, and after they go to bed, I'm just too tired -- or selfishly, I just want time for myself. (I'm addicted to Facebook these days -- like I needed another time suck!)

So, we live in perpetual clutter....some day, I'll get it together.


Are you my clone? I read this and thought that I wrote it. Love Facebook. Hate cleaning. Wanna cuddle babies and play with them all day long. Oh, and I go to bed early every night instead of cleaning.

 

I'm so glad I'm not the only one! We have friends and I hate going to their house because its ALWAYS spotless and it makes me feel horrible! I am just coming to the realization that I'm not a good housekeeper. Oh well, as long as I'm a good mommy, that's all that matters!

 

QUOTE(1222mom @ Jul 24 2008, 01:57 PM) [snapback]894119[/snapback]
I'm so glad I'm not the only one! We have friends and I hate going to their house because its ALWAYS spotless and it makes me feel horrible! I am just coming to the realization that I'm not a good housekeeper. Oh well, as long as I'm a good mommy, that's all that matters!



We also have friends who keep an incredibly spotless house. I hate having them over because I feel bad! It's just hard with kids. (They don't have kids.)

I still haven't adjusted to a decent cleaning schedule with the kids. I'm doing good on some weeks just to stay on top of the laundry mountain...oh, I mean pile. I think I'll check out flylady though.

 

QUOTE(Becca34 @ Jul 24 2008, 10:40 AM) [snapback]893807[/snapback]
Ahem. And when you figure it out, please come organize my house, LOL. You would DIE if you saw it on a daily basis. I do rotate the toys like a PP suggested, but beyond that, we just sort of wing it. I'd much rather play with the babes, and after they go to bed, I'm just too tired -- or selfishly, I just want time for myself. (I'm addicted to Facebook these days -- like I needed another time suck!)

So, we live in perpetual clutter....some day, I'll get it together.



QUOTE(1222mom @ Jul 24 2008, 12:57 PM) [snapback]894119[/snapback]
I'm so glad I'm not the only one! We have friends and I hate going to their house because its ALWAYS spotless and it makes me feel horrible! I am just coming to the realization that I'm not a good housekeeper. Oh well, as long as I'm a good mommy, that's all that matters!


I have to say it sounds like you ladies have it figured out. I have to admit I barely use flylady myself, but I have picked up some attitudes from flylady (through my mom whose been having huge success with it) like realizing what's really important in our lives. I love to hear that there are people out there that can separate being a good mother from having a clean house.

Having said that, there are still little things we can do in our homes to help with de-cluttering and stuff like that. Just know that you don't have to do it all at once, and you don't have to be perfect about it either. I mean, my house doesn't seem any cleaner, but at least I'm not stressed out about it like I was. Maybe if I subscribed to flylady I would get somewhere.

 

It is truly hard to keep up with anything when you have two babies. Between what you need to do and what you want to do with the babies, there leaves little time for anything else. I found that when mine were babies, I made it a practice to tidy up as I went along. At the end of the meal I would tidy up the kitchen and around the high chairs before taking the babies out of the high chairs. Then I'd clean off the babies, trun them loose and then hit the chairs last. I did the same thing sort of with bath time. Clean what I needed immediately before or after the bath just as a matter of routine. I tried to pick the toys up at the end of the day, change the bedding in the morning when the girls got up, etc. I kept a soak bucket in their room for very dirty laundry, then I'd take the bucket to the washing machine and dump it right in when I was starting a load.

I was always thinking in terms of do it now because I know I won't be able to come back to it later. My house was never spotless, but it never really got out of hand, either.

 

QUOTE(Vivian @ Jul 24 2008, 06:07 PM) [snapback]894468[/snapback]
like realizing what's really important in our lives. I love to hear that there are people out there that can separate being a good mother from having a clean house.


I am working on the Flylady method also, but it IS hard. Some weeks I do great, other weeks I do nothing at all! I was visiting with my Great Aunt last weekend who is 95 years old and she said, "you know, when my kids were babies I focused on raising them and pretty much let everything else go. And I'm glad I did." Now if that isn't some insight from someone who's almost 100! I'm trying not to get too overwhelmed, but it's hard when you have a MIL who does the white glove test (with her eyes) every time she comes over. I too have those friends/family who have spotless houses and to be honest, it's only when they are coming over that my house really gets cleaned. But when my sister comes over, I don't even think about what it looks like.

 

Ugh. No strategies to share, but I can't wait to read the suggestions you get. I tried to do that flylady thing and just ended up with a mailbox full of unread messages and a slightly cleaner sink. I think there has to be more to it than that? :unsure:

 

QUOTE(EmilyM @ Jul 24 2008, 12:27 PM) [snapback]893779[/snapback]
I started doing my own version of Flylady before I had heard of it, and it's working great for us. OK, my house is not clean, but at least it's respectable. I think the key is to try a few things and do what works for you.


Tell us your secret! I cannot figure out what flylady wants me to do.

 

I try and vaccum once a week, on the weekends, with hubby and older son helping. Bathrooms, maybe once a week. I used to run a cleaning company, so I can power through a room in no time flat. I'll get dh and ds to watch the babes while I clean. Oh and after the babes are in bed at 8Pm, I do a tidy and clean my kitchen. Other than that, I clean before company comes. Sometimes. Hey I have 3 kids,2 big dogs, 6 cats,a rabbit and 3 snakes. Oh and I do childcare for 3 boys part time as well. And my 12yo DS always has friends over.

Tracy

" A house isn't a home unless you can write I love you in the dust"

 

QUOTE(Vivian @ Jul 24 2008, 10:11 AM) [snapback]893624[/snapback]
I swear by F.L.Y. Lady. My advice, check out http://flylady.com/ I think they have a forum somewhere on the site too.



I don't have any advice but I've got to do something as well. This place is a mess, I feel like I Never have time to clean. I might try to follow this website.