struggling to get stuff done

Hi--
my kids are 2.5, and while things have gotten steadily easier I still find that I never manage to get anything done. I find that when it is me & the kids I am too busy with them to clean the house, put laundry away etc. It isn't that I won't leave them alone to play - it's just that at this age I find they want/need me way before I can accomplish anything. When my DH is home I find we get busy doing family stuff instead of chores... Sometimes I will sneak away but usually my DD is screaming for me within 10 min no matter how much DH tries to distract her. Just wondering should I just accept that this is how it is at this age? Or does anyone have any tips for managing things better? I hate to have to end up doing it in the evenings as I am exhausted by then, but my house constantly looks like a storm just blew in!

 

I don't have many suggestions since I tend to just let it go more often than I get things done - but I do let them "help" me with things like laundry, picking up toys, and even cooking if I can think of something simple for them to do. If I am folding clothes I will send one with one shirt to put in a specific drawer, or a pair of socks to put in a basket, etc. and while they are off completing their task I can get a lot of folding done. If I need to get something done that they can't help with I either bring out a toy or activity that I know will keep them engaged and distracted - coloring, play dough, or puzzles for mine - or I find that out of sight, out of mind works pretty well and if I just go and do whatever it is and leave them with dh they may whine for a bit or ask to come with me but once I am away they forget pretty fast that they wanted me there and I have made it a point that no amount of whining or crying will bring me back! Honestly, though, we have gotten used to stepping over and around toys and whatnot and usually only do a sorta pick-up most days (when they help and put things in the bins where they know that things go) and a real clean maybe once a week!

 

I was the same way when my girls were that age. They constantly needed my attention and I couldn't get anything accomplished til the evening. On the bright side when they got closer to 3 that all stopped and they became a lot more self sufficient. Now they occupy themselves most of the day leaving me with much more free time to get things done.

 

Mine are only a month older than yours, and I feel your pain! I haven't been caught up on laundry since they were born! :lol: I keep the kids clothes folded and put away for the most part, it's mine that's in a big clean "mountain" in front of my closet! I do try to get the kids to help, and my older kids have chores to help out. As for the toys, we do a clean up before everyone goes to bed, and then dh and I finish after the kids are in bed. Our living room is our playroom, so we need to get it cleaned up before bed in case I need to get to the kids rooms over night. Our living room is in the center of the house.

 

At that age I sometimes gated them into the play room if I needed to go up to put laundry away or something for 5 - 10 minutes. They might have called for me but eventually got distracted by a toy or eachother and I would peek over the railing from upstairs to make sure they were okay.

Also, now at 3 y.o. they are really into disney movies and DH has taken the role of after dinner entertainer and they share a "snack" and watch 15-20 minutes of a movie together as their time together (they all enjoy it so I'm not going to stress over the fact that it is t.v. time). And I use that time to clean kitchen, laundry, pack lunches for next day, etc..

Have you tried a DVD. I'm not big on sitting them down in front of a t.v at 2, but we did have some music DVD's they would watch for a few minutes like Laurie Berkner or Toddler Toons that were pretty cute. It might buy you time to get something done!

It does get easier as they get older!

 

I try to get housework done when my baby naps and my 2.5 year old twins watch TV in the morning. It's really the most efficient way for me to get things done. I involve the kids with helping when I can (watering plants, unloading the dishwasher, sorting laundry). There are times when I am able to get some quick chores done while they are playing. At age 2.5 they started playing better on their own, but there are still times when they don't play when together. It think it gets better as they get older.

 

I feel your pain! I try to do things while they are gated in the playroom but inevitably within 5 minutes someone is crying, hitting, biting, fighting. If I try to get them to help me they help for 5 seconds and then start getting into things. I find myself yelling "don't climb on that!" "don't shake the baby" "please don't throw the clean laundry on the floor" etc, etc. constantly if they are in the room with me! I'm looking forward to it getting better with age

 

Thank you = i got some good tips and I am so happy to see that there is light at the end of the tunnel. I will try some of these ideas...and will try not to let it get to me! I keep saying these days that it's kind of like one step forward two steps back - meaning I just finish cleaning something up but while I turned my back an even BIGGER mess was created.