Can't seem to keep their house clean! I feel like all I do is sweep the floor, do the laundry, pick up toys...and it never ever ends! I'm washing dishes and my DD is in the bathroom painting the mirror with baby shampoo. I'm cleaning up the baby shampoo and DS is pulling out every toy in the den that I just put away. I'm cleaning up that mess and DD is spilling juice on the kitchen floor ... and the dishes are still half done and now it's dinner time....it never ends. Please tell me your houses are just as messy!

[preciousgiftsmama]

You are NOT alone!! OMG I hate it!! I am a clean freak stuck in a messy house!! Before I had Julia and Ty my house was so clean your could eat off the floor and it always smelled of Windex It was spotless at all times!! Now.....ugh my house life sounds just.like.yours. I feel like a housecleaning failure I cant stand a mess and I permanately live in one....sucks, but I cant help it. I always try to declutter thinking the more I get rid of the more time I will have and less to clean but that for some reason never works either!! Ugh, I dont even want to do DILO sometimes because you all will see my messy messy house!

[Jule'sMomInOR]

Originally Posted by preciousgiftsmama

You are NOT alone!! OMG I hate it!! I am a clean freak stuck in a messy house!! Before I had Julia and Ty my house was so clean your could eat off the floor and it always smelled of Windex

Yep, me too (well actually that was before the dog, which was the beginning of the downward spiral). It's actually gotten to the point where DH stopped complaining, he just learned to expect a messy house! It has not gotten to the point where he started cleaning it himself though. *Sigh*.

[sfarrow3]

Yep..ME Too! I call my babies crumb snatchers, because they leave a trail of crumbs as they walk by....lol...I have no advice what so ever! Caden is getting somewhat better, but that's because I am constantly on him to pick up after himself. My husband is another story who contributes to the mess!! I just had a talk with him last night about it!!

ok, as most of you have probably realized I am a schedule or list type of girl. So I actually use this :http://www.justmommies.com/articles/...11calendar.pdf

Each month I print it out, they have different ones for each month, and do what it says daily. If I do that one thing, plus some laundry and dish's it's been a productive day. I also have a list of the daily cleaning's printed.

I have a dry erase magnetic board and I put them on there in the kitchen.

I kind of feel silly even admitting this but I HAVE to have a list of what to do and when to do it.

Now, my house is NOT spotless, and looks nothing like pre-kids. I do have times when I get behind on things but then I try to make up for it on a different day. I also have recently gave Kaitlyn chore's to do, like emptying the small trash cans, feeding the dog, picking up toys each night, and so on. She also likes putting away the silverware so maybe try to get Grace to help? I know she's only 3, but a lot of those things are actually fun for kids. ha ha

I did make changes to the daily list so it would work better for me though, since we dont have a normal Monday-Friday work week like *most* do.

wow, this got long..sorry!

[sfarrow3]

^^^ yeah caden also has chores he does...but unlike Kaitlyn it's not fun!!!! He moans and cries like a teenager....Sad to say but my baby is lazy! lol

Grace's chores are to pick up her toys and make sure all her shoes are in her bedroom. Simple right....wrong. I spend so much time saying, "Grace pick up your toys." I got so frustrated yesterday I said, "If I have to tell you one more time to pick up the toys in your room I'm going to take everything on the floor to Kid to Kid, sell it, and use the money for starbucks." The little 3 year old going on 13 put her hands on her hips and said, "That's OK I have enough toys, you can have these." After I picked my jaw up off the floor I grabbed a bag, filled it, put her in the car and went straight to Kid to Kid. She cried the entire way so I figured she learned her lesson...and I WILL be using the money for Starbucks! Well, today I told her to pick up her Littlest Pet Shop animals ( I HATE THESE BTW) and she said, lets just take them to Kid to Kid. I swear this child is going to be the death of me!!!

Anyway...way off topic I know..

DH will help clean if I say, "Hey, do the dishes" If I don't point it out that it needs to be cleaned it's like he doesn't even notice.

[mommytokem]

My house is a total disaster it seems like no matter how much I clean it I turn around and its a mess. We are starting school in a couple weeks though and with that comes the "new" chore lists for the kids, I'm adding dishes to ds 1, and they have to have these chores done along with school before they can play, I'm hoping this works because I know it will get worse once school starts, I think there is a VBS next week I may take the older three to and then get some major cleaning done next week.

[Daffodil]

I am SO glad you posted this!!! I get so frustrated how messy my house is!!! Actually, its even worse because I am still unpacking. I get so annoyed because I feel like if there are kids in the house, the house should be super clean and sanitary. But there is always food dropped on the floor and she is always eating old food . Its gross.

Every single day during her nap I work on the kitchen. But its always a huge mess. I clean it, then she comes down, and its a mess again.

This is actually one of the very many reasons I just want to have 2 kids close together and then be done. I'm hoping a few years down the line I can have a very clean house.

LOL Heather, Grace is so funny!!! Kinda reminds me of my brother, and sister and I when we were little. All 3 of us were super messy and lazy, and my mom was a total neatfreak (of course, now I'm a neatfreak, I think being a mom has turned me into one), and she would always try to get us to clean up our rooms. She would say 'Ok, lets see who can do this the fastest?" And we'd all be like "I can't, and who cares anyway?" LOL

Originally Posted by KaiX2Momma

ok, as most of you have probably realized I am a schedule or list type of girl. So I actually use this :http://www.justmommies.com/articles/...11calendar.pdf

Each month I print it out, they have different ones for each month, and do what it says daily. If I do that one thing, plus some laundry and dish's it's been a productive day. I also have a list of the daily cleaning's printed.

That's a great list!!! Like, I never even think to wipe down my kitchen chairs or clean the baseboards...Thanks Shannon! I'm going to try it out!

[sethsmum]

I use my kids as an excuse but I'm just messy. I try to clean but I hate, its really boring! Luckily Chris is a bit OCD about it so he will do stuff. To be fair, it is much easier to clean when the boys are out. They seem to cause destruction wherever they go, so there is always some mess where they have been. There is currently a purple hand print on Seth and Caspars bedroom wall because they use their blo-pens to paint themselves... I give up!

[shockandawe]

I'm with you. It's taken a storage pod and 7 straight days of having the Nanny started on half days to get through this house and clean it top to bottom to get ready for the real estate agent this weekend. My back is broken and I feel like I've lost 20 lbs with this cleaning, but it feels so good.

hehehehe...now it's the nanny's job to keep it up! mwahahahahaha.
I'm being sarcastic, but I'm sure happy to be sharing the cleaning load with someone finally. DH just won't do it without 8 sticks of lit dynamite strategically positioned to reinforce the cleaning powers of Mr. Clean.

[ElizabethS]

Originally Posted by KaiX2Momma

ok, as most of you have probably realized I am a schedule or list type of girl. So I actually use this :http://www.justmommies.com/articles/...11calendar.pdf

Each month I print it out, they have different ones for each month, and do what it says daily. If I do that one thing, plus some laundry and dish's it's been a productive day. I also have a list of the daily cleaning's printed.

I have a dry erase magnetic board and I put them on there in the kitchen.

I kind of feel silly even admitting this but I HAVE to have a list of what to do and when to do it.

Now, my house is NOT spotless, and looks nothing like pre-kids. I do have times when I get behind on things but then I try to make up for it on a different day. I also have recently gave Kaitlyn chore's to do, like emptying the small trash cans, feeding the dog, picking up toys each night, and so on. She also likes putting away the silverware so maybe try to get Grace to help? I know she's only 3, but a lot of those things are actually fun for kids. ha ha

I did make changes to the daily list so it would work better for me though, since we dont have a normal Monday-Friday work week like *most* do.

wow, this got long..sorry!

I had to laugh when I read this because you are SO like me. I'm a list/planner/organizer type a personality sort of person lol!!!

[Mama2Owen]

You are so not alone! At any given moment, it looks like the toy box exploded in my living room. I vacuum at least twice a day, more lately because it's rained every day for the past two weeks, so my super-shedding dogs are stuck inside. The dishes may be piled in the sink, waiting for me to unload & reload the dishwasher. I tidy up the toys & kitchen during nap time, but it seems like they're both a mess again in no time.

[jessanddane]

Ditto to having a mess here too. It's a never-ending battle with Emily and a big, old, lazy great Dane. I am so tired of dog hair!

Thank God! I am so glad I'm not alone. I can NEVER get ontop of this mess. I mean it's 1pm and I have already swept the kitchen floor 5 times!!! Crazy!

[dinamommy]

Yep. Count me in too. My house has much to be desired! I try to keep the kitchen and bathrooms as clean as I can and keep on top of at least the diaper laundry.....the rest, well...... My life is pretty crazy right now, though, so that makes it much harder. Right now I'm putting off cleaning out our guinea pigs' cage even though it HAS to be done today!

[dunerchick]

In my experience the less toys they have the less mess you have to clean up (duh lol ) but it seems if I just offer a few toys at a time and rotate my kids will play more with them otherwise they would just tear everything apart and make a huge mess and not really play. ( does that make any sense? Lol). I do the dishes as soon as I use them. I'm not a big nic nak person so that helps with clutter. I have a front load washer with a timer and every night when we all get ready for bed I put all the clothes in the washer and set the timer so they are just getting done as I wake up. Then they go in the dryer while we eat breakfast and then get put away. I have everyone take their shoes off and keep snacks in a easy to reach place in the kitchen. We just lost our two dogs :'-( one from cancer and the other old age but they really kept up on the crumbs I need new puppy! every night when I get the kids to sleepi go in and sweep and mop if needed. Then usually vacuum once a day or every other day. It can be done with little effort if you get a good system in place and de clutter. You can have the cleanest house ever but if its loaded with misc crap you don't use it looks terrible

[dinamommy]

Thanks for this thread. It kicked my booty into gear and I went and cleaned like a mad woman while my little two are sleeping. LOL!

[AmandaEliz]

Originally Posted by jessanddane

Ditto to having a mess here too. It's a never-ending battle with Emily and a big, old, lazy great Dane. I am so tired of dog hair!

I.hate.dog.hair. Seriously, I want to shave my white boxer. The brown one doesn't shed nearly as badly, but Daisy. Shave her & wrap her in plastic wrap. Grrrr. Honestly, laundry is my downfall. We often have a dirty pile & a clean pile. Drives me crazy. Oh & my DH works against me. He'll do big cleaning, but he won't do the little things. He's home 2 or 3 days a week with the kids & it's just chaos. Sigh... vent over.

[Wifenmomalwys]

It's a never ending process here, too.
I can get Andrew to clean up after himself with no problem ususally. Courtney is a totally different story, lol..She fits in the whiney club...And she is 5! So yeah, she is spoiled and lazy too.

DH-He is a unique creature. Like he is OCD about wanting the house to be clean and decluttered. BUT he does not clean up after himself. That annoys the crap out of me!
Ex: when he salt and pepper's his food, he gets it all over the counter and it's left for me to wipe up.
Ex: He works on projects, but leaves the stuff out after he is done.