The holidays were especially brutal, which is normal- but my genius idea to replace the flooring in my living room right after Christmas really compounded matters. My house looked something like this-
Of course this isn't actually my house, my house was much worse than this. To this day we still barely have a room that you can walk through, and the poor Spawn are out of clean clothes. I actually encouraged Spawn#3 to wear his Transformers costume to the store today so I wouldn't have to go searching for clothes.
SO, my question is this- Mothers, how do you keep your houses clean? And don't go giving me the same old advice- I've tried all the stand-bys like threatening physical violence, duct tape, etc. I know there is some secret that I do not know. There has to be. Can't someone clue me in? When I go to other people's houses you can see their floors. How can one attain such a state of nirvana that is clean floors?
Other than cleaning all day and bitching at your kids, that is. I've tried those too. There's got to be a better way.
If I don't do it, it doesn't get done. My husband is a but lazy when it comes to cleaning and I have to nag, nag, nag.... But I tend to just get a wild hair and just tackle it one day. If it happens to be on a weekend more or less the sight of me doing all the work guilts GG, but not always.
ReplyDeleteThe secret? A cleaning woman names Kathy the wonderful who also does my laundry. I throw money at her to come every other week, I want to afford her every day to vacumn up dog hair.
ReplyDeleteKathy the wonderful? Oh, how I wish I had a Kathy. And some money to throw at her!
ReplyDeleteI am terrible at some things (like laundry and mopping) but am able to keep up with other things (like dishes and... okay. Just dishes.)
Seriously, the best system I ever found was Sidetracked Home Executives. It's an old book that my mom had, but I now have two copies after finding one in a thrift store. My "system" fell to pieces after the baby was born, but I'm wanting to start it back up because it actually works!
Other than that, I say buy more Transformers costumes. Laundry is the mom's ultimate nemesis.
Sunshine you and me would pair well, dishes are my nemesis, lol.
ReplyDeleteI have no advice really, I have given up, lol. Being in school limits my availability and desire. My house it horrid right now. Especially after the holidays. I spent a week before Christmas making everything nice, and making up for my busy schedule last semester. Since then everyone has systematically obliterated my efforts. I don't have the energy of a repeat whole-house clean so soon again. But what I find generally works best for me, is to have a schedule for myself. I try to do one serious clean on one room per day and rotate through the house. How deep the clean is varies on my schedule, energy, etc. But I find if I keep a schedule and try to address a room at least every 10 days it's not so bad. I then of course try to do a daily (or every other day) pick up of our more visible areas.
But my house is still a mess.
Oh my real advice, have people over all the time, then you will feel pressured to have a clean house lol. That works for me, lol!
NBM, do you watch saturday night live?! A few years ago they did a skit advertising the "swiffer sleeper". It was a sleeper for chilren that attracted dust and hair and icky stuff. You were supposed to put it on your children and just let them slip and slide all over the house....fleece pajamas also work (not that I have ever tried anything like that *clears throat*) Looks like you're getting hard wood floors...maybe you should look into some extra fleece pajamas...just sayin!
ReplyDeleteBy they way, my house occasionally looks like yours...except, I don't have the big fancy bull dozer. I'm kindof-just-a-lotta-bit jealous!
Wait. I'm confussed. You can own a bull dozer? And to think I've been renting mine all this time. What a long term money savin' tip. Awesome! But where to park it? Parking is limited where I live. Bummer. Oh well.
ReplyDeleteUmmmm... tips... tips... Ya, I have none of those. I have neurotic tics though. You are welcome to adopt them as your own if you want. No? I don't blame you.
On a serious side, I feel like I have accomplished something if the washer, the dryer and the dish washer are all running. I further feel at peace if the kitchen counters are clean, the sinks are empty and the kids bedroom is picked up. I ignore the rest as much as humanily possible. I avoid the floors as much as possible. I hate them with a passion. I would love a roomba and scooba so I avoid them even more. As it stands now, my son is being trained to vacumm and one day it will become his job. Until then, it's B's. Needless to say, our floors are hideous and I'm ok with that. ;0)
Keep my house clean? Bwahahahaaha
ReplyDeleteKimberly, no I haven't seen that SNL skit, it sounds awesome.
ReplyDeleteThank you ladies for your tips and commiseration! I look forward to (not) trying your tips as I (don't) try to get my house in order!
I do think admitting defeat may be the best course of action here...
I just gave you The Stylish Blogger Award!
ReplyDeleteSomeone gave to me and I thought of you, come on over and check out the details!
I fight the cleaning battle as well...I have given up on keeping the house "CLEAN" and instead focus on tidy...I make the kids do their part - and they aren't pros, but when I get out a garbage bag and threaten to pitch what isn't cleaned up, suddenly they are moving pretty quickly ;)
ReplyDeleteI taught preschool for years, and I have organized their room similar to a preschool classroom...there are boxes/bins/baskets for each kind of toy (barbies, legos, transformers, etc). This helps them know where everything goes instead of pitching it on the floor or under the bed.
Her name is swiffer and she is married to gentleman named steam mop. I try to do something at least 30 mins a day. so that Saturday isnt spent cleaning when Ide rather be playing..
ReplyDeleteand when all else fails.
her name is Carla. She is the sexiest person on earth to me when it gets too much for me to handle. Angelina Jolie sexy.
That is all.
fin
RO
I don't. And I'm a stay at home mom, so it should be clean.
ReplyDeleteI usually do about an hour of cleaning (picking up, sweeping,and dishes), and then I call it good!
LOL! I'm trying to learn to Not Sweat the Small stuff.
We make the kids play outside. We hardly own any inside toys. Next the rule at our house is, "If I have to pick it up twice....I am throwing it away."
ReplyDeleteAnd finally - her name is Zoila. She comes every other week. It makes it so much easier when I don't have to waste time changing sheets and stuff like that.
Nice to meet you! Have a great weekend.