goldendarkness
New member
Music!
Best Housework Tips & Self-Care Secrets!
- Thread starter grcafterburner
- Start date
toudour123
New member
I feel this… I’ve lowered my standards significantly since having my second 5 months ago 
I just try and do short bursts several times a day… put baby in bouncer.. hoover… but baby in cot with her mobile toy.. hoover upstairs, put baby in cot with mobile toy.. clean bathroom 
then I try to have a rest and a brew in peace like you with the ten minute nap she has 
it’s not easy! I think the most important thing is a loving home.. that’s what kids will remember tbh 
Oh and btw I put my iron away when she was two months old.. and I haven’t seen it since! It was stressing me out and no one has died not having everything ironed! Lol it’s been liberating x
I just try and do short bursts several times a day… put baby in bouncer.. hoover… but baby in cot with her mobile toy.. hoover upstairs, put baby in cot with mobile toy.. clean bathroom then I try to have a rest and a brew in peace like you with the ten minute nap she has it’s not easy! I think the most important thing is a loving home.. that’s what kids will remember tbh Oh and btw I put my iron away when she was two months old.. and I haven’t seen it since! It was stressing me out and no one has died not having everything ironed! Lol it’s been liberating x
grcafterburner
New member
@toudour123 my iron went away years ago hahaha, so yeah I don’t iron luckily, I don’t understand how people do washing drying ironing and folding for 5 people, I’d be there all year xx
I have a cleaning schedule. That said if it doesn’t get done one week then I’ll pick it up the following. Washing - I put in the night before and set timer. So every day a load of washing is done by the time I get downstairs so then can Chuck in the tumble dryer.
Since I’ve had a schedule I feel more ontop of it, but also if I don’t do something then it doesn’t bother me at all. I find because I have it all written down I storm through it as don’t procrastinate on what I need to do. I try and do all the cleaning while they are eating breakfast or when they are having downtime in the lounge.
We also have a robot hoover which has been my best purchase ever as means the floors get hoovered every day and also forces me to tidy up things from the floor so the hoover is able to do it’s job! Also don’t forget if your house is a bit of a mess it’s ok. It’s ok to choose to sit down with a cuppa and pack of biscuits instead of bleaching a toilet
Since I’ve had a schedule I feel more ontop of it, but also if I don’t do something then it doesn’t bother me at all. I find because I have it all written down I storm through it as don’t procrastinate on what I need to do. I try and do all the cleaning while they are eating breakfast or when they are having downtime in the lounge.
We also have a robot hoover which has been my best purchase ever as means the floors get hoovered every day and also forces me to tidy up things from the floor so the hoover is able to do it’s job! Also don’t forget if your house is a bit of a mess it’s ok. It’s ok to choose to sit down with a cuppa and pack of biscuits instead of bleaching a toilet
billfojesus
New member
So i swear by this ..
write down 3 goals for the day every day .. i just write it in my notes on my phone , during the newborn stages sometimes one of my goals was just to take a shower!
Its more manageable & when u complete your 3 goals your satisfied & if u do any extra you feel like ur smashing it in life
I find if i sit and think of all the things that need doing its so unmotivating and i dont end up doing any of them!
3 tasks for the day , it can be anything but i always add one chore
write down 3 goals for the day every day .. i just write it in my notes on my phone , during the newborn stages sometimes one of my goals was just to take a shower!
Its more manageable & when u complete your 3 goals your satisfied & if u do any extra you feel like ur smashing it in life
I find if i sit and think of all the things that need doing its so unmotivating and i dont end up doing any of them!
3 tasks for the day , it can be anything but i always add one chore
billfojesus
New member
Once i had my second child i really had to rewire my brain!! Ignore the mess!!
Whos coming to my house to check if i cleaned my bathroom? Whos gona see the pile of laundry?
Before then cleaning was my therapy .. i enjoyed it and got great satisfaction from a clean and tidy home everyday.. now i can be at peace with just being more realistic and doing what i can
Whos coming to my house to check if i cleaned my bathroom? Whos gona see the pile of laundry?
Before then cleaning was my therapy .. i enjoyed it and got great satisfaction from a clean and tidy home everyday.. now i can be at peace with just being more realistic and doing what i can
craftygirl
New member
@billfojesus omg exactly this!!! I’m still trying to get into the habit of not having everything spotless all day every day! I thought I’d have more time now lilah is at school but I feel even more tied to “time limits” on everything I try and fit in during the day 
billfojesus
New member
@craftygirl its literally impossible with two
I now appreciate any time i get to myself just to sit in quiet and catch up on tv i deserve it .. the housework will get done at some point 
i do the normal day to day chores that have to be done and thats enough 
x
I now appreciate any time i get to myself just to sit in quiet and catch up on tv
i deserve it .. the housework will get done at some point i do the normal day to day chores that have to be done and thats enough xnuthinspecial
New member
Hi from a mum who has got fibromyalgia and has had 11 kids I feel your pain sometimes it's hard just to survive a the day without having some sort of brake down but wether you have 1 kid or 20 kids we all have moments like this then that makes you feel worse for feeling low and crappie that there's not enough hours in the day but that's just it there isn't always enough hours in the day something I found out the hard way what helps me sometimes is writing a list but what dosint get done well tomorrow is another day and instead of worrying about what you didn't get done try and think of the things you have got done rasing kids is hard no one gets a manual but that's just it when your kids are in bed and there happy and loved then your not doing such a bad job give yourself some credit and like someone else has already said kids whouid rather a happy mam than a stressed one because the dishes weren't done take a deep breath and relax you have got this given yourself more credit is the key trust me
Having a routine that works for you plus my standards have slipped with each child , I do a load of washing and dishwasher first thing each morning while the kettle boils , I hoover top to bottom once a week , will do the downstairs again if a guest is coming , I do the bathrooms once a week , will repeat if guests coming , I do bed change on a Monday bigs kids one week , us and youngest the next , I gave up ironing 2 children ago - hubby does his own work uniform I iron if we're going to a formal event.
I dero clean bedrooms seasonally .
I dero clean bedrooms seasonally .
My house is chaos, I find a few things have helped (mines are 8,6,2).
I have one day a week to myself and I do hee haw on it, don’t clean/tidy/put a washing on. I drop the kids at school and nursery and I go back to bed with a coffee til it’s time for pick up - it’s the best day in my week because it gives me time to recoup and reset.
Other than that I try to do things at a certain time of the day. We have a 15 min tidy up time when all five of us blast the downstairs of the house - toys away, hoover, worktops cleaned and dishwasher on. As long as it’s clean enough to sit and relax once kids have gone to bed I can handle it.
Ironing for the week (school and nursery/work) on a Sunday and pop it into a stackable plastic box thing, means I don’t need to think about it and can just grab everyone’s clothes of a morn and go.
Lastly, I had completely lost myself as a mum. I’ve gained weight, drink too much wine and make an effort less than I should to just be the person I was before so I’ve started a small biz I can do from home and it’s purely for me. I enjoy it so much and the happiness I’ve gotten from it rubs off on home life, my energy and my motivation to do other things! X
I have one day a week to myself and I do hee haw on it, don’t clean/tidy/put a washing on. I drop the kids at school and nursery and I go back to bed with a coffee til it’s time for pick up - it’s the best day in my week because it gives me time to recoup and reset.
Other than that I try to do things at a certain time of the day. We have a 15 min tidy up time when all five of us blast the downstairs of the house - toys away, hoover, worktops cleaned and dishwasher on. As long as it’s clean enough to sit and relax once kids have gone to bed I can handle it.
Ironing for the week (school and nursery/work) on a Sunday and pop it into a stackable plastic box thing, means I don’t need to think about it and can just grab everyone’s clothes of a morn and go.
Lastly, I had completely lost myself as a mum. I’ve gained weight, drink too much wine and make an effort less than I should to just be the person I was before so I’ve started a small biz I can do from home and it’s purely for me. I enjoy it so much and the happiness I’ve gotten from it rubs off on home life, my energy and my motivation to do other things! X
patrick1959
New member
Life’s too short to do housework all the time! Yes I do the washing, dishwasher etc - probably every other day. I hoover when it gets on my nerves, I dust the hearth with my sock. Me and my husband write messages to one another in the dust on the windowsill and when there’s no space left, it gets dusted.
Saying all they, it depends on how you feel about it. I have a friend who is fastidious with cleaning and apologises if I go to hers and it’s not clean. It doesn’t bother me - and I never notice if it’s clean or not. If I’m in the mood I’ll blitz the house - but that is once in a very rare blue moon.
Since lockdown, and it didn’t matter what we wore because no one saw us, the only thing I still iron is school uniform. And I only do that to get an hour to myself watching trash TV
Saying all they, it depends on how you feel about it. I have a friend who is fastidious with cleaning and apologises if I go to hers and it’s not clean. It doesn’t bother me - and I never notice if it’s clean or not. If I’m in the mood I’ll blitz the house - but that is once in a very rare blue moon.
Since lockdown, and it didn’t matter what we wore because no one saw us, the only thing I still iron is school uniform. And I only do that to get an hour to myself watching trash TV
patrick1959
New member
I feel the same. I have a 10,7 year old and a 4 months old. And a husband
I've decided to just put less pressure on myself. I make sure the children tidy up after themselves and I have frequent coffee breaks xx don't believe the houses on social media, not everyone lives in a spotless house xx
I've decided to just put less pressure on myself. I make sure the children tidy up after themselves and I have frequent coffee breaks xx don't believe the houses on social media, not everyone lives in a spotless house xx
astephenwilson
New member
My 3 children all grown up now but I used to get up at 5 in the morning and do all my housework before they woke up , then just had washing and cooking to do the rest of the day
grcafterburner
New member
@astephenwilson I have tried setting alarms for 5 as ideally I’d love to wake and have a coffee in peace and do the dishwasher etc but with the night feeds at the moment it’s just not happening xx