Anyone not have a house that is a disaster?

[lilysmama1124]

Just wondering if everyone else has a house that is a disaster zone. We just can't get or keep it clean there is just no time. Please tell me your secret if you have figured out away to not CIO, sleep, cook, and keep your house in order with twins cause I have decided it is IMPOSSIBLE.

[SaoirseC]

Ditto. Well, I just had a baby, but my house is usually a disaster anyway. It seems that i can keep only one or two rooms moderately clean/organized, the others being moderate to major disasters. What's more is that we're moving in 1 1/2 months and our landlord wants us to clean up to show the house. I can understand tidying, etc. but he's requesting more of a redecoration, and he's not being sensitive to the fact that I JUST HAD A BABY! Could we wait a week or two?? Anyway...I hear it gets better!

[lach]

Nope.

[AnnaNova]

i dont know how my mother did it. our house was always clean, floors were mopped, shelves were dusted. right now i'm sitting on a couch that is long overdue for some serious cleaning, theres clothes everywhere and dining room table still has a couple of dishes left over from dinner.
i think at this point it is easier to move than to clean everything up.

[lach]

Originally Posted by AnnaNova

i dont know how my mother did it. our house was always clean, floors were mopped, shelves were dusted. right now i'm sitting on a couch that is long overdue for some serious cleaning, theres clothes everywhere and dining room table still has a couple of dishes left over from dinner.
i think at this point it is easier to move than to clean everything up.

See, I asked my mother the same thing and she just laughed. She said that's because I only remember when I was old enough to go to school, and she had hours to clean. She said if I remembered back to when I was a baby or toddler, I would have been appalled.

But despite that, I still know that there are plenty of people with young children who manage to keep their house clean.

[treeoflife3]

I only have one kid and my house is a disaster.

The fact that you are coherent enough to make this thread impresses me honestly... the thought of multiples makes me want to cry.

[Red Pajama]

I don't have infants anymore, but my house is a disaster. I blame it on the twins. My blame is probably misplaced.

Part of it for me is I'm not neat by nature. The kids do their part. The boys (five years old, now) really get into their play, and tear everything out. They build tents, forts, whatever, everywhere, pulling every blanket and pillow into thier construction.

We just live with a usual state of chaos, and I work on it. I have a terrible mess in the kitchen as we speak, but if I go work on it I'll wake the kids up.

Only sympathy from me. I can't offer advice.

[Novella]

Move the goalpost as necessary!

• Enough dishes to eat next meal on = not disaster.
• "Crunchy" floor that could use a sweep and a wash (but doesn't have dust bunnies) = not disaster.
• Clean clothing for people to wear, even it wasn't your first-choice outfit = not disaster.

My house is very, very cluttered all the time. But it's not filthy.

[queenofchaos]

My twins are still in utero, and my house is pretty messy. Not exactly dirty, but cluttery. I can't imagine how it's going to be when the are born. I am nesting like a madwoman, but energy gives out easily or pain kicks in. I feel like I am racing against the clock. They are due in mid-July.

[Gena 22]

This has been on my mind a lot too. My mom kept a really clean house and cooked / prepared all our meals. Not me. I vacuum once in a lunar cycle and rarely eat or serve anything that requires heat.

When I do get the house clean and do some cooking, I usually become a b*tch. No, don't touch that! Put that away! Don't pull that! It's like the toys and books and crap spread all over distracts my twins from tearing the house apart.

I hope to get it clean by kindergarden.

[aja-belly]

Originally Posted by Novella

Move the goalpost as necessary!

• Enough dishes to eat next meal on = not disaster.
• "Crunchy" floor that could use a sweep and a wash (but doesn't have dust bunnies) = not disaster.
• Clean clothing for people to wear, even it wasn't your first-choice outfit = not disaster.

My house is very, very cluttered all the time. But it's not filthy.

sounds about right.

so glad i'm not the only one with a "crunchy" floor...

[Julia'sMom]

Originally Posted by Novella

Move the goalpost as necessary!

• Enough dishes to eat next meal on = not disaster.
• "Crunchy" floor that could use a sweep and a wash (but doesn't have dust bunnies) = not disaster.
• Clean clothing for people to wear, even it wasn't your first-choice outfit = not disaster.

My house is very, very cluttered all the time. But it's not filthy.

This is me too. However, it worries me that we're soon entering the crawling stage. I don't think a "crunchy" floor is going to cut it when the twins want to put everythign in their mouth. That's stressing me out so I might just have to dump anythign not kid friendly in a big box until the twins grow up more.

[MamaChicken]

Mine is spotless!

At least for the five minutes between when I clean it and whenever I allow the children back in the house.

Otherwise it is super "lived-in". Toys flung about, half a sink of dishes waiting for an empty dishwasher, and mud from the yard tracked across the floor.

[verycozy]

My house is filthy. I'm not even embarrassed about it anymore. When I have a free moment I'm definitely not going to waste it cleaning. I do keep on top of laundry but that's only because I enjoy it.

[dividedsky]

mine is ok. not amazing, but not terrible. the kitchen is always clean. after every meal, i clean up the high chair trays, wash whatever is in the sink and load the dishwasher, wipe down counters, throw the dishtowel on the floor and use my foot to wipe it up quick. keeps it OK, minimal effort, and the boys are usually happy and playing after a meal for the 15-20min it takes me...

i toss toys into a couple of giant bins after they go to bed at night.

i swiffer the floors (holy doghair) quickly before breakfast.

but the bathrooms would be totally gross and the wood floors in the house would not be clean if it weren't for the housekeeper every other week! worth every. single. penny.

[Gena 22]

Originally Posted by dividedsky

but the bathrooms would be totally gross and the wood floors in the house would not be clean if it weren't for the housekeeper every other week! worth every. single. penny.

As I am without a housecleaner, I can agree that you're totally right!

[~bookcase~]

Originally Posted by Gena 22

When I do get the house clean and do some cooking, I usually become a b*tch. No, don't touch that! Put that away! Don't pull that! It's like the toys and books and crap spread all over distracts my twins from tearing the house apart.

i can relate to that. our house is getting cleaner though as i have older children. when they chip in, it's great (cluttered, but clean) but when they just make mess it's very frustrating (we home ed too. it doesn't take long for everything to be out)

my twins are 19 months now and i've been cooking proper food fairly frequently for a few months i guess. before that I personally ate more convenience food than I care to remember

anyway, likely you are on the wrong board if you want to find a high proportion of immaculate houses so I guess that means you're in goood company

it really doesn't last forever. what helped me to get a groove going again was to allocate a room to a day of the week and do something in that room on that day. if it didn't happen, i let it go and looked to the next day. i also allocated a certain food type to day of week, so that if i couldn't think, it would give me an idea. like pasta/ rice/ potato dish.

and laundry just gets bunged in as and when. i try to make sure everyone has clean knickers and pants it usually works out ok

[annettemarie]

My twins aren't even born yet and my house is a disaster, LOL! Granted I have 4 other kids. I've never been so exhausted and sick in my life.

[GoodUserNamesTaken]

it's 1 am, and I need to go to bed, but I wanted to say my house is a HUGE mess, and it drives me crazy. I was happy to see this thread here, as I really relate. It helps to know I'm not alone...

[CalaRei]

Definitely a disaster here. And we're getting ready to put it on the market at the beginning of June. AAAAhhh.

Anyhow, I vaguely follow Flylady when I get a spare moment. Daily I do the following: I make sure to do a load of laundry and a load of dishes. I get dinner made. I try to sweep the hard floors, and do a quick "clorox wipe" clean of the sink & toilet in the bathrooms. I worked out a barter with my aunt, and she comes over once a week and helps me vacuum and mop the floors (and brings me lunch, lol.) This works for now if I keep up with it, but I don't know how it'll work when they're moving around!!

I've never been a "neat person" and I never understood people who lived in "show homes," but that's just me. I'd rather spend time relaxing with my family than getting my house to look like a magazine.