Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Ask The Reader

Lately I have been feeling a bit overwhelmed when it comes to keeping up with 3 children, cooking, cleaning, menu planning, running errands... I know I am not the only one. I am sure that all mothers go through this stage of life.

My question is how on earth do all you mommies out there stay caught up with housework? Do you have a schedule that works for you of certain things you do each day? What products do you use to help make things go quicker? Do you get the kids involved and if so at what age? I have even heard of woman setting timers and they have only that certain amount of time to clean.

Sometimes I feel like I am neglecting my children so I can have a clean house. When I take time to entertain my children I feel like I am neglecting my household duties and somehow annoying my husband by not having things taken care of. For example I do laundry on Mondays and try to have it put away by Tuesday. Well it is now Wednesday and I have clean laundry all over my bedroom which makes me feel very stressed.

I did not mean to rant on for so long, but I am trying to come up with a sensible solution to keep things running a little more smoothly. I used to do ok with just 2 children, but my new baby is VERY cranky and I spend a lot of time with her. I am thinking of trying a daily schedule. What do you think?

4 comments:

  1. Lorrie,
    Hi! I wanted to let you know that I found your blog 2 weeks ago, and have checked it everyday since. I love your ideas, recipes, and tips and look forward to seeing what you write. Thank you for your hard work and for letting me so that it IS possible to live a healthier life style and introduce more natural and organic foods while on a budget!
    Although my husband and I do not have kids at this time, I can relate in my own way about house keeping. I work part-time and attend college full-time. Before I know it, the weekend is here and the house is a mess...then it is off to work! I read on another blog about setting a cleaning schedule and I am going to try it out. When you put everything down on paper, it dosen't seem so bad. I will give it a try and let you know how it works for me. Hope it's sunny where you are!
    Nikki M.

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  2. I started doing chores at 4 or 5. Very simple ones like keeping my room clean and emptying the small trash cans around the house by trash day. Are your kids old enough to help with the chores?

    Do you have hamper sorters? I can't think of the real name but it's a big hamper separated into three sections and you can put towels in one, whites in another and colors in the third.

    If you can get your family to stick to it you won't have to sort it when you're ready to do laundry. It'll save a little time.

    Do you have family near by? Maybe someone can watch a kid or kids one day a week.

    Are you annoying your husband or do you think you are? If it's in your head talk to him. Maybe have a family meeting. He may not know how hard it is for you especially if you make it look easy.

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  3. I have a schedule for chores and have my kids help. Each day I have a main chore to be done. Monday mop, Tuesday dust ( with touch ups as needed), Trash to the curb another, vacuuming on another. All the important things get done every week.

    My five year old helps with replacing toilet paper rolls when empty, sorting silverware when clean, or setting the table. The bigger ones do everything they are able to including their own laundry. They need to knwo these skills to become adults who can manage on their own.

    I have also learned to relax a little on my expectations. I cannot vacuum or dust everday so I don't worry about it. My fridge may need cleaning, but I will get to it when I have a spare moment. Everything will get done in its time so I don't worry too much anout a spotless house.

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  4. I work full time, have three kids, and am finishing my Ph.D. Plus I have a moody septic system, so I can do only one load of laundry each day.

    We have Excel spreadsheets/checklists for each day.

    My best friend's mom, who was a professional housekeeper in England before she got married, said to me once, "Do what you can each day and then let go." I prioritize and then let the rest go until the next day. I give my kids each some special attention each week, and then don't worry about doting on them. They seem to be doing fine.

    Also, my husband is a real partner in all this--even when I didn't work outside the home, it didn't mean I wasn't working.

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