Family house is a tip

[Mrs TP]

Our once quaint Victorian terrace house is a tip. We decorated 10+ yrs ago, when we first moved in but, then with the arrival of kids and lack of time, it is descending into a cross between a squat / student house and is basically just a base camp for grabbing food and dumping stuff in between running around with the brood.

The kitchen is full of dry washing waiting to be ironed - rarely happens but in my odd spare moment I do actually find it therapeutic but only the kids stuff as it is relatively small and easy. Our bedroom is a dumping ground for everything. Kids' bedrooms not too bad but stuffed with far too much stuff and the whole house needs redecorating.

I think I am having a particularly bad day as I have a friend and her daughter coming to stay for the week and I realise just how shabby we have become.

We do have a cleaner but 3hrs per wk for such a busy family house is not great and this is a luxury as it is.

Sorry about the rant but is this a normal state of affairs? I seem to busy all the time - oops when not on the forum - and am rarely sat down as trying to keep on top of stuff but feel I live in chaos. Hubby good at pitching in but like many working crazy hours so not always around.

[sanity girl]

Maybe look into some storage solutions for clothes and toys? The ikea trofast toy storage is brilliant and really helped me sort out my living room and daughter's bedroom. Also it sounds like you need to find a better cleaner! I have one who is amazing and lovely - she comes to me once a week and tidies, cleans and does the ironing. She is looking for more work on Wednesdays and Friday afternoons. PM me if you'd like her details

[Mrs TP]

Oh thanks Sanity Girl: We have 18 Trofast boxes already! Cleaner is great just not enough hours.

[melbourne groover]

We went to stay with a frighteningly organised friend and it inspired us to try and take control!

We got some adjustable storage from Ikea with drawers and shelves, it can be as wide or narrow as you like. We have put all types of toys into individual boxes or drawers, ie cars/play mobile/jewellery/dinosaurs etc. It makes it better to play with and all the bits are together and super easy to clean up. It has the added bonus of being able to all be put out of sight in the evening.

We have gone slightly mad with the boxes of things but it does seem the only way to retain some sense of sanity on my part...

We are some way off our friends level of tidiness but we are in much better shape than we were!

[FatherJack]

If it were an Olympic Sport we would hold the Gold medal and Olympic Record which would be safe for as long as we live here!

Once upon a time our home was a squat and it seems that we have returned to squat conditions, although we're not burning pallats on the living room floor...yet!

[Pickle]

I'll put my hand up and admit to being a complete neat/clean freak. I try to be really organised, for example I put all the breakfast bowls etc out the night before, which saves a little time in the morning, and I use that time to do the ironing from the precious day. Ironing is much easier if you do it little and often rather than letting ironing mountain build up (which does happen sometimes).

My other trick is to deal with things as they arise, whether that be filing a bank statement or wiping down a cupboard front that just had something spilled down it.

I have a cleaner for 3.5 hours a week, and she irons 5 shirts for Mr Pickle. She has been away the last couple of weeks so I've been doing all the cleaning which has been a challenge in school holidays with 3 kids 5 and under - it's definitely money well spent every week!

I find once things are tidy/sorted it's so much easier to keep it that way. Can you put aside half a day one weekend to blitz it?

[duchessofdulwich]

Agree with pickle think with the clothes washing little and often is the way to tackle through it although it may no be the most economical!

[vesti]

Friends will want to see you - whatever.

"Stuff" and a bit of grubbiness is the norm (certainly a more comfortable home to visit than the pristine clean, scared to file a toy in the wrong box sort of environment IMO).

We all put too m.

[susyp]

I have had this problem and didn't invite friends over because of it. However I have to say that I enjoy people's houses that feel welcoming and relaxed (which can include tidy ones of course) and I really don't notice piles of washing etc. So I am trying to strike a balance on being clean (if not tidy) and welcoming!

susypx

[skinofteeth]

I really know how you feel Mrs TP.... Our house is sliding that way. I've been hanging on to the excuse that it's hard working full time and having small children who don't sleep through very often. But, they are sleeping better as they are getting older and I have changed jobs to something considerably less demanding so I just need to get a grip really. Pickle - I like your ideas!! Will try to implement the breakfast idea - however, would be nice to have breakfast with children and talk to them, rather than iron (but that's because I don't see enough of them during the week).

(Also have a cleaner for 5 hours a week... Oh, the shame! And, the Jones' next door have immaculate interior (and exterior!) designed perfectly tidy houses.)

[kittysailing]

What is this 'iron' you speak of?

[Pickle]

Skinofteeth, I do sit and eat with the kids, but once breakfast is done the two older ones tend to play with their toys (and baby watches) and I do it then, before the school run.

I try to get as much done early in the morning as I can (washing hung out, general tidying, think about what's for dinner), so that once I've fed the baby after her nap we can then go out for the day.

[Mrs TP]

Thanks all - been out for lunch with the kids, cleaner been and I have sorted the spare room for guests due this pm - feeling better and more positive.

Its not that bad really just all seemed an impossible mountain this morning.

I think my real problem is we have way too much stuff and we need to whittle it down.

My friend who is coming tells me kids don't care about the dust on the skirting board under their beds but about having fun and that's what we are going to do for the rest of the week.

[Dudley]

I always find these threads interesting as I have 2 younger children - 2.5 and baby and I have to say a bit of a neat freak.

I know this must be much easier than your situation, but for what it is worth...

First I do think that Western children and people in the decadent West in general have too much stuff,

If I think even about our small little family - why oh why do I have all these small stuffed toys.

I am going to try to limit birthday and Christmas gifts but we will see...

I think you will find it liberating to go through everyones things and sell/donate.

Second, laundry. This is the bane of my life but yes I also do a little but often (although I do think it is more expensive). I don't iron my husbands shirts though. I know I may get critised for that as a SAHM but he does them himself while watching TV. In your case it may be worth farming them out to a laundry. I do think ironing takes up a ridiculous amount of time.

3) Children should be doing little things themselves. Ok I know yours are older and maybe it is wishful thinking, but I do think children should be encouraged to tidy away their own shit (sorry stuff).

The rule in our house is nobody gets dinner until toys are put away. Generally this has worked.

Anyway..here is hoping I won't sink below the 'stuff' when baby gets bigger.

[Crokes]

kittysailing Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> What is this 'iron' you speak of?

Brilliant kittysailing!

[oimissus]

yes, 'ironing', what is this???

[oimissus]

ditto 'cleaning'

[snowboarder]

Laundry (and post) is the bane of my life. Children scream/fight if I go upstairs to get laundry out of huge pile upstairs, ditto when feeding washing machine/dryer. Then try to sort clothes into iron/non iron and then (this is the decadent bit) I call my saviour (aka ironing lady) who comes and takes away husbands shirts etc. But even then I can't seem to sort clothes or even when do put them away - can only do when kids asleep then can't put clothes away in sleeping children's rooms....argh!!

Interested to know why/when a sahm should be able to iron Dudley?!? There is NO way I could iron (apart from emergency) when my children (3 and 1) are around. Apart from anything it would be dangerous! And they are around from 6am until 7pm (only the baby naps). So no different to full time working hours, no?

[Dudley]

Well, I don't really do any ironing. And the little I do I do at night (agree dangerous when children around).

This says alot about what I wear ...

Although that has reminded me that I need to iron my rain mac, which I am told I will need for tomorrow.

So better go!

[KikiMac]

Feel this post could run and run... Hearing and sympathising with everyone, apart from the the really organised ones, who I'm just in awe of.

Kittysailing - i know your secrets!

Anyway, I'd just like to pick up on 'post', which Snowboarder mentioned in passing. Aaaagh! THAT is the bane of my life: bills, letters that need a response, things that come through the door and can't just be recycled. Where do people put these things? Trying to avoid the ever growing pile in the middle of the kitchen table which gets covered in food. As we are starting from scratch in a new house, I am trying to work out the ideal storage solution for such things. Any suggestions? Other 'arf a bit weird about aesthetics and probably wouldn't tolerate a pin board...

[Fuschia]

Little drawers

To deal with

To file

Filing - box file with newest stuff at the front

Jan- jun and jul- sec each year

[Pickle]

I have a folder (one of the a4 size plastic envelope type ones) for things needing dealt with (bills etc), although I do find I'm more likely to deal with them if I leave them on top of my laptop so that when I go to turn it on I'm reminded! Then everything gets filed in folders up in our loft room which we have set up as an office.

I'd rather have one folder sitting on the worktop than a pile of pages which get scattered everywhere and lost.

[Yak]

Someone told me once that the first flat surface in a home is where paper tends to accumulate - so we have an A4 folder on that surface for all filing stuff and like Fuschia we just empty it every so often and file it all away. That's the theory, at least....

[pebbles]

I also leave post on top on my laptop and I then deal with them when I turn on my computer as soon as kids are in bed - I do it before anything else... and if I don't i put it back ontop of my laptop ready to be reminded of it the next day :)

I also get swamped down by washing (I don't iron and we send Mr Pebble's shirts out to be ironed) but I'm getting better. We are very lucky that we have a utility room so at least the mess is vaguely hidden. I now make sure every time i walk up the stairs I take a pile and then everything now is put away after bath and before reading books while kids play (muck up my neat piles) around me :)

I've just been to stay with friends in USA and they have THE MOST AMAZING contraption I have ever seen - it's called an IRobot -

http://www.amazon.co.uk/iRobot-Roomba-Vacuum-Cleaning-Robot/dp/B005QRXIFQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1343720985&sr=8-1

Seriously expensive but wowowow. Basically you press go and it hoovers your floors all by itself. It's round with soft edges so it bounces off walls and furniture and then heads of in another direction. It's also pretty quiet. She just presses on after supper and lets it do it's stuff. They live in a big open plan house which obviously means it can do the whole of downstairs without her having to get involved and move it to another room. I stayed with them for 5 days and it never ceased to amaze me - if you have the money - invest :)

[midivydale]

I find this hard as well to stay on top of. I have a box/basket stored (hidden) in every room with cleaning materials for that particular room like wipes, bleach etc and when i have five minutes i do what i can. For example after a shower i'll clean bathroom mirror and/or mop the floor. If little one is on his playmat (doesnt happen very often) I will tackle a laundry pile or wipe down skirting boards. Hubby does the same. This means that we can stay on top (ish) on most things but the downside is that we dont get that amazing "the whole house is newly cleaned" feeling as we keep doing it bit by bit. But it works for the time being.

Ironing my other half is brilliant at, he can get through a huge pile whilst watching match of the day or whatever these football programmes are called:)

Post- i havent cracked this yet and it does annoy me. I have invested in the sign to say no thank you to leaflets but it does not help. We pay everything online or by using dd and have asked for all statements online only but still the post pile is huge!