I have a weird obsession with routine and schedules! My evening is always plannned out from dinner, clean up dinner, baths, snack, wash bottles, pack lunches, bed. I do the same thing at the same time everynight, and if we have to go somewhere in the evening....look out, I'm thrown off! My hubs worked 24 hours on sunday, and went straight to his other job monday morning, and didn't get home till 9pm last night. I was on hour 39 of being a single mom! I was tired, worn out, lonely etc and, as I was taking 3 advil because my body aches so bad from lugging a 20 pound kid in an infant carseat around for 2 days...I started to look around my house! A MESS (yes, I'm aware that was a huge run-on sentence)
Toys, cars, baby stuff, all over the living room....in the kitchen there is my hubs "pile of crap" all over the island, a case of water, random stuff all just laying around. Cole's toy room (our office, right inside the front door, that EVERYONE can see when they come in to drop off kids) a complete disaster! Stuff everywhere. I walk up the stairs and there is 4 baskets of laundry that all need put away. At this point, I feel completely defeated, and just want to give up!
How do you make time to put all this stuff away, with 2 small children? I often feel like I just can't do it all! I can't clean, do laundry, take care of kids, and a house....and doing a lot of it alone! No, I'm not husband bashing....his job is demanding, I knew what I signed up for :) He's gone a lot, but he's gone so we can pay those bills! and so he can buy me nice things like the Tahoe he bought me last month <3 :)~ (that is currently in the shop, booo hoooo)
I get stressed and overwhelmed by this on a weekly basis! My house gets to the point of no return! We're living out of clothes baskets, and our master bedroom looks like a tornado hit! I'm not sure how to balance all these things, and still have time to relax, and not get so stressed about staying on schedule every evening. Problem with that is, I'm on a schedule so that I can make sure everything for the next morning gets done because I don't have time with both kids in the mornings. My weekends end up being filled with laundry, and TRYING to clean....instead of relaxing and spending time with my family. I'm sure these are struggles every mom faces....maybe they have learned just to not it bother them? I feel like there aren't enough hours in the day! I just move from one disastrous room to the next!!
Do you have a cleaning schedule? Laundry schedule? What are some ways that I can keep up with the house, and the kids, and everything in between? I need a solution....I'm quickly drowning in the piles of laundry around me!
I totally feel you on this one!!!
ReplyDeleteHubs doesn't work a grueling schedule yours does... but he does work a pretty crappy one. He works Friday-Tuesday, Noon to 9pm. UGH! Between daycare from 6:50a - 6p and therapy for my son, house cleaning, dinner, animals, I often wonder how I do it!
I don't have a set cleaning schedule, but I do try to get the bedrooms, bathrooms and laundry all cleaned on the weekends. I am cleaning the kitchen daily, as I'm sure you well know with daycare. Just take it one room at a time. What I try to do with my son is put on a movie (1 a day won't hurt him) and during that hour and a half of focus on the TV, I get quite a bit done! Start at one end of the house and set a stopping point for yourself. For me, I will work down the hall until all the rooms, bathrooms, etc are clean. Then the next day, I might tackle the living areas like dining, kitchen and family room. Break it down into rooms. I try to work one room at a time, start to finish. That way, if something comes up and I don't get to move to the next task, atleast 1 whole room got cleaned, not everything was dusted, but the floor was a mess.
Oh and since you are such a structured planner, maybe work in 15-30 min each night to designate to a certain chore each night?
Hope that helps!
Lisa
I feel your pain, Kristen. I used to pick up when I got home for work, but now it's like "What's the point?" I have noticed that if I pick up after the kids go to bed and wake up in a clean house, that it stays cleaner longer.
ReplyDeleteDon't be too hard on yourself. You have a demanding job!!
I know how you feel. I do 15-10 minutes on the main areas (living room, kitchen, downstairs bathroom)I also have started making my 3 yr old help pick up toys. It may take her 20 minutes longer than it would take me, but she is learning to clean up after her self. I also try to get in a little cleaning while I'm making dinner. As for laundry, I hate it too. I try to do at least a load a day,(kids, mine & dhs, towels, others) start to finish. I am more willing to put it away when there is not so much to put away. Its also harder when dh is at work and both kids are screaming. I try to tackle the other areas on a day when dh is home. Just try to do a little each day it before you know it you will have something that will work for you.
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