SAHM schedule? & organization ideas/websites

tra_la_la

DH is the one who has always cleaned the house. For the last 7 years it has been him. I help with little things but it has never really been "my job."

For the last 3 months I have been trying to take some of his stress away because he is overwhelmed and this is something I am trying to take over. I hate spending 3 hours every sunday cleaning everything up. We pick up all toys before bedtime and clean dishes right after dinner but the bigger things are the ones I am having problems figuring out when to do and what to do with G. I don't really want to plop her in front of the TV.

 I've been looking online and finding most moms have a daily schedule they follow. We havn't followed a schedule since we quit nursing and I am wondering if this is something that would help again. I can completely understand why DH is overwhelmed because I am too. Something pops up or we have an activity planned and I feel like my whole day gets shifted and I can't get anything done. At this point I am staying up until 2am getting stuff done and I have about 10 loads of clean laundry to be folded, our dinind table is piled up with mail and papers, and our guest room is turning into a junk room. I end up putting things in there that are going to be pretty time consuming and never go back to them and it it is turing into a growing mountian of projects.

I need help.

carrierrie

Our motto: everything has a place, dont let it pile up. We don't have a schedule but we do keep up with the kitchen and laundry daily and do major stuff like bathrooms and floors on the weekend. Our schedules are pretty random so once in awhile we fall behind, but that's life. Is your dd ok to play on her own in her room?

tra_la_la

carrierrie:

Our motto: everything has a place, dont let it pile up. We don't have a schedule but we do keep up with the kitchen and laundry daily and do major stuff like bathrooms and floors on the weekend. Our schedules are pretty random so once in awhile we fall behind, but that's life. Is your dd ok to play on her own in her room?

My goal is to not have to do major stuff on weekends. We tend to be busy on the weekends. DD doesn't really play on her own much. She will if we are near by but most of the time she wants to get into whatever we are doing.

carrierrie

LBaker19:

DD doesn't really play on her own much. She will if we are near by but most of the time she wants to get into whatever we are doing.

Put her to work!   My dd has helped with "dusting" with the swiffer since as long as I can remember. 

daisies0406

As far as our daily schedule, I have always been very picky about staying on a daily schedule (even on the weekends) in terms of nap, lunch, dinner, and bedtime kind of stuff.  Lunch is at 11:30 followed by DS nap at 12:30pm and then dinner is at 5:30.  I usually do a load of laundry a day just so I don't have to do a bunch of laundry on the weekend.  Today, I put a couple loads away and changed sheets while the kiddos played in the playroom.  I don't really have a schedule as to when I do the bigger cleaning things.  I usually just do them when I notice they need to be done.  I will clean the kitchen everyday and I try to stay on top of clutter on a daily basis.  I do some clean up stuff while DS sleeps and DD can watch a movie or she'll do her puzzles while he naps to keep her on the quiet side and that's usually when I do the cleaning of the downstairs.  I don't look at any websites or anything...organizing websites usually make me feel inadequate since my house isn't completely spotless and I don't want it to be.  We have 2 kids and a dog, it's never going to be spotless and completely organized, I just don't think it's realistic.  I always make sure non-important papers find their way to the recycle bin and everything else gets filed in the filing cabinet. Toys are in the toy box, jackets are hung up, if I have a basket of laundry to fold it will  usually sit in the laundry room until I can get to it, which is usually after the kids go to bed.  I do the majority of the cleaning around the house except for the dinner dishes, which DH does.  Picking things up as the day progresses gives me something to do, otherwise I just get bored and end up spending too much time on the internet.

amwadas

carrierrie:

LBaker19:

DD doesn't really play on her own much. She will if we are near by but most of the time she wants to get into whatever we are doing.

Put her to work!   My dd has helped with "dusting" with the swiffer since as long as I can remember. 

I agree - get G to help out. I often have DD help me with things. It may not be perfect, but it gets done in some fashion. I also try to do some sort of organizing/cleaning for about 20-30 minutes a night after DD goes down for bed. Sometimes it gets done, sometimes it doesn't, but I'm usually pretty amazed at what I can get done in 20 minutes. My house is far from perfect, but it's clean and currently cluttered, but I'm hoping when we have more space the clutter will decrease.

azuremama

DS likes to help clean, too.  I can give him a squirt bottle with water or vinegar and a rag and he'll go to town.  I don't know that it helps, but it keeps him occupied.

Anyhow, I think flylady.com is the queen of cleaning tips.  If you get the emails, it's a little overwhelming, but it might help if you're just starting out.  I think you can get most of the info from her website, too.

I am not a SAHM, but I think it helps to have a flow to your day.  My goal is usually to have one room a night and spend about 15 minutes in it, and then spend 5-10 minutes cleaning up stuff in general.  One thing I learned from flylady is that you didn't get clutter overnight, and you won't get rid of it overnight either.

esq

I'm not a SAHM, but I do have a schedule.  I spend a little bit of time everynight picking up, do a full clean on Saturday, and a quick vacuum/wipe down of the bathrooms on Wednesday.  I also go through each week a new area for an hour or so.  It's a big job the first time, but easy to maintain.

jason&robin

I have a very scheduled week...mostly due to work requirements for me and school for E. We try to have the kids help with stuff like cleaning up toys or helping with the pets. If I really need to clean something up, I try to do it while they do an activity at the kitchen table or eating lunch. I still usually end up binge cleaning at night or on the weekends.

BlueLikeJazz

Not a SAHM (or a mom), but I agree with the flylady suggestion.  Some things I learned from her:

Fight your "hot spot" (that place where everything piles up: kitchen counter, coffee table, random chair, whatever) for 2-5 min every night.  Put these things away.

Spend 15 minutes "picking up" and 15 min "cleaning" every day. 

Also, if you can, find things your DD can "help with".  Can she help put away toys?   Can she help dust? 

Would it be possible to get a friend or family member to take her for like 4 hours on a Saturday or Sunday so you and your DH can spend some quality time deep-cleaning?  This might help you feel more accomplished day to day when you pick up and clean.

ondrea

I've learned you don't have to clean the whole house in one day.  Pick one room a day and during nap time tackle that room - just one room isn't overwhelming, but a whole house is.   

 Take the extra 5 min after you finish something to put it away lest it pile up.  a few minutes here and there isn't as noticeable once you get in the habit - but spending an hour organizing paperwork or putting away clothes is. 

I usually clean the bathroom while DS is in the tub.  I'm constantly wiping counters almost every night after he brushes teeth, but when he's in the tub it takes me less than 5 min to do the toilet, clean the mirror and wipe the floor with a damp washcloth. 

swinsto3

We are on a pretty set schedule with DD, so that helps. She (usually) wakes up between 7 & 7:30, and we have breakfast & play or sometimes go on a playdate or run errands until 11 or so. She was going down for nap at 11:30, but I've been slowly moving it to noon, so she'll have a snack (she doesn't do "meals" really well, but grazes all day) and we'll read or just kind of settle down until about a quarter to 12, when we go up to nurse and nap. She naps for an hour & a half to two hours, so during that time, I've been trying to do one room a day. Some days I fail miserably, but I'm at least trying to stay on top of the chaos better then I have in the past! 

I really like the idea of doing the bathroom while she's in the tub - I'm going to start doing that. I hate the bathrooms the most, so I put them off as long as possible. 

ashleyanny

Obviously I'm not a mom but when I stayed home and was trying to get our stuff under control I got on the email list at flylady.com.

I used it for about 3 months while I got my control journal established and then I unsubscribed from the emails. It takes a little time to get set up but then you are good to go. 

silvertiles

Everyday I have about 15 minutes of general chores. Cleaning up the living room area, wiping down counters, putting things away, etc. First weekend of the month I'll clean the kitchen, the two baths and the backyard, Second weekend of the month I'll clean the bedrooms, the dining room and the living room. And then I'll follow that rotation for the rest of the months. If there is a 5th weekend in that month I'll use it to tackle one of the bigger chores like organizing a closet. This works for me. The house stays clean enough that I'm not stressed out but also I don't put off cleaning because I feel overwhelmed that I have to clean the entire house in one shot. My husband helps out and we spend an hour to 2 hours on the weekends cleaning the rooms we have to do, which really is not that big of a deal in the grand scheme of things.
Sometimes you just have to remind yourself that making memories and having a good time with your family is more important then a spotless house. I try to remind my self of that when I get stressed out about how messy things are.