WORKING MOMS

BlinkingLight1

How on earth do you keep your house from looking like a disaster?! I'm really having a hard time with this. I'm not even a full-time working mom and my house stays dirty *most* of the time and I hate it! Do you just spend your weekends cleaning? Clean when you get home from work? Ah! 

runnergirl2008

I struggle with that too. Lately though I've been setting a timer for 45 min at night. I plop little dude in front of the tv (awesome, I know) and baby girl just does what she wants while I do absolutely everything I can in 45 min. What isn't done then just doesn't happen that day. It's helped with the guilt and stress of it and my house does look better. I'm learning we aren't superwoman. We do the best we can.

drillerswife

I clean the kitchen (load/unload dishwasher, wipe down counters, sweep/mop) while G is in his highchair eating, laundry gets done throughout the day, I vacuum and dust in the evening right before I give him a bath, and everything else gets done when he's in bed. I don't really feel like our house is ever *really* clean, though. One of the main things I dread about going back to work next month is that the house will be even more of a mess than it is now, ugh. I plan on taking him to daycare one day before school starts so that I can come home and really clean

ETA: During the school year when I'm working, I pretty much do everything once G is in bed. Sometimes I have to throw a load of laundry in when I get home, but I try to save laundry for Sunday, and I still vacuum before I give him a bath and get him into bed. I'm hoping since I won't have to leave as early now I'll be able to do some things in the morning (load/unload dishwasher would be nice!) but we'll see.

OSUWifey09

I have a chore chart - kinda elementary, but it works. Each day, I make myself do something different so that the house gets cleaned, but I don't do it all on one day:

Monday - vacuum carpets
Tuesday - bathrooms
Wednesday - laundry [wash and fold]
Thursday - mop [well, use a Swiffer] floors

I also try very hard to wash dishes as I put them in the sink so they're not just sitting there. If I can't get to them, I use my lunch break to wash dishes or load the dishwasher. It helps that JJ loves to do chores with me, so I let him help me load the washer/dryer or push the vacuum around [with my help]. It's like a game to him.

BoyMom21

Your house looked clean and organized when I was there last week . Would you consider a cleaning lady?  Once or twice a month would encourage you to maintain what they've done and give you a reason to stay on top of it.  While it doesn't eliminate you having to clean, it eliminates a lot of the deep cleaning & things you might not want to do. (ceiling fans, picture frames, cabinet fronts, etc).

amidavey06

OSUWifey09:

I have a chore chart - kinda elementary, but it works. Each day, I make myself do something different so that the house gets cleaned, but I don't do it all on one day:

Monday - vacuum carpets
Tuesday - bathrooms
Wednesday - laundry [wash and fold]
Thursday - mop [well, use a Swiffer] floors

I also try very hard to wash dishes as I put them in the sink so they're not just sitting there. If I can't get to them, I use my lunch break to wash dishes or load the dishwasher. It helps that JJ loves to do chores with me, so I let him help me load the washer/dryer or push the vacuum around [with my help]. It's like a game to him.

I have a chore chart also. I do some type of cleaning each night. I hate cleaning on weekends. DH is really awesome at helping out too. If I am cleaning the kitchen he'll either vacuum or clean bathrooms. I'm seriously thinking about hiring a cleaning lady to come deep clean about twice a month (I did post on here asking for recs a while back).

I highly recommend a chore chart because that's what keeps me on schedule.

BlinkingLight1

Great ideas ladies! Thank you!!

Boymom - I picked up the living room before y'all got there. lol. There are ALWAYS toys everywhere in there. I know you don't care but I do.

mrsGilB

I've learned to accept a level of disaster... Sad, I know. We are in the process of considering a twice-a-month cleaning lady. Honestly it wouldn't be as bad if I could convince my husband to vacuum before mass effect 3... He works 4-12 and I work 8-5. He drops boy off at about 9ish... and most days all he gets done is putting holes in his drawers from all the nut scratching... Drives me crazy.