YIKES! My house is a MESS!

amother

Wed, Jan 19 2011, 8:31 pm

I am really a neat person (really!). But with 5 kiddies K"AH under the age of 8 there is "stuff" all over the place. We live on 1 floor and I have a spot for everything-I'm very organized. Every night I spend hours straightening up, picking up stuff and getting my house neat. I know that I should be happy to be cleaning up after 5 wonderful children it's just that after a long day of work, supper, baths, hw and bedtime I am soooo tired but the mess really bothers me and I gotta clean up! I have a cleaning lady only on Fridays right b4 shabbos but the rest of the week I am on my own. I do try to have the kids help out but sometimes I'd rather just get them into bed and then do it myself.
thanks for letting me vent! (imamother is a great way to avoid cleaning...!)

Bliss

Wed, Jan 19 2011, 9:48 pm

Yeah, that's life. Every day the same story. Sometimes after a good clean-up I think it's going to stay this way, and of course it never does.

pumpkinsbubby

Thu, Jan 20 2011, 2:31 pm

My kids are all grown now. But I can relate to the way my house looked when they were growing up - total chaos - even though I am a very organized person. But being organized and having a clean house with lots of kids ka"h are totally different entities.
I had a cleaning lady once a week in the afternoon, so at least the bathroom got washed and the kitchen counters and floor...
Then she'd leave and shortly afterwards the kids would arrive home from school. I will never forget the day she worked extra hard and got everything looking spic and span. I paid her and she left, and then the school bus pulled up. Coats everywhere and back packs everywhere and shoes everywhere...Yikes!
Suddenly there was a knock at the door; the cleaning lady had left something behind and came to retrieve it...
Was my face red!

rovacat

Thu, Jan 20 2011, 2:37 pm

it's comforting reading that other ppl deal with this issue also. I really try to be organized. but it's only me- I'm the one cleaning up after my 3 kids and hubby. before I go to sleep at night, the house is clean and organized. then I have to do it again after everyone leaves for the day...
it's a never ending cycle. but that's my job, right?
plus, I just lost my cleaning lady so now I'm really alone. and sitting on imamother helps me procrastinate.
I gotta get things in order for shabbos! Smile

we're all in this together

BrachaC

Thu, Jan 20 2011, 3:07 pm

I am definitely guilty of just giving up and going to bed. It is enough to get through the evening and know that I have the food for lunches in the house!! I was thinking of focusing on a specific room for a while. For example- this MONTH I might focus on my room. It will be nice and clean when I get home, because the cleaning lady comes Thursday ( I work full time and she comes once a week, so I am spoiled, but not excessively!). My problem in the bedrooms is Friday afternoon- everyone comes through in a rush, changes clothes an extra time, does not have time to hang anything up and then by the time Saturday night comes around it is 3 outfits a piece and the room is a wreck and who wants to spend Saturday night cleaning? Anyway, I am going to give it a try with my room and see if the kids follow my example and start doing a better job in their rooms.

zigi

Thu, Jan 20 2011, 3:22 pm

omg! I wanted to write almost the same exact post! except that I don't work and have a hopefully non colicky newborn- just started screaming, not long enough to be colic I hope!.

please don't judge me. I like having things clean. I really hate mess. it makes me nervous. but I have a bunch of helpers who make a big mess everyday.
I wanted to clean the house but I fell asleep on the couch. I can't hide every single toy from my kids. they like to play and it keeps them busy. but it means that I always have a train set and little cars and lego..... all over the house.

I do ask them to clean and they do. a younger kids dumps everything out again....

now I don't feel guilty for wasting time. if I put him down he will scream. so I am spending guilt free time on the computer.

also with having to feed bathe do homework and have them practice I am wiped out at the end of the day.

gryp

Thu, Jan 20 2011, 3:33 pm

I just think that I can't expect my kids to clean up as much as they mess. And I don't have a cleaning lady. By the end of the day I need to do nothing for a few hours, and clean clothing and prepared food comes before my kids' strewn toys, books, and papers.

I have seriously started to just: throw. things. out. If it is still on the floor after three days and I've asked whoever it belongs to to put it away 15 times, I figure no one will miss it much. Sometimes I tell them that it's obvious we don't need whatever it is anymore as a warning, and sometimes I just dump it without notifying them.

I am also organized, btw. I have no clutter and everything has a place to "live." But being organized doesn't help if you don't have as many hands cleaning as you have messing.

momx6

Thu, Jan 20 2011, 4:22 pm

OP here,
Thanks y'all for all your comforting words. It's nice to know I'm not the only one here going thru this! I just wish my house would stay clean for 1 whole day!