How do I keep up with housework with kids?
I swear there are not enough hours in a day to clean. I have so much clutter i need to toss but my kids keep me too busy to do it. Just the daily up keep is too much let alone trying to actually deep clean anything. My house makes me look so trashy because we just have too much stuff! My anxiety makes me want to just toss everything but my depression makes me want to lay on the couch and do nothing. I seriously need a babysitter just so i can keep up with the housework. But of course any time i focus in 1 room to really clean it the kids are in another trashing that one so its just an endless cycle and i feel like trash because of it. How do you do it?!?! I need help 😫
Where’s Waldo·
Purge. Purge anything and everything you can. The less stuff you have the less to pick up. I am as much of a minimalist as my family will allow. Two to three times a year I purge my whole house. It feels fantastic. We don’t do knick knacks, less to dust. We do minimal toys and always have, we kept the essential ones. Designate one room for toys, baby proof it and designate that space for play only. This way when you’re picking up it’s less. I’m telling you it makes a difference. Today we were just talking about our craft area and we are going to downsize that. You will also find your kids will play with more of what they have when it’s not so overwhelming. I purged my kids toys about 5 years ago and they thanked me. They couldn’t handle it. Goodluck to you though. Even though mine are older the youngest is still a tornado.
Where’s Waldo··
@countrypeaches42013, I’m
Telling you it’s like weight off your shoulders. I purged everything. I mean all of it. Items I held on to for what? The future? Please….in the donation pile it went. Kids toys? Donated. Knick knacks gone. Appliances we don’t use gone (bread maker etc). Clothes that don’t fit, see ya. I think we filled a dumpster. It’s so much better and I’m so much happier. So now I spend 20 min picking up random clutter and the rest deep cleaning and I can keep up. Toys with small pieces were the first out the door 🤭
Adrienne Kark··
I have to talk to my mom to ask her to stop buying random stuff for the kids. I have purged and then she shows up with SO much junk for them
Where’s Waldo··
@countrypeaches42013, do what I do. I flat out tell family you buy my kids xyz it goes straight in the trash. Take them for experience trips. Movies, ice cream, zoo, museums, park etc. I’d intercept her before she even got out of her car and be like whatever you brought goes right back home with you. They can play with it at your home.
Stephanie·
I feel this.
Llama Pantaloons·
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I wish I had some cleaning advice for you, but I dont. I know the feeling, though! We’re in the middle of redoing the living room so there’s mess every where and it is driving me crazier. I’ve even had a few panic attacks over it the past week. 😖
Adrienne Kark··
Oh no I'm so sorry 🙁 I'm definitely going to just start with 1 room at a time so I don't get overwhelmed even though I want to throw the whole house away 😂 today I'll start with the livingroom and the bookshelf that's on the stairs
Llama Pantaloons··
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@countrypeaches42013, I know that feeling! Starting with one room at a time sounds like a good idea!
🌸GoodVibeTribe🌸·
My suggestion would be (as hard as it may be) choose ONE room to work on at a time and make yourself stick to that. Don’t let yourself venture into another room and start working. If you’re cleaning the living room & something there needs to go to the dining room or something, choose a spot to be sticking the shit for that other room but don’t let yourself jump track and start cleaning THAT room. Get the one you’re working on COMPLETED entirely where you want it .. then you move to the next room. Once you get that first one finished, you’ll feel so accomplished and good about yourself that I bet it motivates you to WANNA do the rest. That’s what happens to me .. the mess will start to become overwhelming and out of control and then it makes my depression worse so like you said, I want it cleaned and done w/ but my depression locks me into the couch or just maintaining the basic shit. But once I force myself and I bust out one room and see how nice it is or feel good about what I did, it makes me push on to the next and the next.
It also helps to choose SOMETHING in the room to do first. Break the room down. Whether it be corners you focus on or specific items like “I’m gonna get this coffee table completely clear”. But most important be patient w/ yourself & be PROUD for anything you get done, no matter how small it may be.
Where’s Waldo··
Yes this is what I do and I use laundry baskets to store anything that belongs in another room and drag it with me room to room adding or emptying as I go until it’s completely empty at the end.
Adrienne Kark··
I loaded up an upstairs and basement box. My basement will have to be the last room I do because it's going to be a multi-day project
Adrienne Kark·
@whereswaldo @coffeebean took this load to the dumpster and it's not even noon!
Where’s Waldo··
I bet it feels amazing!!!! Good job!!!
Adrienne Kark··
what stresses me out is that it feels great but I have to stop every 5 minutes because my kids need or want something so having to keep starting and stopping is so aggrevating 🥴
Where’s Waldo··
13, that sounds aggravating