How do you mamas juggle being a mom and housework?

I focus more on dirt than mess. Dirty dishes, counters, floors, clothes. Toys, books, and everything else? If I get to it, then woo. If not, oh well. At least the dirt is taken care of.

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It takes a lot out of momā€™s with children so close in age. I myself could only manage so much in one day. My solution was to do housework at nite when they were sleeping.

My advice is stop cleaning until after bedtime . It feels like it stays cleaner longer . Saves a lot of stressing over mess too if you just let it be until then .

When mine were younger I would do one thing a day clean restroom next day sweep next day mop ect. :tipping_hand_woman:t2: I had a sick husband who past away in 90ā€™s and I was caring for 2 little ones him and working :sob: It was all I could do. One thing at a time youā€™re doing a great job Moms :kissing_heart:

I toss laundry in before I leave, my daughter gets it out when she gets home. I get the next load in and out after I get home. I sometimes take a few hours off work to sweep and mop. A lot falls on my older kids who make 99 percent of the messes. Dogs go out in the morning, whoever is home at lunch time, and twice at night. Oldest is in charge of the cat box. Husband usually does the dishes.
You gotta find a system that works for you, but even then its gonna be dirty sometimes. Thatā€™s life with kids and pets lol. Iā€™m currently doing dinner and laundry with my bathroom looking like a toilet paper bomb exploded in it :woman_facepalming:

Your 6 year old is able to help and technically so is your 2 year oldā€¦Instilling a tidy up routine before bed is a good ideaā€¦My 4 yr old daughter ONLY gets a story before bed if sheā€™s packed away all her toysā€¦and if she asks for dessert for example she has to do a little job for itā€¦like helping clear the table or wiping any spills off the floor.
Also reducing amount of toys and teaching them to pack one thing away before they play with the next. They need those skills for school and the earlier you teach them the better :slight_smile:

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Girlā€¦ YOU DONT :joy::sob::sob::joy::joy::joy:
They only things you can really do are to clean when they go to sleep and teach them to pick up after each other.
What my parents did was make us do all of the chores but I donā€™t think youā€™d want to put too much responsibility on a 6 year old so give it easy jobs.

I created a cleaning chart so I would know what to do each day. If I get to it all, greatā€¦if I donā€™t, oh well. But at least I donā€™t have to think about what I need to be doingā€¦I just reference my cleaning chart. Here a copy of mine if you want to use it

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You can only do so much a day. Try dividing up the house work into different days. One day laundry or one day clean the kitchen and so on. Thats what I do. I have 2 puppies and a 3 and 5 yr old. Also work part time

You canā€™t. You choose what is important to you to keep tidy but it canā€™t be everything.

I have a 4 year old, 14 month old and a 1 DAY old who I was in labor with cleaning waiting for a ride to the ERā€¦ Idk how to juggle

Itā€™s one of those things you have to pick your battles on. Iā€™m constantly cleaning, I donā€™t sit down once my feet touch the floor in the morning. I feel like I sweep at least 3 times a day because it drives me nuts to see things on the floor. I do laundry one night a week, do my best to get it put away so it doesnā€™t look cluttered. It never ends.

I have a 6 girl 3boy and 2 boy and dog as well big dog ! My husband lives at work pretty much we dint see him really ever ā€¦ that being said itā€™s all me except the bills itā€™s hard!! It takes a lot first off I blew my back out with my last child I herniated two disks in my back and three are bulging which was almost the end of me literally !! Tile my husbands friend at work told use about (Kratom ) saves my life !!! That and it gives me energy to keep up with the kids my new schedule is donā€™t fall behind lol I donā€™t sleep really I always do dishes laundry and garbage as well as sweep/mop and vacuum everyday ! At least one right I have learned if I fall behind I stay behind for at least three days and on the odd days my husband gets work off the house always suffers and falls behind itā€™s a never ending battle but to be 100 percent honest it was WAY easier tile this year only one goes to school right now and itā€™s hard now to keep the house ect up to speed then it was a year ago :sob:I was really hopping last year that it would get easier but no itā€™s harder

Find a new dream lol. Mother of three here, youngest being a newborn and Iā€™m just patiently waiting until my kids are old enough to have some chores before I expect my house to ever truly be clean again. I do what I can when the two youngest go to bed though, if I still have energy by that point. The only thing I really keep up with is laundry, I just throw thr clothes directly in the washer so they donā€™t build up and turn it on when itā€™s full. I try to fold when i have time but it ends up being after like 3-4 loads

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Clutter vs filth. Soiled clothes, dirty dishes and trash are priority one. Stuffies (I think they multiply when weā€™re not looking!) Toys, booksā€¦ Thatā€™s a good job for kiddos. My house only gets DEEP cleaned 3-4 times a year, but chores are a daily thing. My kids work for TV time, leftover parade candy, or trips to the park lol Get them involved now, or youā€™ll want to strangle them when theyā€™re chilling on their phones as teens whilst you do all the work!

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Make it a game to have the toddlers help you clean up their toys. Do big house work while the kids are napping and after they go to bed. If they can entertain themselves, use that time to vacuum and do dishes, laundry, etc.

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I learned early on to not clean until he went to bed. It was a lot less stressful for me. Divide household deep cleaning into separate days. My son started to help clean certain things at 4 (wipe tables down, help put groceries away, and loved helping vaccum) by 6 he was able to help with more like laundry.

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Learn lower standards lol. Some good tips is to have a few big plastic containers for toys. Bring out a different one each week to limit the amount of toys that the have available to scatter everywhere. Have one day a week where you do a thorough clean and just spot clean as needed on the other days. Get a doggy door or something so you donā€™t have to worry about the dog and eliminate as many stressors as you can. If you donā€™t have a dishwasher like I me, keep the sink half full with water and wash as you go, at 6 they can wash their own plates and cups with supervision. And a chore schedule will help you to know where youā€™re at too. And most of all know when to say stuff it and do something just for you, if you burn yourself out trying to have a perfect home it will be worse for you family than a messy home!!

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I donā€™t know. :pleading_face: I manage being a single mom of 2 while working full time, going to school full time, and keeping my house clean along with cooking meals and everything else. Beat advice is donā€™t sleep, :grimacing: I conditioned myself not to sleep. No time for it.

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1st you give yourself a break! With 3 littles itā€™s never going to be clean. But anyone who is walking is old enough to be assigned a chore.
Start them young on a chore chart and let them earn treats, stickers, quarters, whatever you want. Mine earn 15 minutes of Electronic time per. Also make sure dads on the cart to with a couple of chores that he can tackle a and take off your hands.
Shows the kid and good example of everyone pitches in.
And When theyā€™re old enough to start walking and putting things away I stopped cleaning up after them. Yes I do the scrubbing, bathrooms, cooking and all that stuff but they pick up their own stuff. As hard as it is I make sure to make them come get their own stuff even if I have to tell them it over and over. I refuse to pick up after children or adults who should know how to pick up after themselves.

I have a 5,4,3 and am pregnant and we manage to clean. My kids help with EVERYTHING. They pick up all their own toys, wipe down table and chairs, sweep, vacuum, help with dishes, help fold and pick up laundry, and whatever else I want done. My children all have behavioral problems but we rise above those and I make cleaning fun.

I make my 2 year old pick up when she is done before moving on to something else if she has an attitude then u can go sit in time out .I pick up threw out the day but I also explain to her if u dont pick up then we can not do this and if she really wants to she sill keep it consistentā€¦and finish the rest off when she naps or something

Delegate!!! Start them young and watch them work it!:joy::joy:

make your kids clean the mess they made after their play time. pack up their toys when theyā€™re done. it will save you so much time. :blush:

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We gave up on cleaning long time ago. But I do tell my toddler if he wants play with another toy, he needs to pick up the one he was playing with hence clean up before he takes another toy out.

Your 6 year old and 2 year old can clean up their own toys. The 6 year old should know not to take new toys out until the toys they are done playing with are put away, now is the time to teach your 2 year old the same.

When my kids were younger i let them help. I let them pack up their toys and any of their clothes that was where it wasnā€™t supposed to be and i even let them help me wipe counters where they made their food or snacks mess. When they realized how much time cleaning took they just sort of stop leaving toys all over and started eating cleaner and when they played dress up they used leas clothes cause doing their chores took away from tv and play time. Oh they were 2 & 3 yrs old when i started this

Iā€™m currently on the trash bag method of cleaning. If itā€™s on the floor and not a necessity or a super special toy itā€™s in a bag to either the Goodwill or the dump. Byyyyyeee!!! šŸ¤·:wave::wave:

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If the kiddos are out n about the house all day, I donā€™t even bother

A messy house (toys everywhere) means a lived in happy house. Donā€™t worry about it to much and donā€™t waste your time doing it during the day. Just enjoy your time and then clean it while theyā€™re sleeping

Catie Lord , see, you are not the only one one darlingā€¦

Growing up, my parents had off on weekends and on Saturday everyone cleaned. We all had certain jobs we were responsible for. Now, my husband doesnā€™t have normal days off, and I donā€™t have help with my newest, like I did with my first, so I hired a girl to clean 2xmonth. I find it affordable. And sheā€™s a friend now, and is willing to adjust her rate as our finances fluctuateā€¦ which is excellent because Iā€™d hate to function without her. lol
We are very organized though. There is a place for everything in this house, and everyone has to pick up their own crap several times a day: before we leave to go out, before we eat (for each meal), before bath, and before bed. Everyone puts there own stuff away and helps anyone whoā€™s too young to do it alone. If I find you lied about cleaning up thereā€™s a consequence. Towels are hung, toys are away, clothes are put in the laundry, or the drawers, shoes put back and coats hung up. Our cleaner changes sheets, dusts, vacuums, wet mops, and does bathrooms. It leaves me time to bleach bath toys, wash bath mats, wipe windows, clean fans and base boards, wipe down spotty walls, get behind furniture, clean pet areas, clean kitchen areas, do laundry (1-2 loads everyday wash/fold/put away), do dishes, vaccum, organize baby clothes, fix cabinets, replace light bulbs, etc. It never gets too over whelming. Just 10 mins here, 5 mins there. And itā€™s all good. Everyone has to help though. Mom Dad and kids. Every. One.

I always put a load of wash inā€¦that takes no time and one job half done, fix and eat breakfastā€¦put dishes after rinsing in extremely hot waterā€¦ now get child ready for schoolā€¦helps if all clothes laid out night beforeā€¦once child in school, little ones occupied for 10 minutesā€¦do dishes laundry in dryerā€¦at least this is tidyā€¦in bathroom always have Lysol wipes handy for counter and sinkā€¦takes 30 seconds for quick swipeā€¦ little tricks to help not have everyday jobs overwhelmingā€¦you will have to wait for about 20 years for clean houseā€¦lolā€¦ donā€™t sweat the small stuffā€¦they grow fast.

So the house may be a little dirty, are your kids happy and weā€™ll adjusted?

15 minute Tidy every 3 or 4 hours and I clean after my kids are in bed whole house Dishes before I got to bed. Most days I feel like Iā€™m loosing a game to Jumanji but hey I get threw!!! It will get way better as they get older. Hang in there Mama!!!

Honestly, I donā€™t bother with clutter, toys or blankets. I vacuum 2x a week, clean the bathroom toilets and counters and floor a few times a week (Iā€™ve got a little boy itā€™s necessary), I clean my kitchen counter everyday, I do my dishes every day, and laundry once a week. My house is santized but thereā€™s toys in the corners, blankets on the couch or at the dining table, schoolwork at the end of the dining table, etc. All I do is sanitize. I have given up on organization lol. I have 3 kids and itā€™s just not a thing. Once a week weā€™ll clean the living room and pick up as much as we can but thatā€™s all I can get done and itā€™s usually trashed again by the end of the day or the next day. I figure once my kids are older or out of the house Iā€™ll have a beautiful house then, right now Iā€™m more worried about making memories. I just clean what needs to be cleaned for health reasons lol. Also, I go through with clorox wipes everyday and wipe all doorknobs and handles and stuff like that too.

Declutter ā€¦ One room at a time

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Face it! Itā€™s 3 against 1. You are outnumbered. There is a difference between messy and dirty. Unless you can monitor them constantly, just pick up discarded toys and other things on designated times. If other people are there, invite them to join you. It doesnā€™t last forever.

You dont. Just try your best. It is what it is.

Iā€™ve got a 3 yr, 1 yr and soon-to-be newborn. (Plus 3 dogs and and a cat.) Weā€™ve apparantly lost our mindsā€¦:see_no_evil: But I keep the majority (not all, but A LOT) of my kids toys in storage containers stacked along one wall. We pull out one, let them play, then at the end of the day my 3 year old puts the toys away back in the container and that one goes on the bottomā€¦ we rotate them out so the kids donā€™t get tired of playing with the same things over & over and the next day itā€™s like something new. Itā€™s helped tremendously!

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Im a mom of 3, do housework, and work a full time job!

I organized toys in boxes and watched which ones were taken out and which ones were never touched and got rid of them.
My two year old has to help me pick up his toys before nap and bedtime. I usually make a game of it Or I tel him it will make mom really happy if you pick them up. Sweet thing- he wants mommy to be happy.
He helps with dishes every day. He helps me put laundry in the machine.
Me and my partner split things up. He gets the kitchen I get the living room. Sometimes we help each other sometimes we donā€™t. He does his laundry, I do mine and we both do our sons. And we just take turns with the rest. Some weeks he does more and other weeks I do.
Declutter your house where you donā€™t have as much to clean. You may just have too many items and not enough places to put them so thatā€™s overwhelming in its self.

Get nice big baskets that kind of match your decoration and put them around the houseā€¦ It makes it easy to pick up toys from the floorā€¦ Just throw all toys in the basketsā€¦ Easy for them to access their toys and easy for everyone to put things away.
Quick clean the floor after every meal and keep disinfectant wipes handy for easy and fast cleaning surfaces.
Donā€™t worry too much it is normal with little kidsā€¦ Just enjoy them and do your best without exhausting yourself

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I usually just give up and let them take over :joy: then when I cook dinner and have them eating I hurry and cleaning their rooms and sweep them I mop once a week then after their rooms are tidy i get them in the bath and then bed and then i clean the hall living room kitchen both bathrooms dining room and my bedroom. I also give the dog a bath once a week. Feed and water cats and dog daily. Most of my windows stay remotely clean because we always keep them covered with blinds and/or curtains. I just clean the windows as needed and I have 2 different sliding glass doors in my house and with the dog and the 3 kids under 7 I have gave up on them being spotless. My husband usually does the outside of the house and I only do laundry once a week unless something needs washed by a certain day or the bedsets need to be cleaned. I try to clean those through the week. Mu husband also works 2 jobs so he is normally gone daily from 6:15am to 10pm everyday. And my 2 oldest is in school. We are extremely busy because my son has 3 therapy appointments weekly. And the 2 girls have cheer practice 3 times a week and a game on Saturdays. And then all the different dr appointments as well. So sometime the house doesnt stay as clean as I would like and it gets a little chaotic. Like toys EVERYWHERE kitchen looks like a tornado hit it etc. I honestly just do what I can and some days if Iā€™m just drained I just leave it until I can get to it the next day. My moto is the housework will ALWAYS be there. My children on the other hand will eventually grow and leave home and I will wish I had a mess to clean or a tiny human to fuss at over my throbbing foot from stepping on a toy. Dont let the idea of having a picture perfect house get you down. Because MOST people are pushing mess to the side to get to that perfect picture. No one way works for everyone and anyone who expects a house that any child lives in big or small to be spotless all the time is nuts. Kids are messy. ALL THE TIME. Good luck momma! And dont stress. Youā€™ve got this

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Get a routine down. Then it becomes simple. Your two yr old can do simple chores.

My daughter is 15 months I just ask her calming to please pick up her toys and what not off the floor and she does it! Itā€™s actually kinda hard to keep it clean when kids and your husband live in the house :rofl::rofl::rofl:

I donā€™tā€¦ I do what I can if no one likes it stuff beansā€¦ Else they can do more! Iā€™ve learned itā€™s not going to be perfectā€¦ So why stew over it. I wish I do stay homeā€¦ Ugh.

Learn in your own head the difference between dirty and messyā€¦ a lot of the times things are messy not necessarily dirty. But also you have 3 children you wont have a perfect home til theyā€™re grown up and moved out sometimes once you accept thatā€¦housework is easier to deal with xx

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There is a difference between dirty and messy.

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Iā€™m still trying to figure out the magic
Especially when my baby is EBF

Girls clean at a certain time every day just once a day like right B4 the dad gets home or right after supper let it be a lil Messi in the day it will be ok and you will be alot less stressed and exhausted

I focus on one room at a time :blush:, I have an 8 yr old who can help and a 3 yr with a Autism who cannot be out of my line of sight for his safety. I have him follow me to one room at a time give him his tablet and let him play while I clean and then we move on to the next room. The bathrooms I save for the weekends when heā€™s off with Daddy :blush: but I never stress with having a perfect house lol kids make messes

I have a special needs 6 year old and 2 year who has a speech delay. Weā€™re always going to an appointment (usually out of town).
Your house is a home. Itā€™s never going to be immaculate. Itā€™s not fair to yourself to expect it to be.
Delegate some chores to the 6 year old. Mine is responsible for
-picking up toys
-putting his and his brotherā€™s clothes away
-taking the bathroom trash out
-cleaning their room

Next do what you can.
I rotate rooms. So tomorrow Iā€™ll do things that need to be done every day (dishes, vacuuming the living room ect) and then Iā€™ll focus on the kitchen and living room (theyā€™re connected). Cleaning. organizing.
The next day do the things that have to be done every day. Then focus on the dinning room, laundry room, and sitting room.
Then then next day bedrooms, hallway and bathroom.
Then i start over except for Saturday
Saturdayā€™s i do laundry and do a little bit in every room.

I put a cartoon on to help keep the 2 year old entertained (sesame street or something educational)
For christmas weā€™ve also bought him his own play vacuum (so heā€™ll stop trying to steal mine) and his own little play dishes set and stuff.
The toys are supposed to stay in the living room and i donā€™t worry about putting them away until the end of the day so its easier to keep him entertained while i do other things.

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Get into a routine! I have everyday chores and ones I do weekly. Dishes, laundry and vacuuming are everyday. Mopping is 1-2 times a week. Dusting, bathrooms and bedrooms are once a week. Teach your little ones to clean, while they are little. You will definitely benefit when they are older. Everyday before my husband gets home, I run through the house and pick things up. My grandsonā€™s are getting play vacuums for Christmas! ( Amazon has a toy Dyson for $26.99. It supposedly really works and sucks things up) They also make toy mops and brooms!

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Tell your husband to deal with it until all the kids are in schoolā€¦cuz a clean house isnt gonna happen til then but, if it does take a picture to show him to it was clean at some timeā€¦a mothers work is never done

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Two things, lower your standards and teach the husband and children to help. Even a two year old can sort of wipe up spills and pick up her toys. Your house will not be truly clean until the kids all leave home and then you will miss them.

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kids grow up eventually donā€™t fret yourself do what you can

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i also av a 5 yr old dat i also av to behind her

Well I donā€™t :woman_shrugging:
4 kids 4,7,11,13
Hubby helps as much as he can and we clean up but not :100: perfect. Oh well thatā€™s life. They are only little once.

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Oooooh girl i feel ur pain im in the same boat i have a 12yr old 1 yr old and 6 month old and they are a busy bunch i try to clean aslong as the kitchen is spotless and tidy up as they nap and just pack away the toys and whatever is lying around and just repeat it gets frustrating but they will grow older and begin to help you dont give up thou we were built for this :wink:

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Welcome to motherhood and the real world. I had 4 under 5 and managed ok.