Do you all have a hard time keeping your house clean?

[KristiKelly]

I had a shower at my house today, I started on Friday cleaning so it wouldn't end up in that "Mad rush" 3 hours beforehand. Well, On Friday I cleaned the bathrooms, vac'd, mopped, dusted, blah, blah, blah. DH mowed the yard on Friday & for 2 days, the kids & dog tracked in loose grass, then juice spills on the floors, 1/2 eaten candy on the countertops, Those bathrooms I cleaned?? I have a 6 y/o DS with either poor aim or trying to see how many times he can write his name around the rim So, I gave up and this morning, once again, I ordered the kids OUT of the house and spent 3 hours RE-doing everything I had done previously. Anybody else go through this?? I'm complaining now, but I realize one day my house will be clean and there will be no toys to trip over and boy, will I ever be sad!

 

[slo]

I have a terrible time keeping my house clean also. I always keep it free of clutter (the rooms people see that is) but actual cleaning is another story (well, except the bathrooms). I just have such a hard time finding the time.

I work full time, have two girls - ages 5 & 7 months, 5 year old is in gymnastics, 7 month old is sick all the time - literally - she is getting tubes put into her ears in a couple of weeks, and husband is a volunteer fireman and is not home to help entertain the girls (I am proud of him for that though).

My husband is thinking about hiring a maid to come once a week to help me out. I would love this, but I feel that I should be able to do this myself.

My 5 yrs old room is always such a disaster. The other day when my 7 month home had to stay home from daycare sick I spent all afternoon cleaning 5yr olds room and threw so much stuff away (you know Happy Meal toys and that kind of crap) she never even missed it.

I do understand where you are coming from and I'm right there with you.

 

[mommytotwo]

It happens to me also. It seems like when I clean something up, there is something there when I turn around. I have a daughter that is 19 months old so having to clean up after her is a handful alone, let alone a total of five people living in this house.

 

[minniecarousel]

Yeah - my kids are grown and it's not often that they're home. When they were little, they'd ask: "who's coming over?" when we'd get the vacuum cleaner out! I know how hard it is to do that cleaning ahead of time, thinking that I wouldn't have to do that "last minute rush" but I never found a way around it. I finally gave up doing too much ahead of time.

 

[Stepharoonie!]

I know just how you feel. I did the same thing Friday afternoon...cleaned up and vaccumed....and now it looks like I haven't done a thing. Back to the drawing board!

 

[msdznyduck]

My house would be clean............if I was the only one living in it!
I know what you mean minniecarousel, my kids say the same thing........"who's coming over" whenever everthing is clean at the same time. I found that if I clean too early when we do have company, I have to go around cleaning again for the "last minute rush". The only thing is, my kids are older, and can help out, but DD absolutely refuses to clean the toilet. But other than that, she will do anything (almost) that I ask. Keeping their rooms clean is another story, though!
Elaine

 

[fantasymagic]

Except we couldn't meet at my house cuz my house is always a mess.

I try the keep it in perspective thing, but sometimes you just hate to even live in your house. So I turn into momzilla and it gets clean but just like you, the next day, we're back to square one. Oh well, I tell my DH that housecleaning wasn't a skill he should have married me for.

 

[cgcw]

I do have a cleaning service come in every other week to give our house a good clean. In between, I try to keep up with what needs to be done, it's very hard, though.

I love coming home on the Wednesday's the service comes to clean. The house looks so nice and has that just cleaned smell to it.

If I could, I'd have the come every day but that's just not feasible.

I have a plaque hanging above my sink which I read fairly often doing the dishes. When things get really bad around here, I remember these words...........

Excuse This House

Some houses try to hide the fact
That children shelter there,
Ours boasts it quite openly,

The signs are everywhere.
For smears are on the windows,
Little smudges are on the doors,
I should apologize, I guess
For toys strew on the floor.

But I sat down with my child
And we played and laughed and read
And if the doorbell doesn't shine,
His eyes will shine instead.

For when at times I'm forced to choose
The one job or the other;
I'd like to cook and clean and scrub,
But first I'll be a mother.

~Author Unknown~


KristiKelly, I will be very sad the day it no longer fits my house too.

 

[Kermit]

I try not to think about cleaning the house as a job with an end but rather something that you just have to keep on doing, like exercising and eating well. If you think of it as something you can "finish," it's so much more disappointing when it gets messy again.

 

[Pooh93]

I feel your pain. I cleaned for about 2 days as dd made her First Communion last night and people were coming over. I'll guarantee you by Tuesday at the latest, it'll feel like I never did a thing.

 

[Serena]

Cleaning is non-stop.

 

[Mad4Mickey]

I had a live in for 8 years then I became a single mom for a few years and that was not even a option. I felt like I was always scrubbing something
We have a new housekeeper now but she only comes 1 time a week so I leave the heavy scrubbing for her and just do the light stuff myself .
I understand what you are saying for you .

 

[holycow]

I feel your pain!

I don't clean on the weekends...it's useless effort...so I just wait until monday and start all over again....

PS have you tried Flylady.net?...you don't have to do the 3 hrs at a time...only 15 min.


HC

 

[*Fantasia*]

Ay yay yay!! Tell me about it! Sometimes I don't even know where to begin! I try to clean the living room, but no matter what, it always gets messy. Sometimes I just feel like giving up. And yes, sometimes I do the thorough cleaning when we know we are expecting a company. Yep..."Who's coming over?" the children ask when they see me doing a deep cleaning.

Yep, we do need a support group for this. I keep telling my children many times..."put your socks in your shoes...put your gloves in your hat and put your hat in the sleeve coat...hang your coat...put your crayons back in the box...put your dolls in the Dora box..."

I do keep my kitchen clean and no dishes in the sink and my bathroom clean. I am just having a hard time keeping up with the living room and the kids room.

 

[Megan's Mom]

Last week DH was out of town for a few days so I started cleaning and picking up for Megan's party that we had yesterday. I promise you that he was not home 12 hours and it was a wreck, and he slept most of those hours. I would love to have someone come and clean every two weeks but he doesn't want a stranger in our house.

 

[janette]

I posted on another thread, my house is usually a mess.

Sometimes though you do have to think about what really matters like cgcw posted.

One time I was talking to an old friend, her kids were grown and mine are small athough she's my age. I mentioned that my youngest loves to do art projects and the only thing I mind is the mess and she said that when her DD was small she loved art but she was so worried about the mess she didn't let her her do much. After a time her DD quit doing art projects, now she looks back and wishes that she'd worried less about the mess and allowed her DD to explore her creative side.

 

[goodferry]

Our house is always trashed! I learned a good lesson, believe it or not, from my MIL. Her house is as spotless as a museum, she cleans it all the time. She never has the grand-kids over to play, they make a mess, she never has friends over for dinner, another mess to deal with, she has no hobbies, she watches TV instead, sounds like fun doesn't it?
Some day all the kids will be grown and gone and the house will be clean, and I will be sad.
So I say embrace your messy house and go outside and play hopscotch while you can still hop.
(don't even get me started on ironing)

 

[Samandmom]

Right now my house is tidy and clean. Tommorrow around noon well thats another story!

 

[hockeymom7691]

I can relate to this!! I just finished cleaning my rooms (that everyone sees) and it's almost midnight!!!

My house started out pretty clean this weekend and then my DS had a friend spend the weekend. That pretty much says it all!

I have a contractor coming over in the morning to redo my bathroom so I had to get in there and pull wallpaper off the wall and empty everything out along with making sure the house was decent when they come. Of course I have everything from the bathroom stuffed into my office room. Gee, I hope they don't open any closed doors!

 

[two4ruff]

With 2 boys, 3 dogs, 3 cats, 3 guinea pigs, 2 birds and 1 rabbit - I've learned that there is a big difference between a DIRTY and MESSY.

If I can keep it clean, but messy, I can live with it
If I know the carpet is vacuumed underneath all the toys, I've won that battle!