spinoff- FTWM with no cleaning lady, who watches kids while you clean?

i am just so

i have 2 kids, dd is 4 and ds is 20 months.
when i get home at night around 730, we eat around 8/830, i bathe the kids every other day, and i put them to sleep. i rock and lay with them till they fall asleep b.c i enjoy it.
by 9:30 the kids are asleep and then i tidy up the kitchen a bit.

after that, i am spent! so really, the weekend is the only time i can get any solid cleaning done.

on saturday, i do the morning routine with the kids and then dh retreats to the office to catch up on some work ( runs his own business) and i clean up the kitchen which ends up taking longer than normal b.c i have my little guy bugging me.

how can i get laundry and cleaning done? am i alone in this?

how does this work in other relationships?
does dh watch the kids while you work?

Message edited 4/3/2013 12:22:32 PM.

spinoff- FTWM with no cleaning lady, who watches kids while you clean?

I clean when DS naps or DH watches him.

spinoff- FTWM with no cleaning lady, who watches kids while you clean?

before I had a cleaning lady, DH would take my DD out on Sat morning for 3 hrs so I can clean. I couldn't clean or do laundry with her I just couldn't. Now that I have 2 kids, I got a cleaning lady.

I can't do it when they go to sleep at night for 2 reasons: 1) I don't want to make noise 2) I am so exhausted the last thing I want to do is clean

Re: spinoff- FTWM with no cleaning lady, who watches kids while you clean?

Household chores and cleaning are an equally joint effort in my house. For example, DH cooks dinner every night while I entertain DS and then I clean up after dinner while DH gives DS a bath.

On the weekends, I tend to clean the inside of the house more because DH is always doing yard work. We usually get this stuff done while DS naps.

spinoff- FTWM with no cleaning lady, who watches kids while you clean?

Usually, I clean when DS is playing - i just plop him into his jumperoo and leave (not far). It usually doesn't mean a full cleaning, but I do a little at a time so the house stays fairly clean.


ETA: i also try to do a little cleaning while he's napping, or after he goes to bed for the night but like you, i'm usually tired at that point so not much gets done.

Message edited 4/3/2013 12:54:37 PM.

spinoff- FTWM with no cleaning lady, who watches kids while you clean?

Since I have been doing it since DD was little, she can entertain herself for a pretty long time while I clean. Playing independently is a great skill for them to learn!

spinoff- FTWM with no cleaning lady, who watches kids while you clean?

When I am cleaning downstairs either DH watches him or I am cleanign while keeping an eye on him. our house isnt that big so its not that hard. When I clean upstairs DH watches him.

Re: spinoff- FTWM with no cleaning lady, who watches kids while you clean?

When you find something that really works, let me know! UGH! I have 28 month old twins and an 8 month old (in 6 days). I work full time and by the time i get home it's after 6. My kids are in bed by 8pm, no later. If they go to bed later, they are miserable since they get up early in the mornings. I cram in dinner, baths (every other night), cleaning up from dinner, washing up for bed (i wash them up with a wash cloth on non bath nights), brushing teeth, diaper and PJ's all in less than 2 hours. All this while the three of them are screaming and wanting me at the same time. DH is super busy at work now, he's a CPA, so it;s usually just me. He doesn't help me clean when he is home. He'll do the dishwasher and take out the garbage and say he helped! Really?!? To avoid fighting (which is happening A LOT lately) i just don;t say anything anymore. By the time i am done with everything during the week i am physically and mentally done. I can barely even get through the weekends because i am so exhausted from during the week. I need to learn how to balance family and house keeping on top of working full time a little better!!! I totally feel your pain and am ready to

Re: spinoff- FTWM with no cleaning lady, who watches kids while you clean?

I clean before they wake up (they includes DH )

I also do some cleaning when they are playing and/ or napping.

Re: spinoff- FTWM with no cleaning lady, who watches kids while you clean?

Dh and I split choores...nap time on weekend or 10 min after th eir bedtime weekday

spinoff- FTWM with no cleaning lady, who watches kids while you clean?

Laundry is done during the week, and kitchen while DH watches them at night. After I put them to bed I fall asleep too. The weekends I wake up early and start cleaning. I try to do as much before DS wakes up- he "helps" me and it takes longer plus usually makes more of a mess. Then I try to do everything else in between their naps. DH is usually working on Saturdays, and I try to keep Sundays open for family time.

Re: spinoff- FTWM with no cleaning lady, who watches kids while you clean?

Im good about picking up on a daily basis, cleaning kitchen and general organization.

I do a load of laundry every single day. It seems like a lot but it makes laundry soooo less daunting of a task. One quick load is manageable to fold and put away easily. I alternate btw our laundry and DD. The only days I do more than one load is Thursday I also do towels and Saturdays I do sheets. Ill throw the laundry in the second I walk in the door so it has enough time to finsih and dry before dinner.

We clean the bathroom on an ongoing basis. Meaning, every day or two I or DH wipe down the sink, mirror and toilet. No schedule just a quick wipe with a disinfecting cloth and since we do it so often it's never too dirty. Wipe down the shower once a week.

When DD naps on the weekends DH and I sweep the floors, mop, dust, vaccuum and anything else that needs to be done. Together we spend maybe 1-2 hours. It's not too bad.

I would love a cleaning lady but just don't want to spend the money. I'd rather spend it on the landscaper who comes once a week.

Re: spinoff- FTWM with no cleaning lady, who watches kids while you clean?

We clean while they nap.

Re: spinoff- FTWM with no cleaning lady, who watches kids while you clean?

We do have a cleaning lady come every 2 weeks but it isn't enough. Our house is a mess within an hour of them leaving.

DH usually tidies up while I put the boys to bed in the early evening. There is no way we can clean with them. I do pick up toys and they help a little but not much. If one of us fixing cooking/cleaning and another adult is not present, the tv comes on. I really hate using the tv as a babysitter but I need it to fix them food.

Message edited 4/3/2013 1:32:16 PM.

Re: spinoff- FTWM with no cleaning lady, who watches kids while you clean?

i only have one kid and my house has not been clean since having him! ds is 10 1/2 months and he has always been a handful. i can't even do dishes while he is up, he gets into everything. he naps very infrequently, maybe 1 - 1/2 hours/day and that is the time I will quickly eat.

it is sooo hard to keep up, i honestly do not know how the girls on here manage so many things, so you're definitely not alone!

eta: we have yet to find a toy that keeps his interest. he has never taken to the bouncer, highchair w/ toys, or jumperoo. he like to pull on wires instead

Message edited 4/3/2013 1:56:41 PM.

Re: spinoff- FTWM with no cleaning lady, who watches kids while you clean?

If DS is up then I stick him in his walker/activity table thing and he is content while I clean.

ETA: we love this thing!

Message edited 4/3/2013 1:39:26 PM.

Re: spinoff- FTWM with no cleaning lady, who watches kids while you clean?

No cleaning lady here, but Dh and I split everything pretty equally. While I'm giving DD a bath he'll clean up the kitchen and run the dishwasher. While I'm putting laundry away he'll run the vaccuum. Things like that. It just gets done somehow. And really, I've just come to accept that my house will never be as clean as I'd like.

Re: spinoff- FTWM with no cleaning lady, who watches kids while you clean?

My house is always 'cleaned up' as in toys are put away, floors vacumed, counters wiped, beds made - etc. It's annoying b/c I feel like I'm constantly doing it - but if you keep up with it, it doesn't really ever get to the point of DIRTY where it would take 4 hours to clean.

I don't think laundry is a big deal at all - I do a load every other night probably......and then sheets and towels over the weekend. it's not really something that takes a lot of time.

As far as deep cleaning - that happens when it happens.
If I'm having company. or I notice dust bunniies under the bed or I look up and the fan is nasty

I actually started cleaning the bathroom while the boys are in the tub. I wipe it down constantly ......but once a week I scrub - I do everything but the tub while the kids are in there, and when they're done, DH does PJs whicl I srbu the tub and tiles - Again, kind of a pain, but it doesn't take hours if you keedp up with it -

I SO want the cleaning lady though - If I could get that deep clean done for me once every 2 weeks - I'd never have a nasty fan or dust bunny again !!