Stay at home moms of toddlers: How do you manage to keep your house clean, bills paid, and do everything else?

Answer 1

Mandatory nap time. Every day we have lunch at 11:30am, Then I take them straight from the highchair to bed. They sleep anywhere from 2 - 3 hours. During that time I'm like a whirlwind in my house! First I fill my sink with hot water and put the dishes in to soak while I start a load of laundry and gather up all the clothes scattered around the house. Then I gather all of the lost sippys and dishes and start on the dishes. Then counters, table, stove, sweep, mop and by that time the laundry is ready to be switched. Then I jump in the shower and get dressed. A quick wipe-down of the bathroom sink after I brush, then on to the living room, pick up toys, put away movies and once a week light dusting with a baby wipe(they work great and they are anti-bacterial) Laundry is ready to be folded and put away now, after that the kitchen floor is dry from mopping so I go eat something fast and mess-free. Then I sit and relax for 10-20 minutes until I hear the kids starting to squeak so I vacuum real quick (they're already awake)
And then about 1 hour later the house in destroyed again!
I pay bills at night when they are sleeping

Answer 2

HAHAthats funny run a tight ship! OK you have a toddler who is only going to be a toddler once. Get to the important things, or just the stuff you can! and then relax sit on the floor and play dolls or cars or whatever with your child!, Your little one is never gonna say wow I wish the house would have been neater when I was 2 or 3 or 4, he or she will say I wish my mom and dad spent more time with me, Played games, watched a movie etc..... I think Moms these days try to be Too perfect and they miss the boat on what their childs childhood is all about. Like I said do what you can, but at the end of the day know that you did the best for your child by not making your home a priority over Him/her! and sleep easy you always have tomarrow when you stay at home! Good luck

Answer 3

It is definitely a challenge! Some days i get more done than others. One thing that had really helped me is instead of worrying about get the whole house picked up a little everyday, i take one room per day and really clean that one room. Like today i did the kitchen, moved things on the counters and cleaned everything, floors and cabinet doors. This way it is not so overwhelming and it actually stays cleaner and is easier to keep up with, hope this helps! Also for more mommy issues I started a mommies support group, just for such issues...We are mommies, and enjoy the toughest job in the world. We are here to share ideas and stories in a family like atmosphere. Some of us have a few kids, and some have many, and they range in all ages. Most of us have very young ones at home. We are here to offer support to each other and hopefully along the way build strong friendships to strengthen ones abilities as a mother, and a woman, WELCOME! you can go here to join: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mommies_rus/

Answer 4

I take it a little at a time. Pick up toys regularly, put dishes in the dishwasher as they are dirty, throw a load of laundry in with a spare second. My husband and I sweep, wipe down counters, etc. in the evenings (about 15 minutes) bathrooms and kitchen are done on the weekends, the whole family works together. You also have to accept that some days your house is going to look like a hurricane hit it. Live life, housework will always be there tomorrow :) Oh, and I pay my bills on line as they come in, about 30 seconds per bill.

Answer 5

I am a stay at home mom of an 11 month old and a 23 month old. The only way I manage to do house cleaning and such is to utilize nap time. When the kids are sleeping I kick it into high gear and that is when I get everything done. Also I started my kids on a bedtime schedule early and they are usually asleep by seven thirty at the latest. So I usually some things during naptime. After they go to bed I pick up their messes and do dishes and such. Since they go to bed early I still manage to have some time to myself by eight thirty or nine. You just have to manage your time very well! As tempting as it is to sleep when they nap if you want to get everything done you can only do that occasionally. Good luck!

Answer 6

i have cloned myself, grew an extra set of hands, and eyes in the back of my head. seriously, my child still takes a nap durring the day, and i try to get as much as possible done durring that time. i have also enlisted the help of neighbor kids who can play with my daughter while i am at home so that can sit down and pay bills or cook dinner after school and on weekends. i am home so if something should go wrong i don't have to worry, and the kids love to play together. the other thing is that i get my daughter to help, she loves the feather duster and will dust books and everything else, she also can pick up and put away toys. have fun and good luck

Answer 7

I am a mother of 5 and work full time outside the home. While I am getting ready for work (I work shift work) i also do varies chores. While brushing my teeth i can also pick up the floors, while waiting for my hair to dry i make beds and straighten the kitchen. I multitask ALOT. Laundry can get rather interesting tho. I have to do at least 1 load of laundry a day, but I sometimes take a couple of days to fold. After work I go thru the house and pick up floors and pay bills while im cooking

Answer 8

First to pay the bills, i opened up a daycare so i wouldnt have to leave my 2 year old daughter and that helped me becuase i could still help my husband pay the bills, I actually make more money than he does...heeeheeehee.....um... cleaning....I clean before the kids get here. clean when their sleeping and clean before we go to bed. I dont really do anything else but play with them and my husband gets home , he watches the kids so i can cook or he'll cook......hope this helped.......EVERYTHING IS ABOUT THE KIDS....I've definetly learned that so far. You hardly get anytime to yourself. Oh and let the house get trashed during the day, it's inevitable....just clean it all up b4 your husband comes home and tell people to call b4 they stop by. then start throwing everything in closets.

Answer 9

You know what, when I read your question I started laughing. I don't that is the simple answer lol. Well I manage to take care of the bills and stuff but... The only thing you can do is come to terms with the fact that your house is never going to be clean for more than 5 minutes. If you can keep your kitchen clean and stay caught up with laundry then you have accomplished a lot. I manage to wash the clothes but have a hard time actually gettign them put away. If I spend an hour putting away my kids clothes they will pull them out of the drawers in 5 minutes. I usually spend about a half hour straightening up after I put my kids to bed, so at least I can wake up to a clean house, and I try to do the same when they go down for their nap. Then I can sit down and relax in a clean quiet house even if it is only for a few hours. I take care of my bills and so on after the kids are in bed. I like to get them to bed about 8:30 and then I can be in bed about 10 if I'm lucky. A lot of times I stay up too late because I just enjoy sitting in the silence. Well except for my daughter talking in her sleep and my son who wakes up every few hours if his pacifier falls out of his mouth lol. But it's quieter than the day time. Another life saver or should I say sanity saver is the DVR. I don't have to sacrafice my shows for my kids to watch their cartoons. I can record them and then watch them in in evening once they are in bed or during nap time un interupted with "mommy I'm hungry, mommy I'm thirsty, mommy he hit me" lol. Don't you just love the mom life? I love it. I've got a son who will be 2 in Feb, a 4 yr old and I'm due with my third on Valentine's Day and can't wait for hte fourth. But believe me I have my times when I want to scream. It comes with the territory don't it?

Answer 10

Yeah it's tough with toddlers, they always seem to be walking around behind you messing up what you have just tidied. mine are 6 & 8 now and still leave a trail behind them despite my nagging. I try and keep on top of it by not letting it build up, as soon as I see something that needs doing I get on to it. And have a routine and stick to it the best you can. I t does seem never ending and I don't get to sit down much but I can't relax if theres a mess anyway