How do you stop the housework getting overwhelming?

Question

The chores seem to be piling up non-stop!! i have 4 kids and a busy lifestyle, which I love and wouldn't trade for anything - but just cannot seem to get on top of all my housework! The washing is all clean - but the pile is HUGE to fold and put away (6 people, 6 pairs of socks per day x 7 = 42 pairs of socks a week!!! - not to mention all the underwear and other clothes).
Besides that - the general cooking, cleaning, tidying up, and I want to help the kids with homework, do some baking and have some fun and spend time with others...
What ideas for organising the cleaning better? Any tips of perfect chores for kids? (ages 12, 9, 4 and baby). They only make their beds, lay the table, clear the table and pick up their toys is really all they do at the moment... they are good kids and will gladly help out - but how to structure it?
Any ideas of storage or tips on how to keep the toys tidy in the family room? Help, I'm really getting overwhelmed

Answer 1

I know how you feel. This past summer I had 7 kids plus myself and my husband in our home. One of them was terminally ill on a vent that required alot of care (my daughter may she rest in peace 9-3-07) The ages of the kids were at the time 17-15-14-13-12-7-1(the 14yr old and 1 yr old are here full time, 17-15-13yr old my sisters kids, 12yr old my husbands ex gf's son, 7yr old is my sd)

Anyhow the older ones basically cleaned up after themselves. Rule in my house you arent playing with it or using it and its on the floor it goes in the trash. Took my SD 2 times of having her things thrown away before she knew I ment business. I did NOT ask any of them to help me with my son (1) They all put away their own clothing and my SD has been doing this since she turned 5. They all had to maintain their rooms and that includes DUSTING and Vacuuming. As for the main living area as with most moms before I went to bed it was picked up, twice a week doesnt take me no time to go through and dust. The bathrooms maintained daily after my own shower and they ALL knew to clean up after themselves.

As for laundry..Holy buckets! At first I was going to stick with the "one day a week" which I did when all the other kids were not here and it was just myself, my husband, daughter and son. Well that didnt work I was doing laundry all day. And I folded as they came out of the dryer. So instead I did a load a day and it wasnt so bad on me. We also had baskets in each room and in some rooms we had 2 baskets one for socks/underware the other clothing. Even now my husband and I have 2 baskets in our room and one in the laundry room and my sons room.I'll be honest though I was so glad when everyone left I could finally relax!

The meal prep was also something else as i was use to cooking for 3 I was now cooking for 10! Dinner was at a set time they were to be here for it (17yr old and husband worked so came in later) if they were not here they were to fend for themselves when they came in. Dinner dishes was the LAST dishes I did for the day, again anything used after dinner they had to wash and put up themselves. When it came to grocery shopping and putting stuff away my husband said "if you plan on eating any of this help put it away" even at age 5 my SD could put up the fruits, carry cans to the pantry, knew where everything went so she could help sort. And she'd always say "I did such a good job didnt I" and I'd respond "Yes you did ty for your help" and she was proud of herself

My SD's mom thought it was a bit "concentration camp" but then again her house is a mess. But it worked for us and next summer when everyone is here again and a yr older they will help again. I started doing my own laundry at age 9 I remember it fondly made me feel "grown up" your oldest is 12 and I think with a little time devoted by you he/she can do their own laundry as well as help with the meals. Dust the living room and vacuum.

Also where is your husband in all this? Mine works 60 hrs a week but is more then willing to help out when we have the "herd" here and now that its just down to the 3 of us he still helps me out. As for storage my sons toys and he has a TON of them are in baskets large wicker baskets or a Toybox with sliding doors. They are thrown all over within 20 minutes of him being awake at naptime I pick them up, when he wakes they are again all over, at bedtime he helps me pick them up and he's only 16 months old! My SD who is now 7 does the same thing so I started to "rotate" her toys she doesnt miss them she hardly played with any of them just the same ones over and over and thats helped with the mess up in her room. With my son if he doesnt play with something "out of sight is out of mind" get the idea?

All I can say is do not try to do it all in one or two days. Do a little every day and it wont be so overwhelming

Answer 2

Overwhelmed By Housework

Answer 3

I feel your pain! I have a couple things that might help. It sounds like a lot, but get each person their own laundry basket. Sort the clean stuff into separate baskets. The older two can fold their own, and maybe even the other kids stuff too. It is easier when you are only doing Sue's stuff, not deciding does it belong to Sue or Tina. And for the toys in the family room, what worked for us when ours were younger was drawers. We got those see through big plastic drawers at Wal-Mart ( but they sell them at all department and home improvement places.) They stack well, and we made a stack 3 or 4 high in a corner, with a big basket on top. Medium sized stuff in the drawers, big stuff in the basket. Every so often, we picked up toys and took them to the bedroom, so new stuff could live in the drawers for a while. And when it needs doing and you need 10 minutes sitting, put numbers from 1 to 10 on little pieces of paper, fold and put in a hat. Have the three older ones draw a number, and go pick up that many things. See who can do their number and get back the fastest. Really be involved verbally, encouraging and such. It worked for me.

Answer 4

Get a cleaner!! (or some other help!) I'm not kidding i think it will be money well spent! We currently live in a large size 3 bed house with laminate floor (and 1 toddler, 1 dog!) so it feels like all i ever do is sweep - mop - sweep some more, then dust then do about 12 loads of washing a week - the problem i have found in the past is if it starts to get on top of you, i then get to the point where i don't know where to start and then would leave it even longer and then its 10 times worse!! me & my best friend have found ourselves in this situation many times over the years & have helped blitz each others homes as the other could not see the wood for the trees!! I really enjoy cleaning (weird i know) but i find it quite theraputic, however, since getting a larger house, a child and a dog and running a business i REALLY struggle. We have "bitten the bullet" as they say and decided some help around the house would ease the pressure, but the other things i have found helps is: 1) De-clutter as much as you can 2) get some really good storage solutions like tubs for toys / shelving / extra hanging space / somewhere to put shoes like stackable boxes with an open front etc - pack up winter clothes in summer into storage boxes and summer clothes away in winter Yes - this costs money in the short term but if used properly will turn out as money well spent. In the past, i had to find homes for stuff where there was just no space - i was really strict and spent a number of days getting rid of junk and clutter (especially the baby's room) and then got some tubs for toys and the such in his room, a big wicker blanket box that compliments the front room but is big enough for some toys downstairs etc. What this does is i can have a quick tidy up by way of "chucking" stuff in boxes / cupboards etc so quite quickly you feel like you have achieved something (your drawers don't have to be immaculate ALL the time - this is why its called a "spring clean" ie once a year you can have a sort through varying areas of the house and re-organise / sift through etc) Houses are MEANT to be lived in so don't be ashamed of a bit of dust every now and then... Also, i have taught my son that when he is finished with something he should tidy it away himself - so maybe try this too in your house if you can, or even share the jobs out between the family if you can. At the end of the day in theory its lovely to look after our families and do everything for them but this can lead to lazy kids who go into relationships later on in life and expect to be waited on hand and foot!! it also puts immense pressure on the housewife / husband and takes up time where you could be playing with your kids or spending quality time with them or enjoying YOUR life yourself swimming / socialising / further education or whatever it may be!! I hope you find some help?? but good luck with it all xx

Answer 5

Well you can assign chores to the 3 older kids. The 12 year old can start helping with the dishes and maybe even dusting. The 9 year old can also help dust and help fold the clothes. The 4 year old can also help dust and help take the clean clothes to every body's rooms. They can continue doing what they're doing as well. Have your husband take out the trash and vacuum. If you have everybody do this every other day your house will be a lot more organized.

Answer 6

Every night gather up the laundry and sort it. make sure you wash two loads a night, (with that many people it will be easy) the kids can help fold the clothes and put theirs away. The older kids can help with the younger ones. If you have to dust, they are also old enough to dust and clean their room( make a game out of it with the younger children.) when you do it together, it makes it go faster, and more enjoyable. The older kids can vacumn, or sweep the floors while you are making supper. Even if it is only one room a night, it will be kept clean, especially if everyone has to clean it. Toys are a hard thing to keep picked up, but make it a rule that no new toy comes out unless the last one is put away, no exception.

Answer 7

Here what i do.

I bet your kids are the age of doing things on there own. If not then it time to teach them out to do the laundry and fold up clothes. It also teaches them responible

First start with how much detergerent to pour into the wash machine

Basic way of folding up clothes. If they dont do it perfect let them come up with way of folding clothes neatly.

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I would choose one day out the week to do one big major area at time

Right when the kids come out of school - Have them do there homework before they head up to the room and start watching TV then let them do what they want play with toys as award for doing homework

Laundry - Sunday right before school start in the morning
Monday - Pick up - Around the house - Put stuff away in boxs or containers. - Dust around the house use a old towel and use your cleaning products - Vacum daily
Tuesday - Threw out old stuff papers that area not important, old thing you dont use.

The more frequent you pick up around the house the easier it is to quick clean each day if you done a well done job from the start.

Answer 8

Housework never stops but get that lazy husband of yours to do more. He likes making babies? Then he has to help out.

Answer 9

stay organized. have everyone help out. walmart and all of the other places out there have all kinds of things for storage. go to this website for more storage info. www.lowes.com. and remember to relax when you can. stress is not good for you. everyone gave you good answers. don't forget to take some (me) time. time for you alone and away from everyone else. get a sitter for the kids.

Answer 10

Have you tried http://Flylady.net yet? It works for me, so far (2 children, so less socks ;-) )
They send out e-mails with clean-up challenges for children too.
Just check the website, it's to much to explain here.