how do you find the energy to keep your home clean? i have 2 kids a husband and a baby on the way?

Question

at the moment i am a housewife so i have the time to clean but i feel like i am always behind everyone cleaning it seems like my house cannot stay perfect and i am a perfectionate, i love my house to stay clean but am loseing it now am so tierd and am losing energy, so i was just wondering how other housewife keep up with cooking,cleaning the family and still keep a clean house?

Answer 1

Take heart! I use to be a cleaning fiend too! Stop wearing yourself out trying to do it all. Adapt to your changing family and lifestyle, your standards of clean may decrease as your family life dictates. Use a Crock Pot for meals...double meals so you can get two dinners...freeze one for another night. Try to do as much as you can when the energy level is high every day.

After my second child, I stopped spraying glass cleaner every 5 minutes on dirty fingerprints. I learned quickly I only have one shot at raising my kids and that took priority over a sterile home. Here's the scoop that might help. Learn to Speed Clean ( I wrote the book Speed Cleaning 101) and you will be able to work smarter, and get your home clean 50% faster. If your kitchen counters are clutter free, your bathroom looks and smells good, and if your dust isn't an inch thick you are already doing much better than a lot of homes I have seen in my career!

Here's some quick tips;
get rid of a mop and bucket---go for a Swiffer Wet Jet it gives you a better clean than traditional methods, you never have to deal with a bacteria infested mop (importa nt when little ones are crawling). I cut my moppping time in half by using a bucket less mop.

Stop using 4-6 different cleaning products get one product that does it all. Mr. Clean Antibacterial Multi-Surface Cleaner actually is a glass cleaner, antibacterial (cleans e-coli and salmonella) degreaser and mutli-purpose cleaner. Now I can clean the kitchen, appliances, sink, toilet, shower, and mirrors with one cleaner! It looks good, smells good and it's sanitized in seconds! Great Speed Cleaning time saver!

Moms are always tired! Take naps when the kids do. Energize with excercise--try to make some time whenever you can to walk with a girlfriend, hit a gym etc. Vitamins are great too!
No stress.....Don't forget pregnant woman are tired ...just lugging around all that extra weight zzzzzzzz.....zzzzzz....zzz
Good Luck,
Laura Dellutri
Laura Dellutri

Answer 2

I was a stay at home Mom too and I found that picking up as you go helped alot. I set aside one day a week for the big cleaning. I put up baby gates so the kids were where I could see them and away I'd go! I also made a game of cleaning up their toys and putting them away every night about a half hour before bed. That became a habit for them over time. If that doesn't work for you pick one big thing a day { bathroom} and do a little at a time. I think the thing is to pick and set some kind of routine that works for you. Not easy is it? Its the most rewarding job in the world but the most thankless. My husband couldn't believe how the toilet stayed so clean over the years. It never occurred to him that I was cleaning it. He just took it for granted . Good Luck to you!

Answer 3

I work from home full time, have two children, ages 3 and 1, go to school full time, I am also a perfectionist, and a military wife......

I just know that each and every day I have things to get done. And before I go to bed each night, I get all those things done.

Set a schedule. Figure out whats days to do what...check out this site, FlyLady.net it has great helpful information on how to get organized and allow yourself TIME for you during the day...

also, get the kids to help. Make it fun!!! Both my children help clean up their messes.

We also have a new rule, no toys downstairs. This allows my downstairs to stay clean and then at the end of the day, after bath time the kids and I clean up their rooms.

I also take Vitamins, not your crappy over the counter plastic coated vitamins, but the best vitamins I have ever found!!! I have energy, clear skin, healthy hair, just overall great!!!!

I would love to help you out...feel free to message me on Yahoo we can chat for a little about how to organize your days and keep your perfectionism..at ease!

Answer 4

It's best to at this point not stress about keeping the house perfect it just can't happen... Tidy, and neat maybe but, not perfect.. Now's the time to be thinking about baby #3 and getting your rest. Maybe enlist a good friend or family member to help you with any hard chores.. One's that require heavy lifting or chemicals. I found that keeping things neat/organized was very, very helpful... Getting into a routine was essential. Breaking tasks up into smaller jobs or giving yourself 1/2 hour to clean an area also helps. I know for me I like to in the morning wipe down all the bathroom surfaces with antibacterial wipes (sink, toilet, countertops) That keeps things smelling fresh and clean and then once a week I'll scour the tub/toilet/sinks and mop the floor. Be careful with cleaning products that might make you feel ill from the smell. Vinegar is really good for mopping the floors. Also, in the kitchen it helps to have a routine... I like with the bathroom wipe the surfaces down with antibacterial wipes unload/load dishwasher, serve breakfast... While the kids are eating I run the vacuum or I'll dust/run the vacuum... I do laundry at night.. Things like that really help. Also, have your husband help with some of the chores it won't kill him I promise... As for cooking if you are making lasagna/cassarole make acouple and freeze one for another time.. Or do a majority of your cooking on the weekend and freeze for the week. Try Kraftfoodandfamily.com they have really easy recipies/tips.. Good luck

Answer 5

As a mother of 7 and Grandma of 2....you decide here and now that your house is not going to be as clean as you want it until everyone moves away from home. Don't beat yourself up when things aren't done to your specifications. I know because I am obsessive-compulsive about a clean house. The sooner your realize that you are human and that you can't do everything...the better you will feel about things not getting done. Do what you can, with the time you are allowed. Enjoy your children while they are little because time goes by WAY too fast. Mother's always think they have to do everything and you know what.....it can't be done. We can try and that is all we can do.

Answer 6

Once your children come along, there's no such thing as a perfect home. Your home can be as clean as a whistle but still, it may be a bit less than perfect & that's okay. When it comes to keeping your home picked up, ask your husband & children to help you. I don't know how old your children are but if they're toddlers, they can help put their toys away, especially before bedtime. Don't try to clean your whole house in one day. Take it a little at a time. When it's laundry day, just do laundry, so you don't wear yourself out trying to do so many things at once. Make a daily schedule out each day, as to what you want to clean or tidy. When my family was younger, I always picked up the house before going to bed. That way, you don't wake up to a messy house.

Answer 7

Being prego with Kids in tow and trying to keep up can be very exausting... Make sure that you are getting the rest that you need. Dont try to push yourself to hard & when you have energy focus on the stuff or areas that attract your attention first (clutter areas). just do 15 min at a time (set a timer) when 15 min is up stop and sit down for 15 min. You can do it!
Dont punish yourself, someone once told me that when you are pregnant your body is doing the same amount of work as if you are climbing a mountain. Cut yourself some slack you are working hard just sitting there.

Answer 8

As the character Dan Connor, from the show RoseAnn famously said, "We're only looking for the appearance of clean."

Go for the big chunks. Keep things picked up off the floor and flat surfaces. Use a dust mop once a day on floors. Swipe down the bathroom when you are ready to toss the wet bath towels in the laundry. Do one load of laundry each day. Vacuum once a week. Take out the garbage when needed. Put your feet up!

Answer 9

I feel the same way that you do!
it's a no win situation! As long that we have kids growing we can only do the best that we can ! Enjoy your kids because they don't stay small long! House work will always be there ,I do a bit each day . As long that we are clean that's what matters the most, the kids are fed, the husband is fed ,the laundry is done ! So be happy!

Answer 10

Schedule it in early as the first thing to do on a specific day of the week. Then permit only things to be used if they have time in that same instance to clean it up directly after they're finished. Otherwise, get rid of the dishes and get disposables, until you can purchase a dishwasher, and start disposing of other items that are constantly left around. Anyone elder than eight can clean up after themselves, do their own laundry, and so on. And it's important that they learn it early as not to give trouble later on. Setting rules, guidelines, and routine to your daily life will make things happen so much more smoothly with the everyone.