homekeeping standard for mommies of 3+

[daffodil]

What is your standard in homekeeping? I don't enjoy my home if it is messy at all. Sometimes I wish I could not only endure normal messes but also enjoy living in the middle of it! :hissyfit It would make things so much easier for me. Though I am not a perfectionist I still am in one way. What does it take for you to feel good in your home and how did you come to that standard whatever it is?

[ArmsOfLove]

Well my standard is pretty high--clean floors and no clutter on surfaces, clean bathrooms, clean kitchen. I'm lax about dusting (what I want to work on ;) ). But I give us a lot of grace with new babes in the house :)

[MarynMunchkins]

I tend towards OCD, so that colors my housekeeping. I want everything clean at night. :) Period - all the laundry put away, the floors cleaned, the bathrooms cleaned, toys picked up, vacuuming done, and dishes washed.

But I have learned to loosen up during the day while everyone is up and about. ;) I expect messes, and only enforce clean up when I start to feel overwhelmed.

[daffodil]

so mary.....what time do you stay up till doing all that??

[momofmany]

I'm striving for comfortably clean.... I homeschool, have bible study in the morning, etc., so I pretty much let the house go till the afternoon. That leaves me with two or three hours till dh gets home to get stuff done. I try to make sure the floors are swept and vacuumed, the countertops clean, etc. And dh likes to have a clean bedroom, so I try to make sure that at least is clean and tidy. About half our apartment is tile floor, so I try to keep that mopped because it looks dirty really fast. And I am horrible about dusting :blush I tend toward perfectionism but that makes me really irritable to be around. I can't have a perfect house with kids jumping around, etc. I just end up yelling at everybody. So I try to keep things neat and presentable (basically good enough that the mailman won't run shrieking when I open the door ;))

[Beyond Blessed]

oh my goodness - I am lucky to change diapers, feed the kids, get the boys homework done, nurse the baby...I'm supposed to do housework too?!!!!!! Above_Rubies knows my propensity towards a messy home. :O I think really it's only REALLY messy when I am preggo or have a newborn. And since dd just turned 4 months, I am starting to catch up. But it's really overwhelming for me. :O Plus, I have this horrible addiction to......this website!!! Thank doesn't help me keep my house clean!!! I need to get better about my online time.

[tree_hugger]

Well, I only have two children, but I just wanted to say :wb Daffodil!

There is a new-ish Mama here called Tulips, and every time I see a post from her I think it is you! Bulb plants and all, I suppose. :O :heart

[MarynMunchkins]

:lol I'm usually up cleaning until 10, and than I chill until about midnight. :) I do ignore stuff if I'm exhausted, or dh wants to do something. But I enlist his help on the major stuff first.

Remember that my youngest is 18 months too. I was a lot less obsessive when I had a newborn. (Of course, when Colin was a newborn, I was working 45+ hours a week too...:/)

[daffodil]

well I have a 3 month old and a 2.5 y and a 4 y and a 6y and a 7y and a 9y and a 11y olds too :mrgreen :lol
here is mt new schedule that I have been doing. Mon: laundry, water indoor plants
Tues:extras (nothing extravagant..this week I helped my son wiyh his science project and baked brownies) Wed: appointments, errands, one load laundry
Thurs: clean house (vaccum, wash floors, dust, spot clean walls and windows, and clean bathrooms) Fri: grocery shopping
Sat: yard work (just do a thorough tidy up etc) and laundry
Sun: church/ family/ friends/
So what do ya'll think? Is thisreasonable ? man life is so busy!

[Chris3jam]

I used to be obessive. There used to be kind of a modified "spring cleaning" done every week, whether the place needed it or not. But, with three kids, homeschooling, the dog, etc., I have HAD to learn to relax. Also, dh does absolutely nothing, including "watching" the kids, so doing it all myself has been overwhelming. Dh is still perfectionist and wants an immaculate house, but he does nothing to help get it that way. I figure, if he's got clean clothes, food, and basic needs met, we're doing fine. I can get back "into it" any time. It'll still be there.

[Kasi]

I threw a "clean" house out the window when #3 was born. There was just no way for me to keep on things without help. Now that I have 4...my standards:

1. Relatively clean bathrooms that don't stink like pee (3 of my 4 are boys) and have fresh towels
2. A clean kitchen sink...at least part of the day. I'm trying to train everyone to rinse a dish & put it in the dishwasher when they are done.
3. Toys & debris are cleared from my floors twice a day...mid-day when I start tripping over them. And before my older ones go to bed...just before dh gets home from work.
4. I vacuum my living room & hall once a day...the bedrooms once a week.
5. And trash is emptied daily.

That's about all I can handle. I will "bust a move" and do a bit more decluttering & "crisis" cleaning if I know we are going to have company over. I tend to host dinners or a home party at my house once a month to ensure I get motivated to get that done. ;)

[4LovesMom]

Laundry and dishes, laundry and dishes, that was my goal of what to keep up on once my second was born, and I hoped for the same once our third was born two months ago. I do okay. Some days are better than others and I have the same issue with wishing I didn't care so much about a clean house. With laundry and dishes kept up on, I focus on decluttering. My mother gave me the best gift ever once our baby came in March---two months of a housekeeper's services. I have two more cleanings to go and boy am I gonna miss her! I can see why people who can afford this luxury do.

[purplerose]

This is very interesting to me because I am expecting #3 this September and I wonder how I am going to be able to keep up!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :P~