That is, we WEAR a lot of jeans.

Geez, is it too much to ask for a board where we can edit!!

I need a "Save the Dust Bunnies" t-shirt printed.

Paint chips, I would order one of those!! I do my part to keep them alive and well.

;-)

Well, my MIL comes and cleans for me 2x week...that consists of emptying the dishwasher, washing whatever dishes were left over, spiffing the kitchen, changing litter boxes, general spiffing up, taking out recycling, and sometimes changing the linens. I do it the other days.

I do change the linen weekly; I try to do a load of laundry every day. DH sweeps the kitchen every day, and I dust once a week in winter, once every other week during the rest of the year.

I also do the rest of the cleaning MIL doesn't do...I call it "Mom Clean", which is pulling the cushions off the sofa and vaccuming under them, scrubbing baseboards, cleaning closets, stuff like that. I do that stuff about once a month or so. I make very detailed lists of what to do and pick a chore as I have time.

But this time of the year I really let my housecleaning go by the wayside and concentrate on the outside chores instead.

A small house and no kids? No, that's not weird, that's completely doable.

Some weeks I get not much done. Perhaps just the bathrooms cleaned once and one vacuuming of the rugs. Laundry, of course, and the kitchen cleaned every day. At other times my house stays really clean. Much depends on my time, my stress levels, and how much dust really bothers me.
Generally speaking, I clean my bathroom about 3 times a week. It's neat, and I'm fast. Plus, we squeegee the shower and then wipe the shower handle and metal door parts with a towel every single shower. I also vac 2 or 3 times per week usually. Except when I just don't care. Doing the wood floors is more iffy. Right now they really need it. Dusting is something else I leave to chance, although glass surfaces get done about 3 times per month. Ceiling fans a few times per year. Hood vents once a month maybe. And I wipe out my frig every time I bring groceries home.

Red

We are two adults, three to four nonshedding, nonstinky dogs (my mother's dog is the fourth; we have to keep him for weeks or months at a time when she's not able), and fairly frequent overnight guests. I like to cook and have people over for meals, and my little grandson spends one full day a week over here. We have a lot of toys and activities for him, and one of the guest rooms is set up for him.

My cleaning ladies do the whole house every other week, so it never gets too bad. In between, the things I pay the most attention to are clean kitchen, bathrooms and floor. I cannot stand bad smells or feeling grit under my bare feet. I never have dirty dishes in the sink or dirty counters. Every day or so, I clean the two bathrooms that are used most. Unless we have company, the others stay pretty clean. I vacuum the main living areas almost every day. I do laundry most days and iron frequently. Sheets get changed once a week, towels every couple of days. If I notice something needs doing, I do it, but not on a regular schedule. And I never mop, leave that to others, though I wipe up spills.

Funny thing is, I'm convinced that no one knows what I do. I believe that my husband thinks the toilets and the floors stay clean by themselves, and the pillowcases come out of the dryer ironed. He is aware of dishwashing and taking out the trash, recycling and compost, because he does those things. And he cleans the ceiling fans when they need it. I work fast and do a lot late at night because I like to do other things the rest of the time.

My problem is that I do a lot of projects around the house, and things always get messy before they get better. Lately I've been rearranging things a lot. So even though our house is clean, I doubt anyone would call me a good housekeeper.

I feel like a really clean house is wasted on just dh and I so I plan a small party then do all my cleaning.
I do always keep things neat but having everything clean at one time is difficult.
I bought a steam mop last year which has revolutionized my life.

I have never kept track of when and how much I clean but it seems to never stop.

Wow, this is an eye-opener for me! I knew I wasn't a good housekeeper but I didn't know how far off I was :)

I have 3 young kids (oldest is 4) who make a huge mess. I have a cleaner every other week and I do almost nothing in between except dishes and laundry and sweeping the kitchen floor.

Metromom, if you are satisfied with your home and your kitchen is clean and you have clean clothes to wear and your kids are safe and happy, in MY book you ARE a good housekeeper!

Kswl - I agree w/ your thoughts to Metromom.

I admit that some of my fantasies include when the children are older & all in school & I have less 'stuff' & a smaller house so that I can spend more time cleaning the way that I would normally clean.

We have 2 1/2 kids 4 yrs & under, 2 cats, 1 dog, fish and a 100 yr old house w/ forced heat & air & 100 yrs worth of dust that's impossible to get rid of! I could easily dust 2x a day but I won't. Even though I pretty much do all of what OS does weekly (except I vacuum & mop once a wk.) it still looks like what I would consider to be a mess w/ the kids toys. I also loosely follow Flylady.

And that's okay in my book. My kids are 100% happy, DH is 100% happy & I'm happy 95% of the time w/ it. The kids will only be this age once & I refuse to miss out on it. I didn't quit my FT job for a PT one to stay home & clean fanatically - I quit to spend more time w/ the kids & regain my sanity & perspective on what's important to me and our family.

I have been accused of being neurotic about my house, too. I have a housekeeper in every other week, but every day I clean all the sinks, vacuum the rugs and sweep the hardwood floors on the main floor, polish the cook top, empty all the wastebaskets, and clean the bathroom mirrors. I somehow can't work (in my home office) until that is all done, and all the dishes are clean and/or put away. My house is usually very tidy and clean.

By contrast, my office is a pigsty. Not dirty, but heaps of manuscripts and book proofs, mountains of reference books teetering on the window seat, stacks of filing, newspaper clippings, loose art (I work on medical textbooks), paperclips everywhere... and other signs of (apparent) disorder. And for some reason, I just really like it that way. Go figure.

Well, if you're neurotic then I should be committed! I will preface this by saying that I find keeping the house to our standards very doable. As I'm reading these lists it looks so overwhelming, but done on a daily basis and as a part of your normal daily life, not so much. We have a 4300 square foot house. My parents live here (they only do their own room and bathroom), 3 kids at home, 3 kids that come home ALOT, and 2 grandkids. I work full time as does my DH. Beds are made every day-you come down to breakfast after that's done. 4 bathrooms are well-cleaned at LEAST twice a week (5 boys!) and quick wiped daily. All floors mopped twice a week and spot cleaned daily. All bedrooms vacuumed twice a week. Kitchen deep cleaned daily (non-negotiable), house dusted twice a week. Fridge wiped out weekly, 3-5 loads of laundry done daily and immediately put away. Ironing done as needed when you want to wear it except for linens. We use cloth napkins so I do those nightly. Linens change 1-2 times per week. If someone is ill, they're changed daily. Windows usually done every 4-8 weeks depending-pollen season is very messy in NC! The vast majority of this stuff is done by my DH and myself with kids doing age appropriate chores. They are fully responsible for their rooms. A realtor friend tells me that our home is always "show-ready" (we're not selling) but we don't find it difficult and our kids always feel comfortable bringing their friends home. They're always welcome and in the evenings, we're usually the house that the neighbors are hanging around at. I never thought of myself as neurotic-I just assumed if we didn't keep up, we'd be shovelling our way through in a very short time. I will say-my DIL and other DS's girlfriend both love us-they say they've never been with men who know how to help! I completely agree that as long as your family is comfortable and happy and the neighbors don't feel the need to call the Health Dept, you should relax and enjoy your home.

Wow. I don't think I have ever been a very good housekeeper, and I'm still not! I have 2 kids under 5, 1 dog and 1 cat. I don't have any cleaning schedule (shudder!) and after reading this, maybe I should think about one!? I just try to do as much as I can everyday, and if it doesn't get done, I don't worry about it too much. The problem is that DH came from the strict-est, cleanest house I have ever seen. It was always, ALWAYS perfect. DH expects me to keep our house the same, and well, I just don't have it in me! I get all the basics done, don't get me wrong, but if company is coming over, my house does always needs at least a once through. I would give my left arm for a 2 a month cleaning service, but DH thinks that I should be able to handle it all because I work part time. I mean, he does have a point. I have always been a slacker with laundry, so recently I traded him laundry (which he doesn't mind) for mowing the lawn. It's great cardio because we have a huge lawn, and I only have to do it once a week, not everyday. I would love to get better at cleaning, but I was just never really taught how often to do this or that. My mother (to this day) lives in a gigantic cluttered house, so at least I've gone the opposite route, and we have minimal stuff in our small house. Cleaning was just never a priority when I was growing up. It was a good thing, because I was always encouraged to follow my interests, but I never really had to clean my room or pick up after myself. Now I have to pick up after myself, my DH, the kids and the animals, and sometimes it's just too much for me. I'm working on it, and eliminating laundry has helped, but I could be doing better! :)

I USED to be on a regular cleaning schedule, and it was terrific. Our apartment was always company-ready. pattiem93 is right, if it's done on a regular basis and as part of daily life, it's very easy to keep up.

We moved to a house that needs a lot of work in 2003, and since then I have moved onto Flylady's "home blessing hour." Our remodeling efforts are as much about getting the house to function the way we'd like it to as about repair and home decorating, so after each room is done it's a LOT easier to keep clean than it was when we moved into the house (eg. it's a lot easier to plug the vacuum in when there's an outlet in the room). When every room is done, then we'll be able to go back onto a more detailed cleaning schedule.

Has anyone read Don Aslett's book, "Make Your House Do the Housework"? I've incorporated a lot of his ideas into our home decorating and they certainly do make things easier. I just bought his microfiber mops and OMG they do such a great job on our kitchen's checkerboard floor!

I'm a horrible housekeeper!It doesn't help that DH believes the whole house is his closet. I'm getting better as I get older and as my kids grow. My kitchen is usually clean and I can have someone stop over without having a heart attack that they'll see the house. But just to give you a hint of how bad I am, I try to schedule parties on a regular basis just so I'm forced to clean the house!

I'm a horrible housekeeper too, and I'm not proud of the fact! DH stays home right now as a "domestic engineer", and while he does quite a bit of the housework, it still seems to be a never-ending battle with things not getting done. Living in an old house with seven cats also means that things are constantly dusty and covered with cat fur, which really gets me down sometimes. I used to have someone who came in and cleaned weekly, but with DH at home we decided to forego her services because he swore he could do as good a job as she did. (The jury is still out on that one.) We've even put together a notebook outlining specifically the chores that need to be done in each room, so DH has a checklist to go by. Good in theory, but things still are a mess too much of the time.

In a word, no.

My dh is the product of neat freak, and was previously married to a neat freak. Then I came along :) My housekeeping standards are normally "very lived in" with the occasional trend towards "slob". After many years with dh, I have pulled up my socks to "lived in" with occasional bursts of "tidy".

Dh gave me the gift of a twice monthly housekeeper several years ago. I told him that she doesn't actually do any cleaning for me, she simply does his share of the chores (he works alot), which he was perfectly fine with :)

Our house is biggish (about 3400 sq feet, including the finished basement), and we have two kids and one sheddy dog. I vaccum as needed, spot wipe messes on the floor, keep the bathrooms and kitchen reasonably sanitary. The cleaning lady vaccums, mops, dusts and scrubs the kitchen and bathrooms.

My children are older (13 and 10) and keep their own rooms tidy (in theory, anyway....) and put away their laundry. They have other household chores as well, which helps.

Carrie

I think I'm an average housekeeper. My mother is a certified slob (she readily admits it) and I grew up cleaning our house to avoid being embarrassed when friends showed up. I think the fact that my mother was not a good housekeeper has "scared" me into being a pretty good one - though I pale in comparison to some of you! We have two boys who are 2 and 3 and no animals. So, some things we do quite often and others not so much. For example, we vacuum every day (the den/kitchen area) but we probably only wipe out the fridge every month or couple of months. We have a HUGE laundry/storage problem that I am trying very hard to remedy at present. Anyone got any tips? Basic problem is too many clothes, no big closets.

True story: About twenty years ago we made new friends. The gal's house was always in pristine condition. Mine always looked "good" but I could never suggest dining on the bathroom floors the way that woman could! Anyway, we double dated once, met at their home for drinks first. We left via their garage, and the gal instructed us to go on ahead. Why? She wanted to vacuum up our footprints on the carpet!

Um, the friendship didn't last...

I bought a steam mop last year which has revolutionized my life.

Bumblebeez, tell me about your mop. Which one is it? I've been thinking but hated to jump on the bandwagon if it's one of those things that's more trouble than they're worth, you know?

Thanks!
Susan

Absolutely not! When I clean I get side-tracked, when DH cleans, he does a half-vast job. Hence, we have housekeepers in every two weeks.

My mother, a "casual" housekeeper, had a sign that said

"Although you'll find our house a mess
Come in, sit down, converse
It doesn't always look like this
Some days it's even worse"

I have a "cleaning lady" that comes every other week and does all the "deep" cleaning things like scrub the tubs and toilets, move furniture to clean under and behind it, dusts the ceiling fans, light fixtures and baseboards...etc. So all I have to do is keep it clean which involves light dusting, sweeping and mopping and try and maintain the restrooms clean by wiping them down every other day or so.

My struggle is with my laundry, I never seem to get ahead and I have a never ending stack of dirty clothes. I can literally wash a load every day of the week and never get it all done. I have spent all day on the weekends washing, folding only to find that I already have another load ready to be washed by the next morning. I have a family of 5 (myself, DH, DS-15, DD-9 and DS-6mos). My DD likes to help fold and everyone is responsible for putting away their own clothes, with exception of 6mos old.

when DH cleans, he does a half-vast job

That's the first time I've seen @ssed spelled that way!

hhireno, my mother had a sign that said:

"On Judgment Day,
if God should say,
'Did you clean your house today?'
I will say, 'I did not...
I played with my children and I forgot.'"

Pretty much sums it up: Crappy housekeeper, great Mom.

Love the signs! My mom had a sampler that she made:

Cleaning and scrubbing can wait til tomorrow
for babies grow up, we've learned to our sorrow.
So quiet down cobwebs.
Dust, go to sleep.
I'm rocking my baby, and babies don't keep.

I need to get some of those signs!!! It's true, my kids will not remember me cleaning or the house being a show piece, they will (hopefully) remember me playing with them in the backyard... and even though it kind of bothers DH (my lack of cleaning desire), it's just fine with me. :)

This is the mop I bought. I also ordered an extra set of pads which are necessary to me. That gives me four pads to use before washing ..I wouldn't mind having another set.

Here is a link that might be useful: steam mop

Hey -

ya know, some of us ARE great moms AND have a clean house. The two ARE very much possible!

I am somewhat of a neat freak. Clutter & mess drive me crazy, but missing my children's childhood's drives me more crazy. We do clean everything weekly and daily on an as needed basis. I clean & teach cleaning right along with children. The children have a chore list on refrigerator. They all know what's expected. Since I have 9 children still living at home no one has all that much to do.

While I won't make an idol of a clean home I also won't allow totally slobishness. I just feel its important to teach kiddos to do their fair share. I want them to be productive, helpful people and that starts at home. They are absolutely required to do their particular job well (age appropriate). They get more chores if they don't have a good attitude, or do it sloppily.
If it sounds like they are over worked, they are not. They split daily kitchen jobs. Then each one has a major thing they are responsible for like, vacuuming, dusting, sweeping, individual bathrooms etc. These things are usually always done on a daily basis as we are a lot of people in a small house. We have to keep up or it will be mayhem.
I also don't want kids to think they are entitled to all the benefits of family life without giving back in return. I want them to be blessed by their life but not take it for granted. They do live a somewhat privileged life so I really try to teach them and let them know they are part of a family and must act like it.

It sounds harsh in writing but we are a very affectionate , loving family. I just really don't want to raise a bunch of lazy, self-centered kids.
My 13 & 14 yr. olds could easily be sent to someone else's home (like a friend with brand new baby) and take care of pretty much anything that needs to be done. I really like that I can count on them to be this way. We want them to bless others as well.
So not exactly about my housekeeping abilities but this is how we get it all done at our home.

I have a tale of two houses...

During the school year, I tidy/vacuum/dust pretty much every room everyday. The laundry is kept up, the fridge is clean, the oven is spotless, even my basement gets swept on a regular basis, BUT.......

Right now it's the summer and ds(11 with severe autism) is home and the whole house tends to go down the toilet when he's home full time. Yesterday, he wanted me to sit with him, patting his leg all day. When I stood up he screamed, when I shifted my weight, he screamed, when I thought about getting up he screamed (yes, he has ESP, LOL). I still cook (while he screams) and I still do the dishes (while he screams) and I still do bare minimum laundry (while he screams) but the rest of the time, I sit with him and try to keep him calm. So, my house is falling apart and my butt is growing large.. but August is coming and I'll catch up then, LOL.

I used to clean my house like you before my DD was born. It has been very hard on me having to back off and let things go. I work full-time and cleaning the way I used to is no longer feasIble for me. But DD is starting prek this fall and I will be off on Mondays, so guess what I am going to be doing? And I can't wait! (although I will miss my baby) but my house will be clean and I will be happy :)

letmag, I used to feel the same way about the laundry. I felt like "Gosh, I never get ahead!" until I thought about it differently. We wear cloths everyday just the same as we use dishes everyday. We wash dishes everyday so how is washing cloths everyday different? Isn't it just doing what we need to live on a day to day basis? We need clean dishes and we need clean cloths.

I used to try to do all my laundry on Saturday and I hated it. We could never do anything fun or if we did then we would have no cloths for the week, but now we wash, dry, fold and put away one load of cloths every day and now my Saturdays are free!

Haven't read all the replies but far as I read, I agree with Sarschlos_Remodeler.

Rather being doing fun things---life's too short.

BUT WAIT, there's more!
*doing my best Billy Mays impression*

A little background to explain why ---

Way back when ---BM (before meds) I was thisclose to being neurotic about house keeping.

Some things happened in my (our, my family's) life that had me changing priorities real quick-like.

I keep the house clean enough so that I don't get tagged by the cleaning police or Haz-Mat but no longer vac and dust daily like I used to.

I remember thinking: When I die do I want to be remembered for a perfectly clean home or remembered as someone who was always trying to have fun, make things fun for others.
I decided I'd rather have the second choice.

Once in awhile when I get down on myself I think back to all the totaled hours, days, weeks of house cleaning I did when I could have been doing something else.
Back then you'd never find a fingerprint or even a slight smudge on light switch plate covers, you wouldn't find a smidgen of dust on baseboards or fan blades.

Now? When I walk by something that is dusty when I just dusted 3 days ago, rather that stop everything I'm doing to go grab the dusting supplies, I give it a quick blow, shrug my shoulders and keep walking.

I like this 'Me' so much better and so does my family. : )

I think you have a great attitude, Amity. As I said in my post above, I struggle with letting the fact that our house isn't as clean as I'd like it to be really get to me. It's all too easy for me to feel resentful and to project that attitude on to DH, and I know he doesn't deserve that. Really, life's too short to fret over whether or not the mantle gets dusted or the tile gets mopped. When DH tells me, "Let's just go and have fun today" on the days that I really feel like we should be cleaning, I think I'd probably be a wise woman to start taking him up on that suggestion more often. :-)

Another thought: Some people actually find it pleasurable and/or calming to houseclean on a regular basis--a kind of therapy, if you will--so they probably don't feel like they are somehow giving up more important things in life in order to do so. Also, I think it's possible to keep a clean house and still do fun things in life, so it's not always necessary to choose between one and the other.

On the other hand: If I had young children, I probably would not clean as much or as often as I do (which, as evidenced by other posts, is actually pretty normal, after all) because in that case it really might be necessary, sometimes, to choose whether to spend 2 hours cleaning or 2 hours with your children. If I were in that position, I'd definitely choose the latter.

I work full time with two children 6 and 9. I consider my home exceptionally clean. Your schedule sounds fine, although I do those things slightly less often as they typically don't get dirty that quickly.

I find there is always time to clean something or pick something up. Just keep moving. Once you sit down in front of the computer or TV, all is lost!

It also keeps you really skinny!!

hhireno, my mother had a sign that said:
"On Judgment Day,
if God should say,
'Did you clean your house today?'
I will say, 'I did not...
I played with my children and I forgot.'"

Pretty much sums it up: Crappy housekeeper, great Mom.

Reminds me of this:

When we were children my mother cleaned endlessly--the hangers in the closet were spaced evenly and she could tell if we removed an article of clothing and then put it back in the closet. We couldn't watch cartoons without a vacuum going back and forth under our feet. We were made to sweep the floors and when done, there was never anything to pick up. She was obsessed. That is part of my childhood memories of my mom.

Fast forward to today--she cleans once a week, it always looks picked up, but occasionally you can see dust on the shelves. She is much more laid back now and much more pleasant to visit. I wish she had been like that when we were kids. I would have much rather had her playing games with us or helping with homework than dusting and mopping every day.

I have a cleaning lady that comes in every two weeks. We could use every week with our three dogs but we can't afford that right now. My toddler does find great pleasure in picking up the dog hair tumbleweeds to show me (and I am mortified when that happens) so we are forced to clean up occasionally in-between cleaning lady visits.

You can clean when the kids are asleep or playing by themselves. I've never denied a child because of cleaning. It seriously does not encompass an entire day. If you clean a little all the time it never takes more than 15 minutes a day.

dgmarie, I agree with you.
I keep a schedule pretty close to OS, tho' I vacuum more due to kids. I put things away and clean up as I go along, and rarely spend more than 15-30 minutes cleaning. I do laundry (including linens) once a week, and dh and I trade weeks doing the dishes.
Once you get a system down it becomes much easier. Also when your children are over 5 :-)

We still have a bit of clutter, but that is just life.

"when DH cleans, he does a half-vast job

That's the first time I've seen @ssed spelled that way!"

*snicker* There were no potty mouths in my mom's presence, but we found ways to get around it, LOL!

mom2lilenj - I guess you're right, I never quite saw it like that. But you're right, I will always have laundry regardless of whether I do it all one day or a load per day. In any event I guess I shouldn't stress out over it. It is what it is! LOL!

Thanks Bumblebeez, I've been dying to try one. :)

Susan

Luann and acountryfarm-thank you! I feel the same. I'm not quite understanding how maintaining a very clean home translates to not being a "fun" mom. I can honestly say that my children would disagree- and so would most of the neighborhood children. Ours is known as the house where mom and dad play kickball in the street with you and then invite everyone in for an impromptu "Make your own sundae party". My children just know that the fun goes right along with the responsibility to keep our home a place we all enjoy being. I think that to NOT set that example would be doing them a dis-service. It truly isn't an issue when kept up with daily.

Yeah... ours was the house the kids hung out at too. (now, though, DD is off and married now and DS is a junior in college)

We never knew WHO would be coming over, or how many we would have for dinner... anyone was welcome anytime - and still are. And we had LOTS of fun!

People are definitely more important than a clean house.

But I managed my time so that I had plenty of free time with my kids and their friends, AND I had a clean house for them to hang out in.
(My cleaning was always done before they came home from school)

Don't look at mine right now! As a general rule, we keep our house very clean and tidy, but we do have busy periods where things get out of control. Early June was one of those periods! Now that we aren't running day and night, we'll get it back into shape.

DH and I both work full-time. We have 2 children (boys, ages 9 and 4) and no pets.

Years ago I asked a good friend who cleaned houses if she could share any secrets with me. She said, "If it isn't dirty, don't clean it." That sounds almost silly until you think about it. I used to clean the ENTIRE bathroom mirror, top to bottom, corner to corner. Now I only clean the part with toothpaste splatters. 15 seconds later I have a sparkling clean mirror. Instead of mopping the entire kitchen every night, I thoroughly clean under my sons' seats. (the 9 year old is messier than the 3 year old!) She also told me to keep my cleaning supplies close at hand. I now keep cleaning supplies in "stations" throughout the house. When my 3-year-old is taking a bath, I grap a few Lysol wipes and clean the sink, faucet, toliet and floor in their bathroom. As a result my house is rarely "dirty". I have housecleaning help once a month. I know that everything is dusted and vacuumed then. I can spot-clean in between. About 4 times a year I do my "deep" cleaning where I scrub everything. That is also when I change my seasonal decor items.

I am a natural neat-freak. Clean and neat translates into calm and peaceful for me. Howver, I have finally realized that I only have two resources at my disposal ... time and money. To spend time cleaning something that isn't dirty is just as wasteful as buying something that I don't need.

In addition we have very little clutter. I give my kids ample storage space for their toys. Even my youngest can clean his entire room. If it takes an engineering degree to fit the toys back into their container, your kids aren't going to be able to do it.

I don't make my kids do as many chores as I should, but I do ask them to clean up after themselves. For example, when we pull into the garage, everyone takes ALL their "stuff" into the house. I'm driving a van, not a rolling garbage can.

Most of my mom friends marvel at my clean house and think I have superpowers. My secrets are ... no wasted efforts, very little clutter, and an involved family (especially DH)!

Nin

RE: the children issue . . .I think age and temperament play a HUGE issue (but I defer to acountryfarm with the 9 children). My littlest one is 16 months old. She has always been very high needs, in that she'd never want to be put down. She'd scream instantly and not stop. There went my "make the bed right away" plan out the window, and all the other little routines that are so much easier to accomplish when you can grab a few minutes here or there.

I kept waiting for that stage to pass (maybe once she could sit up alone, crawl, walk, etc.) but now I think it will be when she is much older. I do use babycarriers to get things done (wear her on my back), but it still takes much longer to do things with her around . . .and she doesn't nap very long either. When she does, I like to give my other children some baby-free time with me, too.

Once she hits 2.5 or 3, I think things will get easier!

This thread is very interesting. First, I would like to applaud acountryfarm for raising 9 kids, and being able to have a clean house. It seems like I should be able to handle my house and my two kids! It's good to read stuff like that, gives me some inspiration, and some hope!!!lol.And no, I don't think having a clean house makes you a "not fun mom". I just don't know how to do both yet. I want my kids to help out and do chores, and they do some stuff right now. I just came from a cluttered messy house, where I had no responsibilities. So it was kind of shock when I was married, and had kids, and animals, and all of sudden, I had all this stuff (and people) to take care of. I think I would be in a much better mind set about cleaning, had I been responsible for stuff when I was a child. I'm a work in progress, what can I say?! :) Basically, I need to get a bit more organized, get the kids more involved, and get our house back to square one, so I can clean easily daily.

I don't know how people who hold down jobs outside the home and have children at home do it. Of course, running a home is a job unto itself. Where those folks find enough hours in the day is beyond me, but my hat's off to 'em for whatever they manage to get done! No kids for me, and I have DH at home to take care of most things, but I still find housework to be a daunting thing so much of the time!