How Do You All Do It?
I need some some major advice from all you wise Mama's out there (and Dad's, too!).
How do you do it???? How do you keep from going insane? And, more importantly, how do you keep your house clean????
Somehow, a few months ago, little fairies snuck into my room in the middle of the night and stole the part of my brain that loved messiness and replaced it with something far worse...
The obsessive need to keep a clean house.
Or maybe it was CIA agents or FBI agents or whoever it is that Tom Cruise usually plays in a movie.... maybe they're the ones who did it. Maybe they were on a top-secret mission to implant microchips into housewives across America and see what happens when messy women turn OCD overnight.
Because there's no other way to explain it.
I have become a neat freak.
I absolutely cannot stand a messy house. Well... okay, let me explain. I actually don't mind keeping a messy bedroom... and the bathrooms are in such a state that I'm sure the CDC is going to stop by any day now and barricade our doors with yellow tape. But I cannot stand having a messy living room. Maybe it's the wood floors that we put down... the ones that show EVERYTHING. Maybe it's the open floor plan. I don't know. But I have a serious problem. I cannot stand a mess.
Which is really not a good thing when Tornado Nandini and Hurricane Eli hit every morning at 6:00 am.... and make a mess of destruction until 9:00 at night.
I know it sounds like I complain all the time now, but it's just been a big adjustment. And if any of you say, "Well, you asked for it. Your hands were full before... what did you think would happen?"... well, you can think it, but please don't say it to my face. I might actually have to smack ya.
It's just an adjustment. I basically gave birth to a 3 year old. Who is exactly like my four year old. Which makes me sometimes behave like a five year old..... when I'm actually thirty-four.
The point is.... I need some time management skills. Some advice on how to keep the kids fed and entertained - oh, and schooled, and the house clean, and the dog water clean and filled, the husband happy... and still have time to watch Oprah.
Okay, that last part was a joke.
But if you can tell me how to squeeze in As the World Turns, I'd really appreciate it.
:-)
And, while we're at it... I would LOVE to hear from parents who have strong-willed, controlling kids - oh, and siblings who would like to kill each other. That last one is very important.
And is it normal for kids to run around naked all the time? Am I raising a future colony of nudists? Are we going to have to pack the kids up and move to Europe?
Which would make Simeon very happy, but it's too cold there to have a trio of pre-schoolers who shun clothing. Which means, we're stuck in Texas... because, you know, the weather is much more suitable for that type of thing.
Sending out an SOS. I need advice and chocolate ASAP.
Leslie
How do you do it???? How do you keep from going insane? And, more importantly, how do you keep your house clean????
Somehow, a few months ago, little fairies snuck into my room in the middle of the night and stole the part of my brain that loved messiness and replaced it with something far worse...
The obsessive need to keep a clean house.
Or maybe it was CIA agents or FBI agents or whoever it is that Tom Cruise usually plays in a movie.... maybe they're the ones who did it. Maybe they were on a top-secret mission to implant microchips into housewives across America and see what happens when messy women turn OCD overnight.
Because there's no other way to explain it.
I have become a neat freak.
I absolutely cannot stand a messy house. Well... okay, let me explain. I actually don't mind keeping a messy bedroom... and the bathrooms are in such a state that I'm sure the CDC is going to stop by any day now and barricade our doors with yellow tape. But I cannot stand having a messy living room. Maybe it's the wood floors that we put down... the ones that show EVERYTHING. Maybe it's the open floor plan. I don't know. But I have a serious problem. I cannot stand a mess.
Which is really not a good thing when Tornado Nandini and Hurricane Eli hit every morning at 6:00 am.... and make a mess of destruction until 9:00 at night.
I know it sounds like I complain all the time now, but it's just been a big adjustment. And if any of you say, "Well, you asked for it. Your hands were full before... what did you think would happen?"... well, you can think it, but please don't say it to my face. I might actually have to smack ya.
It's just an adjustment. I basically gave birth to a 3 year old. Who is exactly like my four year old. Which makes me sometimes behave like a five year old..... when I'm actually thirty-four.
The point is.... I need some time management skills. Some advice on how to keep the kids fed and entertained - oh, and schooled, and the house clean, and the dog water clean and filled, the husband happy... and still have time to watch Oprah.
Okay, that last part was a joke.
But if you can tell me how to squeeze in As the World Turns, I'd really appreciate it.
:-)
And, while we're at it... I would LOVE to hear from parents who have strong-willed, controlling kids - oh, and siblings who would like to kill each other. That last one is very important.
And is it normal for kids to run around naked all the time? Am I raising a future colony of nudists? Are we going to have to pack the kids up and move to Europe?
Which would make Simeon very happy, but it's too cold there to have a trio of pre-schoolers who shun clothing. Which means, we're stuck in Texas... because, you know, the weather is much more suitable for that type of thing.
Sending out an SOS. I need advice and chocolate ASAP.
Leslie
Comments
What's my big secret?
I don't. When the kids were babies and preschoolers I WAY didn't!
I'll give a "Hear! Hear!" to Amy's comment. Quick pick-ups help, especially to give you one room that is basically under control.
Many a night have we put our kids to bed, knowing that if we all awoke to a fire, we'd probably die trying to climb over all of the mess.
Then the kids grew. I haven't cleaned a bathroom sink or a toilet in months, because I have two children old enough to do those chores. They pick up their own rooms. They do their own laundry (start to finish). My four-year-old, of course, needs help with a lot of things. Yet, even she can pick up, put away laundry, etc.
It will change. Know that, and don't expect more than is reasonable right now. You are in a season of life right now that changes as your kids grow.
And in conclusion ... just two things:
#1. the web site www.flylady.net
#2. the book "Love & Logic Magic for Early Childhood: Practical Parenting from Birth to Six Years"
I tell ya, girl, you are living my life. My tornado is two, but it's the same thing. Today I was trying to pick up and everywhere I went, he followed me, whining. He hates when I walk away from him, especially if I'm going fast. If I carry him, he is love-pinching me all over. Makes me crazy!
Literally, I get an hour a day break while he naps. Otherwise it's entertain, entertain. Or feed. And pick up.
Can you put her in an ERGO carrier? And vacuum? Give them each a sponge and a spray bottle of water and let them work along side you.
And if flylady.com bugs you like it bugs me, try http://www.motivatedmoms.com/ You can download the 2002 calendar for free to try it out. Tiny 10 minute jobs.
Hang in there! Like they said, soon they'll be cleaning the bathrooms on their own and you'll be fat from all the bon bons you're eating while you watch.
Blessings,
Sandwich
I have a 4 1/2 year old and a 2 1/2 year old and a big 120 lb dog. I have outsourced laundry and cleaning so I can retain my sanity. The kids are at preschool from 9:30 - 5:30 but still manage to trash the house before and after school. I'm just waiting for them to grow up a little and in the meantime I console myself thinking we at least live in a clean mess.
I love reading your blog. Nandini and Riya could be twins :)
paddy
With regard to troublesome children, I'm glad others find their older kids to be a joy. My oldest is ready to put me over the edge. She is 12 and has been an angel all her life. Until NOW when she finally has the sister she begged for all her life. She has become the typical self-centered teen. ARGH!
Well, both of them are at school so I'm ignoring the piles of laundry on the dining room table and the piles of books on the coffee table and surfing the internet.
Kristin