Any Working Mothers with Homes like Martha Stewart???

Question

I have two kids ages 3 and 5, pregnant with another. I have friends whose homes I visit and they are just always clean and very neat. We clean constantly - floors, bathrooms, laundry, kitchen, etc... but I can NEVER pin down neat.

I do work full time, but even on "vacation" I can clean my entire home and in just a few days, it's a disaster.

We have piles of art, piles of pictures, piles of bills, toys everywhere, laundry, every room has "stuff".

I can't figure out what the heck to do with it all, or how to keep it there.

For those of you with "neat" houses - what does it take to keep it that way and what is your method??? Between cleaning and keeping things put away, when do you have time for grocery shopping, quality time with your children, "fun" stuff or living??

I'm perplexed, but frustrated with all the clutter.

Answer 1

I have a friend just like pat r. Her kids are not very happy campers either. When they come to my house though they are ecstatic. They know they can play with my stuff and have a great time painting or coloring or having a great game of indoor/outdoor ball or something like bubbles outside. My play room walls are covered in artwork and I rotate them out every couple weeks to keep it fresh and keep the really good pics in a tote in my garage for reflection down the road. I prefer a bit of clutetr here and there and knowing that my children are happy rather than sanitized. True, I don't like it when my home is a disaster but everyone from helps clean if they can walk. All four of my children were taught to clean from the time they could crawl so just one person isn't always doing it. It saves time to do a family 30 minute power clean two or three times a day, rather than have everyone go their own way and one person clean constantly every day. I tell them, I don't live here alone so I won't clean here alone. When friends or family come over, it is with a respect for my property and they are expected to help clean up messes too. When I go to someone's home, I do not allow my children to trash it then leave the mess for them and expect the same in return. Even the 13yo boys that come to my house help with the dishes and toy cleanup as it is only polite to do such things.

Points to ponder though would be:

1.) try only allowing toys in a specific area to keep the toy clutter down

2.) go through the toys just before major holidays such as birthdays and christmas to knock down the toy count by removing toys they don't play with or that are broken or missing pieces.

3.) Have a shoe rack by the major entrances/exits and a chair near that so people can remove their shoes upon entering and put them on when ready to leave. This helps to keep the floors cleaner and prevent outside fecal matter from wildlife from getting on your carpets whether you see it or not.

4.) having designated areas for eating and drinking is very important as when you have people walking all over the place with food and drink then you are constantly finding food and drinks or dirty dishes and crumbs everywhere when you though you had everything cleaned up. Eating on the furniture makes for more couch and chair vacuuming too so beware.

Answer 2

HA! I wish I had a realistic  answer for this, but I can only tell you about my friend.....she is married, works full-time, has two kids, ages 4 and 8...and we actually call her Martha II, because of her house....she comes home on her lunch break to clean, and walks in the front door at night, picking stuff up on her way to the kitchen (the crockpot is her friend), eats while talking to the kids and washing dishes, then folds laundry while maybe helping with their homework, watching a tv show with them, etc, bathes them (she even still bathes the 8yr old, says he doesnt get clean enough himself), reads tot hem, puts them to bed, then cleans somewhere...and basically doesn't sit down until 10 or 11pm....this is her nightly routine, 7 nights per week. That is how she does it.....I dunno about you, but I am not that selfless, OR that concerned about a perfect house. We are all taking bets on when her breakdown will occur, before or after the kids hit high school....

Answer 3

LOL - I was right where you are until my mom told be about flylady...   Basically, she helps you handle clutter and set up a reasonable routine.  She says your house will never be spotless but it will be 'party ready' all of the time.  She starts you out on baby steps and it's the best all around site I've found that's helped me get my house straight.  Plus it's fun! I have a 3 year old with another one due in a month.  Goodluck!

Answer 4

My home is definitely not Martha Stewart. But my sis in laws is. She basically is constantly throwing away toys, artwork, old clothes and pretty much doesnt let her kids play  inside the house. They are encouraged to watch tv and play video games because its neater. She is also very high energy constantly cleaning and thinking about how to improve her house. She never thinks about anything more important or interesting though.