Off topic: How do you keep house?

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My house keeping has gotten so bad lately, that today my husband threatened to hire a cleaning lady. I called his bluff and guess what? He called a cleaning lady to come in and start this friday! :yeah: I'm so thrilled & relieved. It's been terrible trying to keep the house clean with 3 messy kids and a pig of a husband. How do you all handle juggling classes, studying, working, running kids around while keeping the house clean? I feel so blessed to finally get help!

Specializes in Medical, Paeds, Ob gyn, NICU.

A clean house...I vaguely remember what that is...I know I had one of those before I had the kids (2yo, 4yo, 10yo, 13yo) and before I started Uni :rotfl:

At the moment my house is a total mess, it is fairly clean, at least I battle with it most days, just watch where you put your feet so that you don't break a leg on the mountains of toys everywhere :p and don't enter my 13yo daughters room, that is toxic

I can't complain about my dh not doing anything as I don't have one :rolleyes:

Just the laziest kids on record, except for my 2yo who is ever so helpfull, she likes to clean out the toybox in the lounge room by empting it on the floor :chuckle

I just do the basic cleaning everyday (cooking, cleaning kitchen ect), and the rest if I ever get a chance.

Otherwise I study and spend time with the kids. I figure that they are more important, the housework will be their later, the kids will never have this time again.

Tina

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Specializes in Critical Care.

I'm a single guy. My house gets cleaned before a date comes over, or my MOM.

For different reasons, of course!

~faith,

Timothy.

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Although I can't say that my house is clean by any means, I've found a lot of tips on this website helpful! Hope it helps the rest of you too!

http://www.flylady.net

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Specializes in Long Term Care.

My DH's idea of helping out around the house is not fussing at me for not having it done. Since I started school almost 2 years ago, he has helped with making of the meals, but I can count the times on my hands that he has done the dishes. I think I remember once when he cleaned the living room and I swear as I think about it I don't believe he has ever cleaned a bathroom or our bedroom. He does "encourage" the kids to clean their rooms by going in there with a trash bag, but they called his bluff once and that ended that.

My 6yo wants to help with the adult stuff but refuses to do things she could do. My 10 yo will come and do just exactly what I tell him to do for instance. If I say "will you take the trash out" he will take the trash bag out of the can and leave the bag open in the middle of the floor. I say "didn't I ask you to take the trash out?" He will seriously look from me to the bag and say "I did" but on the other hand if I say will you tie the trash bag take it out of the can and take it outside he will do it right. I am not always sure that he isn't serious.

I find myself mad, i mean FURIOUS when I am studying and husband comes in and says what is for supper? Does anyone else have that problem.

I get mad when I am the only one cleaning, there are 79bazillion obvious things to get done, let alone the little stuff that is not so obvious and I am the only one cleaning. Husband on computer or asleep on couch and kids playing, or argueing. The longer this goes on the madder and louder I get and then one of them says mommy or honey depending on who's asking "what is wrong" GRRRRRRRR.... doesn't matter what I say or do or how mad I get no one offers to help for any reason.

Just yesterday I had to wait to go to the hospital to get my assignment and I needed to study and get things ready for my pt. and DH says good now you have time to wash dishes as he was signing up for a play money tournament on poker host..........

When my aunt was in NS and her husband wouldn't help around the house she went thru the kitchen and completely shattered anything breakable and said there buddy now you don't have anything to wash so don't worry about it and went to bed.... He didn't miss another day without cleaning the whole house. HA HA I love her.

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Specializes in Happily semi-retired; excited for the whole whammy.
My DH's idea of helping out around the house is not fussing at me for not having it done. Since I started school almost 2 years ago, he has helped with making of the meals, but I can count the times on my hands that he has done the dishes. I think I remember once when he cleaned the living room and I swear as I think about it I don't believe he has ever cleaned a bathroom or our bedroom. He does "encourage" the kids to clean their rooms by going in there with a trash bag, but they called his bluff once and that ended that.

My 6yo wants to help with the adult stuff but refuses to do things she could do. My 10 yo will come and do just exactly what I tell him to do for instance. If I say "will you take the trash out" he will take the trash bag out of the can and leave the bag open in the middle of the floor. I say "didn't I ask you to take the trash out?" He will seriously look from me to the bag and say "I did" but on the other hand if I say will you tie the trash bag take it out of the can and take it outside he will do it right. I am not always sure that he isn't serious.

I find myself mad, i mean FURIOUS when I am studying and husband comes in and says what is for supper? Does anyone else have that problem.

I get mad when I am the only one cleaning, there are 79bazillion obvious things to get done, let alone the little stuff that is not so obvious and I am the only one cleaning. Husband on computer or asleep on couch and kids playing, or argueing. The longer this goes on the madder and louder I get and then one of them says mommy or honey depending on who's asking "what is wrong" GRRRRRRRR.... doesn't matter what I say or do or how mad I get no one offers to help for any reason.

Just yesterday I had to wait to go to the hospital to get my assignment and I needed to study and get things ready for my pt. and DH says good now you have time to wash dishes as he was signing up for a play money tournament on poker host..........

When my aunt was in NS and her husband wouldn't help around the house she went thru the kitchen and completely shattered anything breakable and said there buddy now you don't have anything to wash so don't worry about it and went to bed.... He didn't miss another day without cleaning the whole house. HA HA I love her.

I love your aunt's solution! I have, more than once, refused to cook dinner because the kitchen hadn't been cleaned up after lunch. I am talking about dirty dishes in the sink (if they've made it that far!) when the dishwasher is right next to the sink, empty boxes left on the counter when the trash can is less than 2 feet away, etc. He grew up in a traditional household, Dad worked and Mom stayed home. Apparently my mil (who I never got to meet since she died before I met my husband) did everything for her husband and sons. Now, dh's sister keeps a beautiful house and is very well organized, so I'm not sure what was expected of her as a child, but honestly, my husband grew up doing nothing and really wants to keep it that way. Meanwhile, I earn nearly as much as he does (although admittedly, I don't work as many hours, so I don't have trouble with the concept of doing most of the housework. I just deeply resent being expected to do all of it.). His redemption is that he is such a hands on Dad. Lots to be said for that, certainly. But there are days when I just want to cry, we work so hard to pay for this house and sometimes it looks like a bunch of frat boys live here.

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My dh is oblivious. Puts garbage next to the sink. Also, wherever he takes his clothes off at night, they sit there until I pick them up. I used to have a hamper right next to his bed but even that didn't work. I'm sure I have my faults he can't stand too (like not cooking, he's actually eating Doritos for dinner right now. I know I'm bad!!)

:chair:

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Ortho.

Just have to get used to it until school is over. You sure wont want to do it on any breaks you have. Noone ever died from a messy house, ok maybe somewhere but it didnt happen in the 2-4 years its gonna take ya to get through school.

I also found if they walk over/on it long enough it either gets kicked aside or picked up. Maybe a good time for the family to become SELF sufficient. My kids are great at laundry and if they want to they can clean a mean house. LOL If they want to go anyplace on the weekend that is.

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Specializes in NICU.

I'm not a student, but man, oh man, do I have a way of NOT keeping house.

I got married in the fall, came back from the honeymoon right before Thanksgiving, then had to deal with the Christmas holidays. Our condo is just a sty right now!!! We got so much wonderful stuff for the shower and wedding, but we don't have any room for it. So stuff is pilled up all over. I also am cleaning out my old room at my parent's house, and I have some of that stuff all over, too.

Plus, my husband and I are simply messy. We don't do our dishes right away. We wait to take out the garbage until it is spilling over. Our bathrooms are messy. We don't put stuff away when we take it out. We're pack rats. Lovely!!!

I get on cleaning kicks sometimes (should be on one at this exact moment instead of being on this website!) and things get really organized. I swear it'll always stay that way. Lasts for about a week, if that.

After I get our stuff organized (when that will be, I don't know), and there is SOME sort of order in the house, I'm hiring a maid. I think someone once every two weeks would be good - just to clean the kitchen, laundry room, and bathrooms, plus maybe dust the rest of the place. It's that maintenance cleaning that I hate. I like organizing, but hate scrubbing.

Funny thing is, at work, I'm ANAL. I'm in the NICU, and you should see my babies' bedsides. Perfectly organized, well stocked, etc. Even the way I swaddle my babies is crisp and clean. No one would ever guess what my house looks like!!!

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Specializes in NICU.
All I can say is that at least he put it in the sink! My dh leaves it wherever it was that he ate it. Desk, couch, table, bookshelf, whatever. I tried the trash on the bed method but he just moved it all to the floor next to the bed. He is hopeless. I can't wait to do the blood curdling scream at just the right time! He's OOT this week so maybe this weekend! I can say I'm fortunate that dh is always happy with whatever he gets for dinner whether it be take-out, fast food, go out to eat, homecooked or even soup and sandwich. That is a relief at dinner time when I'm most tired!

Are we married to the same man? My husband is the same way! Even when I get on my cleaning kicks, he stays the same. I at least will pick up my stuff after a day or two, when I have time. But he'll leave empty soda cans, etc., around the house for months. He's also really good about dinner - he can't really cook much, so if I don't cook anything, he'll just make a frozen pizza or go to Taco Bell. He always appreciates a hearty home-cooked meal, of course...but I swear, his favorite meal in the world is grilled cheese sandwiches with Spaghetti-O's. Seriously. Whenever I make it for him (easy 5 minute meal) he gets this smiley, dreamy look on his face.

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You're lucky that you both agree on the condo situation. It stinks when one person is anal and the other doesn't care. I'm not too bad. I just can't study until I things pretty well cleaned up. Try paper plates. They work wonders for me. I have a 15 year old son so I have to cook for him. But he eats everything and there's nothing left for my husband. He's eating pop tarts right now! He also smokes in the basement and never throws out the butts. That really stinks. Even when I'm working out in the basement he'll come down and smoke while I'm doing the video. :smackingf

He's got a good heart. How's the NICU. I'm in my pre reqs looking maybe into L&D.

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Specializes in Med/Surge, Private Duty Peds.

keep the kitchen and bathrooms clean. close the doors to the bedrooms and straighten the living room, i work 7 on-7off 11-7 shift with 12 hrs on sat & sun. so for a whole week i don't clean and only cook about once.

the week i work, my wonderful hubby cooks, cleans, helps 6 y old daughter to homework, takes dd to school and picks her up

the week i am off i do all the above. but every once in awhile, we both slack and that is when doors get closed and we don't worry, it's not like the queen or pope or president is coming over. also there more to live than worrying about a messy house. dirty/fifthly yes, but i can live with that "lived-in look".

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lol....most of the time my dh is off on the road working so its just me its not that hard however he recently decided to stay and work in our hometown so it has become more of an issue since i am very anal about my house being clean. to me because of the recent hurricane everthing outside is a mess and i want some sense of normalcy inside...however it dont always work out that way but i take one day w week and clean really well adn the other days i just close my eyes and pretend the mess isnt there until i get to my pc room (which stays clean since it is where ispend 95% of my time d/t school)

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