Do you ever feel that when you look around your house/apartment that there's just no end in sight to cleaning it up and making it look clean or presentable? Well, I feel like this all the time. Between caring for my son, fulfilling my obligations as a Scout leader, keeping up with friends and family and doing just the minimal daily chores that come with a home, I always feel overwhelmed.
The living room, dining area, kitchen, bathroom, bedrooms and closets are a mess. You might ask why it's such a mess when I stay at home all day. Shouldn't it be nice, clean and looking great? The fact is is that I don't just stay home and sit around. A two year old (with half an unborn sibling) still needs a playmate and added direction. He takes one two-hour nap each day. I can sometimes use this time for quick cleaning but this isn't always the case. As I'm 23 weeks prego, I get tired and sleepy as well as a few 'other' not so pleasant things. Most of the time I end up taking this time out for myself to either catch up on sleep, sit and relax with a book or chill in front of the television or computer. Keeping my stress levels as low as possible is key to having a healthy baby.
When do I get the cleaning done? I work on it little by little throughout the entire day. I can't spend mass amounts of time on cleaning or straightening up, so I do it in small increments. I usually will have to take 10-15 minutes out here and there and just concentrate on one specific thing. Whether the kiddo is eating a meal, engrossed with Disney Playhouse on television (no, he doesn't watch tv all day like some kids do), or playing with other toys, I take that time and put it into something productive for the home. I can get some dishes done, clean the sinks, do a spot clean in the bathroom, get laundry going, clean the desk, vacuum, pick up in the bedroom or whatever it may be. Just as long as I concentrate on one specific thing, I don't have to feel overwhelmed.
Another idea is to take one area per day with this same "minute-clean schedule." Today you might want to choose the dining area. Anytime you take your 10-15 minutes, do something in the dining area. Clean the table and chairs. Clear off the table as needed. Sweep and mop the floor or vacuum if you have carpet there. You can do the same for any room in your home.
If you concentrate on one area of the home at a time, you won't feel so overwhelmed and you'll begin to see improvement in your stress levels as well as in the appearance. It's a great feeling of accomplishment when you can see how much you've actually been able to do.
Then as the children mess things up again or you fall behind in a few chores, you get to start all over again! But this time you have a great plan to use so you're not totally overwhelmed.
Those are good ideas. Definitely will take them in consideration whenever I have my own family (if I even will have one). Knowing what you are going through, I want to be there for my wife when she is pregnant. Cleaning a house is definitely overwhelming, but like you said just take one thing at a time. At the end of the day, we may be both tired, but working together to get things done in the house will give time for couples to be together.
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