Blend Childcare and Housecleaning the Productive Way

When we were little, Mom took care of us and kept the house clean.  Usually without the benefit of any help whatsoever.  She seemed to manage it all!  Today, families seem busier than ever and cleaning the house can often be overwhelming.  If you are a mom, and feel the strain of caring for others while trying to keep your home clean, here are a few tips on how to effectively combine childcare and all those housecleaning chores.

While some moms may suggest children are more important than cleaning the house; others would take the point of view that without being a neat freak, you can still keep your house modestly clean.  Which brings us to our first tip: readjust your thinking about how perfect the house should look, and just concentrate on doing what you can, when you can.  If the children are napping, take the time to dust each room.  If you have toddlers, have them play in the playpen for about 15 minutes giving you ample time to vacuum.

Another option is to multi-task.  While washing the dishes or dusting, try playing word games, practice spelling, or adding and subtracting numbers with your children.  One great game is the "thinking" game.  Have your child think of an object and give you clues to figure out the their object is.  Another is the "ABC" game.  One person starts by saying a word that begins with an "A" and the next person will have "B" and so on.  Make it a little more difficult by choosing a theme, such as all words must be a food, an animal, or maybe a person's name.  By playing these games, your chore gets done and the kids are happy to have your attention.

Try not to accomplish everything in one day.  Set up a schedule and give yourself 15-20 minutes each day to finish a particular chore.  After the children have gone to bed, use the time to wash the kitchen floor or finish a load of laundry.  On the weekends, ask your husband or children to help you.  Assign simple tasks, whether it's asking the children to tidy their rooms or having your husband take care of the children while you tend to the house.

While housecleaning is necessary, it doesn't have to be perfect by any stretch of the imagination.  What good is a clean house if you are totally exhausted by the end of the day?  Just take it one day at a time; and limit your expectations.  After all, it's important that our children remember the TIME they had with us.  Let's enjoy it as much as possible.  Before long they will be all grown up with a life of their own.  This is when we can have our perfectly clean house again.