I have been so tired that I haven't gotten on my eliptical for 3 days. I hate that. I feel fatter already, and feel like I've lost all the ground I gained doing it every day. But I just don't have the energy. I can't nap during the day because I can't sleep knowing my house is a disaster. Just can't do it.
Speaking of disaster. I need some serious advice. I can not keep the boys room clean to save my life. One problem is they all share a room. So three boys toys are in one room. We have bedroom in our basement that is the size of two rooms. And since the boys want to be together (half the time they end up in the same bed) we put all three in that room. No matter what I try it never stays clean. And its not just cluttery, its messy. I tried making a playroom and putting all the toys in there, that didn't work. I have big rubbermaid tubs for all the toys, that doesn't work either. What do I do? Help please.
I'm so embarrased to show these, but I need to show you so you can help me. Now bring on the advice, I'm begging you.
(Carter broke the rail on his bed so the mattress is on the floor until we can get the rail fixed.)
I use the House fairy and that work for me http://www.housefairy.org/ Check he wedsite out.
ReplyDeleteUgh - I hate picking up toys off the floor! Can you pay someone to tidy? Can you get the boys to tidy it? Bribe them somehow? Eg You can have ice cream after dinner only if you clean your room. Good luck - I haven't had much success getting my kids to tidy toys either.
ReplyDeleteUghh! When you figure out how to keep things clean, please let me know :)
ReplyDeleteLooks about like my living room every day of the week. Carly is like having 3 boys! Problem being, she doesn't have a room to keep her things in. She is in our room. Her toys are in the living room. Ugh..small houses!
ReplyDeleteWhat I used to do with my oldest two when their rooms got to looking like that. Threatened to get a dumpster and park it outside their window and tossing everything. They believed I would do it. But, I didn't. That seemed to work well around here.
With Christmas coming, tell them they have no place to put anything new unless they get their room cleaned and keep it that way.
Good luck.
Over the last year or so I have been getting rid of stuff like crazy. And I mean TONS of stuff.
ReplyDeleteFor me the only way to kinda keep things organized is to not have so much stuff in the first place.
I have totes for different toys. When my kids were younger I had pictures of what toy went into what tote. I used the smallest sized tote to fit the toy.
Then I'd put all put a few totes up high in the closet.....and rotate the totes out on a weekly basis.
If a kid HAD to have a certain tote out before that week was up I'd tell them that they first had to switch it out with one of the 'in use' totes.
If they didn't clean up after they used a tote, then I'd simply say something like, "Gee, it looks like you don't want to play with this tote for awhile since you left it's contents all over the floor. If *I* have to clean them up you won't see that tote again for a VERY long time.
With Legos I had a Lego Station. This was just a Lego table in the corner of the playroom and that was THE only place Legos could go.
In Parker's room I have one of those little cubby shelf things with containers. Each container has a different item stored it it.
But with Parker's train table and kitchen our upstairs family room looks like a preschool. And all the homeschooling stuff behind the dining room table adds some real style and flair too.
erg. ;)
I can so relate! But, since I can relate, I probably don't have any good advice for you!
ReplyDeleteI rarely get a good night's sleep. I used to sleep so well. My husband thinks that I have sleep apnea, but I won't get checked out because if I had to wear a c-pap at night, I wouldn't be able to hear Gavin at night when he's gagging or when his pump is beeping. I'm not so sure that I have sleep apnea anyway...I just can't sleep very soundly and I lay there thinking too much.
As for keeping boy's rooms clean.....I struggle with this all the time. I could pick up their rooms everyday, but I won't. They make the mess and I am not going to pick up after them all the time! I do help them, but I figure that they need to learn to take care of their own things. I feel like I am constantly telling them to pick things up and it gets tiring, so some days I just let it go and of course the mess just gets bigger! UGH! Legos are one of my worst nightmares!!!
Hang in there and try to get a nap every once in a while. You need to do this for yourself! You could always go on strike. I told my boys that I'm on strike today. They are quite worried about this! Although I may be on strike today, it sure doesn't feel like it! I still made their lunches, swept the floor, did laundry, and have been breaking up arguments between them since they got home from school.....but dinner is up to them tonight! :) Maybe you should do this too?! Every Momma needs a day or two off every now and then, right?! I never go on strike from Gavin, but at least he doesn't talk back to me and make a mess all the time!
Hope your headaches go away soon and you start getting some much needed sleep soon! HUGS!!!
are those legos? love them! but, they make me insane. i'm in the same boat as you.
ReplyDeleteno more "mr-nice-mommy", no dinner 'til the toys are picked up. set a timer for them...5 or ten minutes of crazy fast picking up and then 5 or ten to get a snack or read or something. repeat until tidiness appears.
i like to shake things up by coming in with a vacuum or trash can. it is amazing how fast things get picked up when you are chasing them with a vacuum!
but, i know you are tired. so give yourself a big break, ok? you know what they say...cleaning house while the kids are growing is like shoveling snow while it is still snowing!
1. Legos are a nightmare. You can only do so much.
ReplyDelete2. Rotate toys/sets. Keep the legos up in the attic for a few weeks...but leave other kits/toys downstairs.
3. Close the door. You get a perpetual "messy rooms are OK" pass from me knowing what you are going thru with Jaxson.
San Jose Mom
That looks my entire house. It drives Grandma more crazy than me so she comes over and spends an entire day cleaning, only to have it back to the tornado the next day. Good luck. It did help to have only beds in one room and then only toys in another. But that only lasted so long, now the entire house is back to being the toy room. It's not a battle I choose to fight. Maybe someday.
ReplyDeleteMaybe use a different color bin/tote for each kid and a couple of bins in a different color for toys they share? I like the idea of labeling/using pictures of what goes in each bin too.
ReplyDeleteI know when I was younger, if my room started to look like that and I didn't clean it..after a couple warnings she came in with a garbage bag and took EVERYTHING that was on the floor (even clothes), I had to earn back my stuff with chores & by being responsible. good luck!
Also, have you gotten your iron levels checked? I am borderline anemic and when I don't get enough iron in my system I get really tired, headachy and heart palpitations. Feel better!
Well I can't help you with the messy part. My house is barely kept together no matter how hard I try. For sleep, I don't get much but when I do I then am out. My husband and I take shifts. So I have to be awake for the 12am feed and Wysdom feeds for over an hour and a half. I get up for any issues from 12-4am. My husband does 4am-8pm. This seems strange but it allows you some peace of mind. When I know that it is my husbands shift I can sleep really well. You could also look into taking magnesium. It's called natrual calm which helps relax you. Or try homeopathics. They work well. You can get them at a health food store. Maybe a bath before you go to bed. Ps. When your nurse comes SLEEP!! Just let the house go for an hour. When you get up you will have more energy. HANG IN THERE.HUGS
ReplyDeleteone thing that sort of helped me is to use those big plastic containers. In my house it's an explosion of Barbies and dress up clothes. Clean up is a lot easier if you can just toss everything into the appropriate bin.
ReplyDeleteEven if the girls don't do it, I can do it quickly in a minute. Seriously just grab armfuls of Barbies and into the bin, job done.
Good luck, I do feel your pain!
Well I have the same problem as well. My mom came over a month ago and we spent a whole week cleaning out every inch of the house and I think the trash man thought I was moving out with the amt of things I threw out.
ReplyDeleteI have really tried everything as well and now every morning it seems like it takes me an hour to walk around and pick up after the boys. I make it a point to have "clean up" every night before we go to bed. Also, instead of giving my kids allowance,I now make them pay me if I have to clean up after them.
Let me know what you figure out. It has always been a vicious cycle for me as well.
I hate the feeling of constant tired. Like you, I still wake up on the nights that my Peanut sleeps through. That is the worst! I am getting bloodwork done to check my iron and thyroid levels.
ReplyDeleteAs for the toys, I just had it out with my 9 year old this weekend. I am not a screamer, I never scream at anyone. Last week however, there was screaming! I literally brought garbage bags and starting throwing toys in it. If he wasn't going to clean it, then I was! That got him cleaning. Normally all I have to do is tell him to turn off the TV, put down the DS, and nothing to play with until the room was clean. Luckily he obeys well! :)
Have you had your thyroid tested???
ReplyDeleteI have NO advice for the toys...my kids are so little they only pick up when I sing songs and dance on my head...but for the melatonin, I take it and find that I do get back to sleep more quickly when I do wake up for the baby..I have also taken something from Shaklee.."gentle sleep complex" or "stress relief complex" both get you to sleep faster and you will wake up for Jax and fall back to sleep FASTER!! I was always worried I wouldn't wake for my babies but I have ..even taking any of these (choose one not all..LOL:)
ReplyDeleteI didnt read through the comments so this may be something that has already been suggested...but everynight, afternoon whatever I would tell them its time to put there toys away and if the toys arent cleaned up in 15 minutes you will bring a trash bag in and throw the ones that are left out away! I bet they will clean them up. I would do it everyday until they take it serious even if a few legos have to go bye bye.
ReplyDeleteWhy are you posting pictures of my house? jk. You get a good answer, let me know.
ReplyDelete---Jen
Lacey - you of all people should never need to apologize for the way your house looks, but I can tell that you truly do want help - last year I hired a professional organizer to come to my house - we used some of our tax return to pay for it(christmas gift?)and it's really not as expensive as you would think and so, so worth it - imagine the show Clean Sweep in your house - I loved it, we got rid of a ton of stuff and it went a long way in improving my mental health - of course it goes back to being dissorganized, but it is easier to manage after you do a big "sweep". It really did feel freeing to get rid of so much stuff - it was all donated to the salvation army so that felt good too. If you don't have a lot of stuff to get rid of try rotating toys - it can be like Christmas every couple of months when you get the old toys out. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteMiracle drug, Maxalt for the migraines.
ReplyDeleteI have to medicate to sleep or I won't. Sounds just like you. Sounds like "Chronic insomnia".
I just recently tied all my wires up with twisty ties and that helped the feel a lot. And oh yeah, when the nieces are here for a few days, I just let the mess stay. Its so hard to keep toddlers rooms clean. I threw in the towel. xoox, Kandi
I have no advice - I do my best to keep the downstairs (what the nurses and therapists see) clean everyday. My girls room look like that too. I think it's just exhaustion on my part. I'm too tired to clean it and then make them keep it clean.
ReplyDeleteBTW - I love the pics of Jaxson sleeping and with his Daddy! So much love
I haven't read the other comments yet, so I may be repeating, and I almost feel silly making any suggestions when my kids' room looks just as bad (my 2 older kids share a room), but I was thinking, how about dividing stuff up into smaller bins so at least if a bin or two gets dumped out it's not as much as that one big bin??? Do you have and IKEA or storage place nearby? Maybe organizing stuff into smaller bins where they all have a place. . . and as far as getting them to clean, that's TOUGH. But if they do it every day as part of the routine, they'll get used to doing it and it'll be easier to stay on top of it.
ReplyDeleteUm....if they just wont put them into bins, you could try a good old fashion grounding(or time out or whatever) if they don't clean it? Or do what I saw someone else said and say you'll throw it away, BUT actually do it once if they don't and they'll know your not joking. It's not like they aren't going to get new toys at the end of the month haha
ReplyDeleteI have my kids do a quick room clean up every night right before bed.We have plastic bins with lids for the toys so they can throw the toys in and close it up.
ReplyDeleteLacey go here and take a look at Jax :) http://cherylsbunch.blogspot.com/2009/12/wordless-wednesday-jaxson-work-in.html
I ended up using the cube system. We have several units of cubbies and the canvas boxes that go in them. For some reason the plastic tubs just didn't work for us, but the cubes do, probably because it always seemed that the tub my kid wanted to play with was always on the bottom and that's not an issue with the cubbies/cubes. Here's a pic of her room with the cubes:
ReplyDeletehttp://oppositekids.blogspot.com/2009/05/lauries-room.html