When lowering your standards isn't an option....

[BlessedMommy]

I'm starting to think about keeping up the house after the birth, and what comes to mind, is the old adage, "Lower your standards." Well, unfortunately, I don't foresee that happening anytime soon. I'm having to substantially raise my standards or suffer health consequences. (I'm very allergic to dust and mold and my allergies only seem to be getting worse over time)

But as it is, I'm having to work very hard to keep up the house, even with just having a toddler. I can hardly imagine how housecleaning will be when I have a newborn and a 2 1/2 year old. Maybe I should hire a lady to clean my house once a week?

Any tips for planning ahead for house cleaning?

[cjropher]

I've never done it, but http://myblessedhome.blogspot.com/2006/04/3-week-cleaning.html#article sounds like an idea. But it's not something that I've ever really done. I might give it a try though... just to see how fast I fall off the wagon! lol

[BlessedMommy]

Thanks, Jay! That looks great. I'll have to give it a try sometime.

[Godzgirl]

Hmmm...being able to hire help if you can would be nice. If we were able to do it financially i would. lol I'm allergic to dust as well. Something you could probably do is focus on cleaning the stuff you know will be a health issue for you (like dust) and the rest of the stuff just let it go a bit. Not sure what your cleaning schedule is like but before i had kids and when hannah was a baby i was the lady that cleaned the entire house everyday! LOL I know wacko, right. As Hannah got older and i had Ethan (they are 28 months apart) i knew i couldn't do that anymore. So what i do is dust everyday, and then i have a schedule and do one or two things a day verses everything everyday. I had to let it go because at first it was hard for me not to run a muck and clean everything but it has helped me tone down a bit and to learn to relax and enjoy the kids. I had to learn that the house will never be clean enough, those dishes keep on piling and so does the laundry, but your kiddos are young once so take advantage.

Oh and something else that helped me that i would highly recommend is an air purifier. We bought one from ecoquest and it has helped with the dust issue. My allergies are gone and it can also get rid of mold and prevent it from coming.

[BlessedMommy]

Thanks, Vanessa! I'll have to check the air purifier out. That sounds like it might be helpful for us. Do you remember how much it cost?

[Godzgirl]

I don't remember...i'll have to ask my dh and get back to you.

[Butterflykisses]

When I went to 2 I separated the house into 5 manageable zones. Then I cleaned 1 zone each day. I still had my daily chores that had to be done but because I had my zones it wasn't overwhelming. That helped me out until I was able to get a little bit more free time to work on the house.

A question for you; do you have a baby sling? I used a sling for my 2nd and it made a huge difference. She would snuggle in there and left my hands free to work on other stuff. You can also BF while they are in the sling. The are so awesome.

[BlessedMommy]

A question for you; do you have a baby sling? I used a sling for my 2nd and it made a huge difference. She would snuggle in there and left my hands free to work on other stuff. You can also BF while they are in the sling. The are so awesome.

Yes. I used my sling practically constantly for my 1st DD until she mostly outgrew it. (Can still carry her in the side carry, but not lying down anymore) Will be definitely using it for the new babe!

[4HisGlory]

have you ever tried/heard of flylady.com? She breaks house cleaning down into about 30 min. a day. she has a whole system all about gradually learning it and changing your negative thinking about housework into a positive thing that is fun and easy. it might be something to look into. I use her system and my house is clean all the time usually.

[BlessedMommy]

have you ever tried/heard of flylady.com? She breaks house cleaning down into about 30 min. a day. she has a whole system all about gradually learning it and changing your negative thinking about housework into a positive thing that is fun and easy. it might be something to look into. I use her system and my house is clean all the time usually.

Thanks, Becky, I'll have to check her out. When I looked at her stuff, before, I got overwhelmed, but maybe it's time to look again. :)

[4HisGlory]

Thanks, Becky, I'll have to check her out. When I looked at her stuff, before, I got overwhelmed, but maybe it's time to look again. :)
yes she can be pretty overwhelming. I get her e-mails in a weekly digest. I also allow myself not to feel like I have to do all her "missions" I feel if I can keep my "sink shiny" my bathroom "swished and swiped" my "weekly home blessing" and like 5-10 minutes of picking up my rooms, my house is well maintained. you might have to alter it a little just to keep up with the dust and allergens, but I think it could still be do able. I could at least give you some suggestions if nothing else. hope you figure something that works for you!