Guest Feature with Gemma - Floors and Dusting

This week we are talking 'Floors and Dusting'.  As I've mentioned in most of the other posts, I  'do a little bit all the time' and it never gets out of control or in need of a big , time consuming , clean.

DUSTING::

You can seriously dust your whole house in the same amount of time it takes to boil the kettle and drink a cup of tea. 

Econimising is all well and good but one thing you should never skimp on is Viva (Paper Towel) . I can dust my whole house with just 4 squares , as you can rinse and re use. Once I used an entire roll of paper towel to dust a friends house , and hated every minute. 

I went through the Enjo mitt stage but am back to the old faithful - the damp Viva. 

So I do a whole house dust once a week. Every surface is dusted - cabinets, cupboards, drawer tops, shelving and all the items on them.  If you do them weekly, its such light work. 

I actually do my lounge and kitchen area daily, one square of damp Viva and I'm done! 

Dust is so annoying, it reappears within a day and you wonder why you bother - but it doesn't belong there, so sacrifice one coffee break a week, you'll love it!!

CLEANING UNDER FURNITURE::

Aside from our Theatre room lounge, every other piece of furniture in our house can be vacuumed under. Every bed, couch, armchair, set of drawers etc . That's the way I like it , no dust can hide under anything. 

I love this lounge set up, but I hate that I can't vacuum underneath them daily. So every Monday I move them - its amazing what dust etc. builds up under neath them in 7 days.

Go on, move your low lying furniture and see what treats are underneath - once a week , move and vac and you are winning!!

FLOORS::

I am painful when it comes to floors. I can't stand the sight of any crumb or hair - it certainly is a curse (have you realised I am OCD yet?!)

I simply couldn't survive without my Electrolux 24V Cordless. I use my Dyson vacuum 4 days a week and do the entire house - under every bed and couch and into every corner. On the other 3 days I whiz around with this (almost always with my baby asleep in the Ergo).

I use it throughout the day just to spot clean as well. With food mess ( bigger than crumbs) I use damp paper towel This Electrolux allows me to have clean floors 24/7 - without ever having to sweep. If it was possible, I would marry it!!

I'm a mean Mum don't let my kids eat/drink walking around, they either have to sit at the table or go outside. I am a real 'spot cleaner' with my floor , every spill or drip is wiped up with paper towel. Its because of this that I can get away with only mopping once a fortnight!! That might freak some of you out - but my floors are always spotless.

I use an Enjo mop with no added products. I totally realise there are more important things in life than clean floors, surfaces and bathrooms. BUT ... there are also more important things than TV shows, football games, baking cakes, putting on makeup and shopping (actually there's not a great deal in life that's more important than shopping) . Each to their own I say!

Before there are questions (just email Liz if you have any, or comment on the post) we have Metallic cushioned vinyl (it was by FORBO) and LOVE it!!  But streaking with the mop isn't a problem, I just run the fibre under the tap, roll it up to ring it out and mop away. If it gets too dry , I just use a spray bottle. Similar mops are available from Norwex , but this is Enjo.

My window squeegee , mop fibres , mitts etc are all housed on this wall hook in our laundry for easy access.  And the Electrolux charges below. 

Inside the cupboard isn't pretty but its practical. Storage of our mop, broom and Dyson Vacuum (plus the heater and Christmas/Easter tree) 

Not the most of fun of topics but practical and a necessity none the less!! 

Thanks for having me again 

Happy Cleaning

Gem x

Guest Feature with Gemma - The Pantry and Fridge

Another Friday means another Gemma Does Housework post! 

If you guys have any requests or suggests, feel free to flick me an email or Message on my Facebook Page, but for now , I'll leave it to Gemma 

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Alrighty, lets do the Pantry and Fridge. Not really my favourite part and not really my forte but its organised, and I feed our family healthy, nutritious meals so I think I am doing ok!

PANTRY

She's not overly glamorous but she is organised to the max! Two words - IKEA and Tupperware. I love the Tupperware Modular Mates. I just wish I had ordered the white lids all those years ago. I've considered replacing them - but that would be a crazy waste of money. 

Jars/ tins organised and lined up and larger items in boxes. Perfect

The Ikea PLUGGIS tubs are great for condiments and unopened bottles/jars.

Along the very bottom shelves (which you can't see) I have the PLUGGIS tubs lined up with stubby holders, torches etc)

The Ikea TROFAST tubs for extra storage up the top.

I use baby wipes to wipe the shelves every now and then - the usual spot cleaning deal . The worst part about my pantry? Filling it!

The Ikea VARIERA shelf inserts are great for small spaces. Practically doubles your storage. They are great for tins, cans etc.

So the Modular Mates for just about everything - baking goods, spices , pasta, nuts, snacks , cereals, biscuits etc. Don't ask me to live without my Pantry mates, couldn't do it!

Everything gets opened and put into containers. Easier, neater , and stays fresher. 

These Trofast tubs are on the floor of my pantry , and they hold plastic plates and utensils, napkins and party supplies. I also have them up the top and they are for things like Fly spray etc and other stuff I need to stash.

FRIDGE

My fridge is typically bare. I drop in at the shop most days, yes I should do one big shop , but dropping in seems to work for us. 

Its simple really, everything has a spot and whenever I unpack shopping , I wipe down the area with a damp Viva (paper towel) or a baby wipe, whichever I grab first. Again , spot clean as you go, easier!

All of the condiments are in the red PLUGGIS tub, all of the pickled veg (olives, gherkins etc) are on the bottom door shelf (which you can't see) and the next shelf is for salad dressings. The door shelves are for small jars. 

I use the Tupperware fridge mates for carrots, lettuce etc and the rest are in the first big drawer. Fruit is in the second drawer. Cheeses and meats are in the pull out tray.

I keep two sets of cups in the fridge so the kids can get their own drinks using the ice/water dispenser, luckily our Lola (nearly 3) can't reach yet! Phew!

If you read the labels, most condiments need to be refrigerated after opening - these PLUGGIS tubs are perfect for stashing and storing. My pantry and fridge would be a wreck without them.

And finally, just a tip - I always de -sticker and wash my apples and pears before putting them in the fridge or fruit bowl.  Saves me time when dishing them out , or the kids sticking them around the house!

Like Liz said, send your requests in, if I can help, I will do a post . 

See ya next week!

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If you missed them , be sure to check out Gemma's previous posts

LINEN

BATHROOM

Guest Feature with Gemma - The Bathroom

I am super excited to share with you a new Feature on the blog , called 'Gemma does Housework'. I have been friends with Gemma going on a few years now and we hit it off immediately. We share a common interest of organising, cleaning and decorating even though our tastes are quite different. I LOVE Gemma's home, even though I am not brave enough to decorate that way myself, I can still appreciate it for all its worth.

Gemma has this infectious, chatty , crazy personality and she makes you smile and talk non stop, whenever you are with her and I think that shows throughout her home. 

She is a beautiful Mum to 4 little strawberry kiddos, aged 6, 4, 2 and 7 months  and you could nearly say she has a case of OCD. I miss our catch ups, the flowing coffee, conversations and sharing shopping wish lists!

In the world of Instagram (because it does feel like a world of its own these days! ) she is insanely popular, and once she started sharing a few cleaning pictures, the requests started rolling in. 

"how do you clean ....?"

"How do you store ...?"

You get the picture! To make it easier for all, her posts were given their own hashtag ie: #gemmadoeshousework or #gemmadoeslinen (because her linen collection is super gorgeous!)

If you are in the world of Instagram, be sure to follow - Gemmahealymaver but for now, I am excited to share some tips and tricks from Gemma. These posts will be every Friday, and will cover different areas of her home and life, enjoy 

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Hi all! I'm excited to be contributing to Liz's blog and sharing some of my posts from the insta world. 

Life is a little crazy in our home, with 4 young kids but I have a love for decorating, chucking stuff out and a serious shopping addiction! 

But for now, lets talk bathrooms!

TOWELS||

 I absolutely love IKEA towels for the kids. They have one particular pattern each and there is no swapping. They have two sets each, best!

I also use matching IKEA bathmats and hand towels which are washed more often due to amatuer hand washing skills.

By giving each child a different pattern, they know who's is who, and as they get older , I know who has left their towel on the floor! ha

I use these IKEA GRUNDTAL hooks on my towel rail. They are perfect for hanging multiple towels and the hand towel at one end ( because I can't stand the thought of the kids drying their hands on bath towels). And the best thing about them? The kids can hang their own towels easily and neatly. The IKEA towels have a loop tag in the perfect spot. I also have over the door hangers on just about every door in the house, this is wear our youngest, Hattie, gets her towel hung.

SHOWER|| 

I clean my shower WHILE I shower each Saturday. I have tried just about every product over the years, bleach, shower wipes, enjo and I am back to the good old Bleach.  I use a bleach gel and an IKEA long handle brush. Doing it while you are in the shower is seriously the best, so convenient. Scrub , scrub , scrub all over, leave while you shower then rinse ( I love my hose shower head for this . I then put the bleach all over the drain and around the inside of the drain and leave until my next shower. Super easy!

The worst part is around the shower doors, around the hinges etc. Why so many grooves? I just use the scrubbing brush and wipe with a chux. My shower screens aren't sparkling but they are always clean as. I then bleach and scrub the outside floor tiles and bottom section of the screen. Then rinse off with a chux. The shower is the one thing that needs to be done weekly, maintaining is really easy but cleaning a filthy shower is hell! 

So these are the four products that my bathroom would die without. Bleach, wipes, brush and chux. I literally wipe down the vanities a couple of times a day, whenever in or passing them. I am totally wasteful and use a tissue to spot clean, I wipe the bench top and sink with one dampened tissue. 

The kids are constantly educated about washing down their toothpaste and soap etc and I am always on my poor husbands case, but hey? It has to be done!

On a Saturday, after I do the shower , I bleach the sink and wipe down the bench top with the chux. EASY. 

I use a Viva towel and windex on my mirrors. I end up doing them multiple times a week. All of these jobs are quicker to complete than a cup of coffee, no joke, so easy! I love these IKEA baskets for all of the products that get used daily, and these over - the - cupboard door hooks for the hand towels. I store these cleaning products in each bathroom and every bathroom should have tissues and a bin (mine is in the end cupboard). Just like every kitchen sink must must must have antibacterial soap. Just sayin'  ;)

BATH TOYS||

Ever wondered what a whole roll of toilet paper plus a bath full of water and 3 kids equals? THIS!! ARGH and you can just imagine the state of the kids. Oh dear!

Anyhoo I was asked about bath toys, so here it goes!

We have had many different bath toys over the years. The Tupperware buckets and boats have been loved and stashed (buckets in the bath spell bathroom flooding). BOON bath toys would have to be my favourite. But at the moment we have 2 things, Schilech animals and Barbie dolls. They seem to work perfectly together.  Any toys that fill with water like rubber ducks or squirting toys with small holes, they spell mould. I love the look and function of this VARIERA waste basket from IKEA. Oh so cheap to replace!

CLEANING BATH TOYS||

I like to fill the bath with hot water and Pinocleen and leave the toys and basket to soak overnight. Obviously keeping the door closed and empty first thing in the morning for safety purposes.

And toilet paper? Yeah I suggest you keep that well away too! haha

HAIR STYLING||

I stash one brush (a wet brush, if you don't have one, google and order NOW!) and a wide tooth comb, a water spray bottle and some dry shampoo spray in this handy IKEA basket, hung with the Grundal hooks. 

HAIR ACCESSORIES||

So as you can see, we aren't too big on hair accessories. My girls hate clips, traditional headbands hurt their heads etc. This is the top drawer of the vanity, using the IKEA SKUBB storage boxes to organise.  One box per item and one box of toothbrushes. These are the Target ones, use for a little bit and chuck. All the kids have their own colour.

So thats about all there is in the way of Bathrooms in my house. I could babble on for ages , and not achieve much more but this is the way I do things here.
Stay tuned for next week for my Linen storage.  Thanks for having me!

Gem x

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Wow, how cool is Gemma's bathrooms?! Loved this post and I am certainly inspired to give my bathrooms a good once over. I hope you have liked the first Gemma Does House Work feature, its nice to be able to bring you a little something different. Everyone does things in their own way, its a matter of finding what works for you. And this certainly works for Gemma !! Its gorgeous, and SPOTLESS!!

L x

Refreshing for the New School Term

We are only a few days into our first week of school holidays here in WA, however , we are going away for most of break so I really wanted to get organised and sorted early.

With only one Term to go of school, the kids school bags, shoes and supplies are getting a bit grubby, disorganised and need a little refresh. 

Each holidays I like to give the kids school bags a wipe over. They are made of a PVC type fabric so can't really be chucked in a machine (well its no benefit) but just by using a spray bottle and cloth, they come up sparkly and clean!

I like to use a Eucalyptus spray (diluted using the Eucalyptus cleaning solution) for the initial clean and then a quick once over with Pinoclean for a disinfectant of germies!

All our kids have a whole set of school clothes as a spare in the bottom of their larger pocket ( I just bought generic and plain items from Best and Less) of their school bags. 

When I was away a few weeks ago, I picked up this handy plastic pencil case, perfect for storing wet or soiled items or to keep the clothes safe from lunch box spills. 

The change of clothes now has a new home and it folds nicely in the base of her bag.

Stella has a little zippered purse in the front pocket of her bag (I don't quite trust Max and Lacey with one yet hehe) and this holds a few dollars in change. Just in case she needs to buy something from the Canteen, I forget money for an excursion or 'ice cup Friday'. 

I simply topped up the change, cleaned it up and popped it back in the front pocket. 

Before the term ends, its also a good idea to check your kids school supplies, pencil cases and other items like hats etc incase they need a top up or replacement. Some teachers may send a note home (Stella's teacher has a small printable she uses where she ticks the item that needs to be replenished) but you could also ask your children.

Stella needs new Wind up crayons , and because we are heading into our extremely HOT summer, I bought a new roll on Suncream for her to use at break times. 

All the kids sneakers have had a run through the washing machine and look like brand new and all their school hats have had a thorough wash and dry in the sun (helps to kill any left over germs).

I am now free to go on holidays, enjoy myself and return home and not have to worry about back to school preparations. 

I think I may just try and be this organised more often! 

Bathroom Cupboard Organisation

Life is busy, time gets away from us and before we know it, our cupboards, bench tops and any other available surface is piled full of 'stuff' and are a train wreck. 

I like to think that I am a pretty tidy person but it still happens in my home. 

Throw in an older style 'rental' and there isn't much hope of 'pretty'.

Insert ; Our kids bathroom Vanity

Old tiles, old laminate, old EVERYTHING (that never looks clean regardless of what I do!) and a whole heap of mess happening there! 

So ... I tidied as much as possible, containerised everything , bought some new colourful towels and added some cute little labels. 

Ta- Da !

The labels are really what has made the little organising project work. 

The cupboard is so much more user friendly, everyone can see where everything lives and needs to be put away and I repurposed most items that I already had. 

Products used;

Green tubs - IKEA a few years ago

Plastic baskets - Kmart $3 ea HERE 

( I already had these, I have them everywhere around the house!)

White bucket - IKEA $2.95 ea HERE

Towels- Kmart $12 ea HERE

Labels- Pretty Paper Label - contact Kate's facebook page HERE

(Kate custom makes labels, you can choose the font, colour , size EVERYTHING! She is amazing to work with and very clever at her job! Get onto it! )

Method Giveaway

This Giveaway has ended!! Thankyou to everyone who entered!!

KATE HEALEY you are the lucky winner!!

Its no secret that I love to have a clean home.

I also love to use products that I know are safe to use around my children but are still cleaning all surfaces adequately.

And guess what? I have these awesome method products to giveaway!!

The gorgeous people at method have ever so kindly given one Bizzy Dayz reader the chance to win these 4 fantastic sprays, that will clean nearly every surface in your home, leaving it smelling so delicious!

The lucky winner will receive;

1 x Bathroom Cleaner

1 x  All Purpose Spray

1 x Daily Kitchen Spray

1 x Daily Granite Spray

I have and use all of these products, and absolutely LOVE them.

I love the gorgeous scents, I love the efficency of the product and I love the company's morals.

Like I said, I love knowing that they are safe to use around our kids.

They are also safe for use around animals.

They are Animal cruelty free and vegan

Their packaging is totally recyclable

Are their products look gorgeous too!

Whats not to love?!

All of these products and SO SO much more are available through their online store, or at your local Woolworths and selected IGA's.

Now , to be in the running to win these products is easy. Simply follow the Rafflecopter prompts, become a liker of the method facebook page and for an extra chance,  become a liker of my Bizzy Dayz Facebook Page.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Conditions;

Entries are open to Australian residents.
Entries close at midday on Saturday 11th August, 2012.
Winner will be announced on the blog within a few hours of competition closing  and will have 3 days to contact me to claim their prize, after which if no contact has been made the prize will be redrawn.

Sorting the washing,

Seriously..... thats what this blog post is all about! ha ha

But after some talk recently on Facebook, and THIS blog post from the lovely Clare at The HOME She Made about how we each make our washing schedules easier to maintain and complete each day/week, I thought I would share what we do in our home.

Now with 4 kids, a husband who plays football in winter,Waterpolo in summer and wears High Vis clothing and gets dirty at work, our washing piles up quickly.

Not only that , but our kids have a new set of PJ's every night, silly I know, but thats just what we do.

Hence the reason why I wash a few loads a day. Its never scheduled, say whites on Mondays etc, but when there is a decent sized pile, it gets washed.

I guess the advantage of kids that way at 5:30 EVERY. MORNING, is that a few loads can be done by mid morning and hung out to dry.

Every day they are bought in, and folded and most of the time put away.

In our home, each family member has a white basket, these live in the Laundry but are bought out to fold each day, or every other day. As the items are folded, they get placed in the owners basket.

I find this easier to put the clothes away, you are going ot one room, its all contained and if you don't have time to put them away that day, the basket is neat enough to sit on a chest of drawers and not look offensive.

The baskets may be small, but they are the right size when you are washing regularly, and they are only little peoples clothes ;) ( its also alot less daunting to put away a little basket of clothes than a big one!)

Shown here, was my washing from yesterday. The pile at the back is Noel and my clothes, the kids all have one, and there is a spare that is for the miscellaneous that are washing ie: you do a load of towels that day, its for towels, you do a load of baby muslins and rugs (as it was yesterday), its for them etc.
And hanging over the chair in front , are the clothes for the ironing basket and delightful ironing lady ( I have mentioned before that this is my luxury, I HATE ironing, can't find the time with the kids and prefer not to do it when they are around, too dangerous! )

Simple but easy to follow and keep up. It works for us, and at the moment, if you haven't noticed, I am all about the simple things!

Lately...

I had a short break from blogging (other than the few recent posts) but it wasn't by choice. Life just got away with me, lots of different things were happening in our house and I just couldnt' find the time, nor the energy!

Starting with this, Noel rolled his ankle during a football game and had to be taken to hospital. Luckily nothing was broken but some serious ligament damage occured!

Check out the size, and this is only day one!! For the next week, it only got bigger and blacker! And even now, nearly 4 weeks later, its still bruised and swollen! Eeek men!

They are kinda hard to see here, but Lacey has taken to having her hair put up when Stella does in the morning! Tiny little pony tails and oh so cute!! (Complete with a jam biccie and sand face during outside play time!)

Some Baby prep baking has been a happenin'! 100 muffins, a Choc coconut slice and a cake (the cake was consumed!) All put into stackable freezer containers and labelled. Feels good!!

Some cranky kids have been living here! Someone took my happy little cherubs and replaced them with these little whining, sooky babies!! Teething is the devil and we have had THE WORST run with virus' and sicknesses! Bring on Summer!

                                           Cruel but thats reality !! "Pick me up Daddy"

But on a good note! My new toy arrived!! A VERY welcome addition to our house!!

Our Robomaid! Still to be named, so if you have suggestions, pass them forward!!

She is a gem, and gets used a few times a day!! ( I am slightly anal about having a clean floor) And she is taking the pressure off my growing baby body!! Worth her weight in gold!!

Other than that, I have been making a HUGE effort to catch up on my Project Life! Believe it or not, I got nearly 13 weeks behind!! Such a mammoth effort to catch up, but a few nights of ordering my prints online (a new found system and I am seriously LOVING it!! ) and a few more nights of journalling and organising and I only have 4 weeks to go!! Yay, so worth it in the end, and I refused to give up! I have also managed to set up 2 of my 3 kids Baby kit albums and will do the other 2 soon!!

Gosh it feels good to be regaining some control and achieving a few jobs I thought were never going to happen!!

I will do a post when I have caught up on Project Life to show you my album and progress, for those that have preordered next years kit ( I have, Clementine baby!!)

But for now, check out one of the blogs I follow Mish Mash, such amazing inspiration for creating a gorgeous and personal PL album (rest assured , mine looks NOTHING like this, but it is preserving our memories and thats all that matters!!)

Life is starting to slow down a little, Noels football season has finished (but Waterpolo is about to start) but we have a few weeks of a little less on, and its nice!

A mop, THE mop

Who knew if could change your life?
Now, I could only be talking about the one and only Enjo mop of course!! (By the way, this is not a paid presentation etc etc)  I briefly spoke about hosting an Enjo party a few weeks back, and guess what?! My goodies arrived!!
You seriously could not wipe the smile off of my face, for like, hours, days. I mopped my floor twice in the first 12 hours of the mop arriving!!
It is the bomb diggity! Like the best thing, ever. I think you get my gist!
If you don't have one, get one.
 Pricey, YES! Worth it? Hell yes!!
Its changed my life, for real. I can mop more often, sweep and dust with it, everything.
And if you know me, you now that a clean floor, is a happy Liz!! Noel says I get this vibe that I emit, the clean floor and happy vibe! haha sad I know

All the cleaning goodness , arrived and packaged up for my lucky friends!

I am yet to use all the other goodies, and yep, I bought a package. Cheaper in the long run and I have been wanting it all for so so long! All the fibres and Miracle cloths are washing and ready to go.
Tomorrow is the day, a few days early.
Can't wait!

Check out the Enjo Catalog HERE

How do I do it?...hmmmm

Believe it or not, it is the most commonly asked question of me!!
The answer?!
Just like everyone else!!
There is nothing different, nor strange, nor special about me , or my parenting, or my house, or my cleaning or anything for that matter, and the real truth is , sometimes I don't do it. I don't cope, I have melt downs, and my house looks like mini tornado has swept through and destroyed everything in sight.
But on the other hand, and thankfully, for the most part, we kept it together, and I do , do it!! Yah!

Like I have said in the past, I don't want to seem like I am giving a lecture, or conveying a message that what I do is the right way etc, however, there are some little things that I have learnt and developed over time, particularly the past 14 months (since the twins have arrived) that I believe, have made my life and that of our family, run a little smoother. So I will share. Every little bit helps, right?

For those who know me well, know that I don't really like much clutter and "stuff" around , and I have gotten more pedantic with this of late. Stuff creates mess, which in my life , complicates things that just don't need to be complicated anymore than they already are!!
I like things to be put away straight away, or within a day or 2 (in Noel's case) and if there are dishes there, they get done etc.

I also like a clean house. Actually I LOVE a clean house. Noel has a saying "Happy wife , clean floor" and unfortunately , he is right. I would really love to be the type of person that didn't care, but I do. If the floor is dirty , needs a sweep or mop, I feel a little weird. Sort of stressed, anxious. Strange. I know.
So... I sweep, usually twice a day, if time permits.

I have a designated cleaning day. I try to clean on a Monday. Its also clean sheet day. I LOVE clean sheet day!! So before I head off for the Monday trip to dancing for Stella, I strip all the beds and start to wash the sheets.
When we get home from dancing, the kids have a play, sit down for some morning tea and I remake the beds, and put on another load of washing.

I used to have a cleaning lady, and I loved it. However, as much as someone cleaning your house is awesome, it also costs money, and now that I am not working, I see no reason why I can't do it myself, there is always time at night or when the kids sleep. Or Stella just helps me, she is a great little cleaner!!
Not to mention the fact that no matter how good someone is, they never do it quite the way you do!!
So I also clean the house on  a Monday.
I try and do all the dusting now,after morning tea and the kids just toddle around after me. I clean the toilets, mirrors(I love the Windex wipes, they are awesome, and generally I use a few wipes for our large ensuite mirror and then use them to wipe over the window sill and the tops of the tiles on the bottom of the walls, door moulds, and frames etc) and wipe over the vanities in the bathrooms. I just spray the shower in the ensuite with cleaning product, Jif etc, and Noel generally cleans it with a scrubbing brush when he has a shower at night, so that I am not inhaling the fumes whilst pregnant.
The kids bath gets done when they have their lunch time sleep or later on in the day.
I usually vaccum the floor during lunchtime, its the best way, when the twins are strapped into their highchair and well occupied by food!! haha
They don't hate the vacuum, and usually just follow me around watching anyway, but I get the job done alot faster, and if I do it during lunch, it means I can mop whilst they have their sleep at about 1pm.

So there you have it, how I normally get my house clean, with 3 littlies, under 3 years, and to be honest, now that I have a set routine and plan, its not that hard!!

Doing little things each day helps too. Like sweeping, wiping all benchtops in the kitchen, the dining table after every use etc. I also make the beds when we get dressed every day. We also have a squigy that hangs on a suction hook in our shower, and after every shower, we wipe the screen down. This has contributed so much to the easiness of cleaning the shower screen and keeping it looking squeaky clean. It only takes 2 seconds, gives you a chance to drip dry, and once its a part of your routine, you don't even think twice!

The vain of my life, might very well be the high chairs though!!Argh!!
If someone created a highchair that was self cleaning, I was sooo be their first customer!! With the twins, and sometimes eating in them up to 5 times a day , with 3 meals and snacks, that is one hell of alot of cleaning!
However, I have a little method here too! After the kids meal, I grab a new flannel from the linen cupboard, which is conveniently in the hallway adjacent to the dining room and wipe over the babies hands , face etc before letting them down to play. I also use the flannel to wipe over the high chair tray and seat (we use Ikea highchairs), I sweep up the carnage on the floor with a dustpan, wipe over with the flannel any mess on the floor and put the flannell in the wash. A new one is used for each meal. Easy.

Washing- As previously mentioned, we do a few loads of washing everyday. Especially in these colder months. With 3 kids, 2 adults, Noel at footy training, the babies in cloth nappies and several flannels, towels, rugs , there is more than enough washing to warrant these loads.
Some days , I may do more like 4-6 loads, and I would say we wash about 20 loads in a week. Sheesh!!
Keeping in mind , we are doing swimming lessons at the moment, and like I said, 3 days of sweaty, yucky footy gear! nice
Up until just recently, believe it or not, we haven't really been able to manage to get out to the washing line to hang it out. Weird I know, but with babies that weren't walking, and a jam packed day, sometimes hanging it out was easy, it was the getting it in before it had been there for days thing , that really proved to be difficult. We own a dryer, but don't really like the idea of putting full loads in there when there is a perfectly good, and free, sun to dry them! This is where the good , old fashion, clothes hoists came to play!
We own 2, and for the past 12 months , they have been constantly full! Its so easy to hang the washing on them , pop them under the patio, then purhaps out in the sun during the day, and bring them in before it got moist. Later in the night , when the kids are in bed, we would take the washing off and fold it up etc.
It worked for us, it might for you , maybe?

Daily dishes either get washed straight away, or loaded into the dishwasher straight away (I am not very good at using the dishwasher, so I avoid that, old fashioned I guess). I am fine to leave the dishes to dry naturally, at least its clean dishes on my sink, not dirty ones!

Bathing- To bath our kids, we now bath them all together, in the main bathroom, with one parent watching them. Generally this is Noel, and I am chopping veg etc , and during this time, I also gather all their pyjamas and things.
We dress our kids in Stella's room. I don't know how this started, but it works , so we continue. Her bedroom is the closest to the bathroom and its quite comfortable to change them on the bed or floor mat in her room, and at least we are keeping the rogue child, who is not getting dressed, contained in a small area, and the room is alot warmer too!!  I set the pyjamas, singlet, nappy or knickers and bed socks out in kiddy piles on the bed and any creams that each child may need, for easy access and efficiency.

I have Menu Planned for our home for some time now. I Love it!! Now that I use the system week by week and am able to go food shopping weekly (Since selling the salon and having more time, before now it has been quite sporatic and very hard to plan anything) it has made life soooo much easier, and yummier!!
I used to plan our meals, even when I shopped every now and then , but now I am more diligent and Noel is offering suggestions.
I find I have more time at the busy times of the day, when there is alot more going on than just dinner, like bath and bed for twins, and it makes me feel more in control. Always important, right!?
I gather inspiration from friends, TV, magazines, family, our likes etc, but our meals are nothing special.
By Menu planning, I am able to look on the fridge every morning, know what to get out of the freezer to defrost, and its ready to go to start being prepared by lunch time. This time of the day for me is really important, and yes , I should be resting, but its too invaluable to our home for me to do that.
I also LOVE using the slow cooker, and I am able to put this on at lunchtime, chop the necessary ingredients to put in it, then chop the vegies etc later on when Noel is feeding the twins their dinner.

Last weeks and the week before's meal plans! I am currently using Inner B planner pads, they have a magnet on the back to attach to the fridge, however, when these run out I will start to use the free download from HERE.

And again, but with my Recipe Journal. This is all handwritten , family recipes , that my sister gave to us as a wedding present over 6 years ago. I still use this little beauty nearly every day for something and its where I get alot of our dinners from too!

I try to plan our meals around what is happening. So , for instance, on training nights, I make easy stuff, or things that taste ok when reheated in the microwave when Noel gets home. On football game nights, its easy peasy meals or it would result in takeaway.

Last week was;

Mon- Beef Casserole in Slow Cooker

Tues - Chicken wings with Continental rice and salad - F/T

Wed- Lamb shanks in Slow Cooker

Thurs- Burritos with rice - F/T

Fri- Chicken Curry in Slow Cooker (this ended up being Take away after a later than expected trip to the Lavendar farm with friends :))

Sat- Football club

Sun- Corned beef in Slow cooker with Roast Veges and mustard sauce

Snack- Mango Fruit Cake

This week; Not shown in pic

Mon- Creamy Chicken Pesto Pasta with Pinenuts and cherry tomatoes- WINNER

Tues- Curried Sausages in Slow Cooker with vegies

Wed- Grilled Fish with salad

Thurs- Veal Parma with Chips and Salad

Fri- Apricot Chicken

Sat- Nachos

Snack- Triple Choc Muffins

The Yummy and very popular with everyone, even the babies, Mango Fruit cake!

If anyone has any ideas, favourite meals etc, please feel free to share. I am always trying to change it up a bit! I do try and plan at least one meal that is Meat free, not only is it easier on the hip pocket, but its good for you too!

I think that is about all, well its all the main things, and as much as I can think of right now, if you have any questions or any advice, please share. Like I said, every little bit helps, and its all just trying to make our lives that bit easier and therefore more enjoyable, or at least have some more quality time to share with our kids, playing lego or something!
I do feel like I need a disclaimer though, we work as a team in our house. Yes , I cook, and I clean, but Noel does soo much more , and by him helping to feed and bath, it allows me to organise vegies, get pyjamas, all that stuff. He is out of the house at least 2 nights a week for football training. Usually on these days he gets home from work at 4:45pm, and leaves by 5pm to travel the 45mins for training (he plays for a lovely rural club), and so these nights are harder. But thankfully, quite often, my Mum comes up to help me put the kids to bed. Its quite difficult, with the routine we have established with them, to put them to bed solo. We take them individually , to the front toy room, in the dark, to get into their grobags, and drink their night time bottle, and then put them to bed . All quietly. Rather hard if you have a rogue toddler roaming around , wanting to join in!! So the spare hands  entertain Twin #2 and keep them quiet and distant.
Oh and  I also have a beautiful ironing lady!! I HATE , like loath , ironing, and so I can totally justify the $20-$30  we spend per week , purely for the convenience of going to the cupboard and wearing beautiful , pressed clothes. She is worth her weight in gold, for real!!

Hope its help, and like I said, share away :)