I am going to let you into a little secret……….I HATE housework!
Now, we don’t live in a hovel, I do clean the house and keep it as tidy as is possible with small children in the house, but it is not a show home and I swear I will never ever see the bottom of my washing basket.
My favourite saying is:
Cleaning the house when the kids are growing is like shovelling snow whilst it’s still snowing!
New research by Slumberdown has found that parents spend more time taking care of the household chores than they do playing with their children and I find that very sad.
Day-to-day admin tasks and cleaning jobs mean parents are struggling to get quality time with their children, but many admit that ignoring the chores leaves them feeling too stressed.
More than three quarters even said they need to completely leave the house in order to really make the most of time with their little ones and a worrying 83 per cent have days where household chores and other commitments leave them feeling like they haven’t spent any real time with their children at all.
Long working hours, busy diaries, social calendars and children preferring to watch TV were also blamed for getting in the way of family time.
The least liked chore is ironing with 40% of mums agreeing that this was the job they wish they could ignore, closely followed by cleaning the bathroom (33%) and cleaning the kitchen (20%).
Three quarters have even resorted to encouraging their children to clean with them to spend time together and get the chores done at the same time.
Almost four in ten have considered, or already have hired a cleaner to try and lighten the load………………I have to say I am tempted!
Slumberdown have come up with a whole load of ingenious ideas for games you can play with the kids without leaving the comfort of your own home and are also running a national competition to win your house work done for a year, giving one lucky winner more time for fun.
We were sent a Slumberdown duvet and some pillows and were invited to come up with some fun games and what better than some good old sliding down the stairs time trials!
Den building was another favourite as it is great for imagination play and hide and seek is also popular!
What bedding inspired games do you like to play with the kids?
For more inspiration or to enter the competition visit: slumberdown.co.uk/win-housework/
I am struggling with finding the balance at the moment. We have been in our house for 6 years (a new build) and it is all looking tired at the same time. Its hard to keep on top of the housework and I feel the children are the ones who suffer so I am getting myself down. We also do den building but I feel like we have lost the ‘fun’ in the everyday xx
I loved the pictures! I remember my three girls spending hours sliding down the stairs on a duvet! Window cleaning was also a favorite as long as they could use the special window cleaning tools. Tidying up was always avoided!!
I love that saying. When I was single, I used to find cleaning therapeutic. But this was when I single and lived alone in my apartment. But now that I’m married and a mum … Big sigh 🙁
My brother and I used to love sliding down the stairs on a duvet! Great fun. My little one is just getting into den building, so we have a stash of blankets in the living room now.
Alana x
I hate housework too, lol. I use to love sliding down the stairs when I was younger but I was never a fan of my kids doing it in case they hurt themselves. This looks like so much fun and a lot safer on the quilts 🙂 I want to try ..
I also hate house work and I don’t have children yet so… I prefer not to think about how it would be! I love the “indoor” games, look really fun!
Sliding down the stairs on the duvet looks like a lot of fun 🙂
We love creating dens, hiding and watching movies under bedding! 🙂
I still love making a den, usually I share it with a cat or two instead of child ha x
I never iron, i dont think i own anything that needs to be ironed, hubby does his own but i am guilty of spending too much time cleaning and its never enough with two little ones its just like going round in circles!
I love housework! But I love being organised haha. I love your ideas. Especially den building, that sounds like so much fun! x
I really hate housework, and ironing is the pits. I can’t remember the last time I ironed something. My kids love getting inside the duvet to hide, bedding can be a lot of fun
Cleaning sometime can be very therapeutic but I guess when you are a mom could be the cause of the stress