I have the same problem as you. I could never get far in FlyLady simply because I never could keep my sink clean. I have heard that the book Home Comforts goes into that information, but I haven’ read it. All the people who have said anything about it seem to sing its praises.

I checked out Home Comforts from the library a while ago. The trouble I had with it was that it is almost nine hundred pages long and it was hard for me to pick out the necessary info from the obscure. I think what I am looking for is a vastly pared down version of that book but maybe I will have another go at it, since I have heard it highly recommended. Thank you, Christina.

I’m so glad I’m not the only one who got hung up on the shoes and sink shining!  Flylady does have a lot of useful information, but I followed the rules to the letter even after it became apparent that they simply didn’t work for me! And I feel as though I could have written the rest of your post, too.  It just seems as though there are so many options for, say, cleaning a shower.  I’m just not sure which method to use!  Home Comforts does go into this information (and a great deal more).  She even devotes a section to talking about the plight of the modern home-maker, since each person now decides for themselves the standard of clean they would like to maintain rather than the almost universal standards for cleanliness that were in place a few generations ago.  I haven’t read it in a while, but from what I recall, her guidelines were a bit more… stringent… than I could (or thought necessary) to maintain, but it would definitely be a good starting point to implementing cleaning routines in your home.  The one downside to Home Comforts is that it is so comprehensive, I found it a bit overwhelming.  It is a good book to have for reference purposes, but if you are looking for something that gets to the heart of the matter in fewer pages, I would also recommend Cleaning Plain and Simple by Donna Smallin.  Hope this helps!

Also, I don’t know if you’ve ever visited “Like Mother, Like Daughter” (ourmothersdaughters.blogspot.com) but there are a lot of great tips on their site for a lot of practical topics.  It might not have exactly what you are looking for, but I’ve found it to be an excellent resource for most things.

I use a book called Green Clean. It has recipes for “green” cleaners you can make yourself (and there are lots of options to buy now) and some suggestions for keeping up with little tasks so the big ones aren’t so overwhelming. I read them a long time ago, but there might be suggestions for cleaning in Confessions of an Organized Homemaker and Confessions of a Happily Organized Family. I do remember finding a lot of helpful information in them.

I think the rules or the rhymes and reasons to cleaning are completely subjective. Everyone has a different opinion of what’s important to them. My friend can’t have even one dish in her sink when she goes to bed yet I have no problem leaving a few dishes in the sink that didn’t fit in the dishwasher. When I empty it in the morning, I’ll put them in then. But I change my sheets weekly without fail and she changes her monthly, just changing the pillowcase midway. I wash my curtains at least twice a year and my windows are washed every couple of weeks. She rarely does these chores. She irons daily and I iron on an as needed basis. I deep clean my bathrooms weekly and she lightly cleans her daily. So, you see, everyone has their own standards and what works for them. You could get of lot of information here or elsewhere but it will still boil down to what is important to you and what works for you. I know I needed help organizing my kitchen not too long ago and the ladies here gave me great advice but ultimately, it was up to me and my ways to see what “clicked.” So good luck to you. I often pray to St. Zita for help with the household nonsense. And if your friend thinks you’re laid back, take it as a compliment. I love going to the homes of my more laid back friends. It’s always welcoming and comfortable and I don’t feel uptight there or inferior. It always feels “real.” So may God bles your “real” home!

Thank you for the laugh about FlyLady. I couldn’t agree more. The shiny sink, getting dressed first thing and the shoes in the house. Just couldn’t do it.  I am not a good housekeeper. It’s a skill set I never really learned as a child. My mom took care of most everything and I was only child, so things just didn’t get that dirty and there wasn’t that much laundry. The learning curve with three boys has been steep! Struggling along with you, hope t.!

Oh my goodness!!  I am so glad to see that fly lady did not work for some of you! (That sounds horrible to read!)  I used to just cry when I read all her testimonials and I couldn’t get it together!!  I finally left the group because I also felt it was kind of cultish!!  I am excited to see that you ladies have some suggestions.  As I grow in my faith I find I do the best when I do my housekeeping for God as it is my part of my vocation as a mother!!

I do think the day goes more smoothly when I shower and get dressed early in the day.  Other than that, I totally agree that a shiny sink is not high on my list of priorities!

I have done flylady for the last 7 years and never shine my sink. The point is to set up routines so that you end up taking care of stuff in small increments so it doesn’t overwhelm you. You don’t suddenly have a neat organized house , it took me about 4 years of gradual improvement to get that way. I can’t say my house is never messy but it never gets overwhelming because I do 5-15 minutes bursts of cleaning throughout the day in a routine way.
    For example, I get up before the kids and get dressed for the day. As I am heading for the shower, I throw in a load of clothes and hit the start button when I leave the bath. When I get up the kids, I already have their clothes and shoes laid out the night before(and school stuff for the one who goes to preschool), so I am not wasting time looking for stuff. We do a little school, then while they have a break, I throw the clothes in the dryer and start another load. As soon as they finish their schoolwork, I unload and reload the dishwasher and unfreeze dinner if needed. The kitchen is cleaned immediately after each meal, even if I only put the dishes in the sink and wipe the table. After lunch, I clean the kitchen more thoroughly and prep dinner. I vacuum, clean the baths, and fold the laundry 3 times a week. The kids tidy their toys twice a day and lay out their clothes every night. Menu planning and shopping lists are made the same day each week. Every Saturday morning I mop the kitchen and baths, and have a monthly rotation for jobs like scrubbing the shower grout. When you do the stuff regularly, it doesn’t take forever to do it. I know I only have 2 kids left at home but this worked with 5 kids at home. Yes, I still have time to spend an entire day volunteering in the church office, attend a book club and a Bible study, cook for numerous special events at church and attend Mass 3 times/week. Once you get in the routine, it actually frees up time. Try googling A Mother’s Rule- it is pretty much a Catholic, flexible version of FLylady. She talks a lot about setting priorities in various areas of life and then being true to them. Don’t give up hope yet.

I like Don Aslett books, he owns a cleaning company that he started himself as a college student, i think. He is informative and quite funny. I got a lot of tips from this website: http://www.home-ec101.com/clean-it/ though i haven’t poked around in a few years and it looks like they’ve added a lot! I also created a home management binder (just google it for a million examples) though i am admittedly not awesome at following it…

I like the blog passionate homemaking and she has some ideas about a notebook and cleaning routines for the home. Good luck. I’m still getting there!

I have eight children who are clean, well dressed, fed, and we live in a presentable house for the most part.I just pick up when things get messy. Clean when I see something dirty and when I have time. Do laundry when I think to or when it gets to be too much. I wash the bedding when I think it needs it. I have a clean house for the most part that looks horribly messy at times. I’m amazed at the thought everyone puts into this. I have to wonder if we are just different or if I am missing something. Part of me feels less than adequate when reading this and part of me is so relieved I don’t put much time thinking about it. My advice would be to get rid of everything you don’t need and life will be much easier. I promise.

I know this is late, but have you read “Organized Simplicity”? The author is Tsh Oxenreider.  She also writes a blog - SimpleMom.net.  I found her book/blog to be very approachable, unlike Fly Lady.

http://totallytogetherjournal.com/the-daily-7-for-a-highly-successful-household/

This is really late as I’m just catching up from not reading the site for a couple weeks….But I like these 7 tips on this website. I haven’t checked out her books yet. She is definitely Type A but I do like this “little” steps to do every day. I haven’t implemented them all yet but daily bathroom clean up, 10 minute pick up before bed and cleaning up after yourself (no one leaves the kitchen until the table is cleared) has helped me. Housecleaning doesn’t come naturally to me either and I’m always looking for helpful books/websites…

I know it’s easier said than done, but you should rest whenever possible.  You shouldn’t be doing much more than baby care at this point.  Elevate your feet whenever possible.  Drink plenty of fluids.  Watch your salt intake.  Do you have a home blood pressure monitor?  Check it at random points throughout the day and keep a log, but not so frequently that it makes you nervous.  Call your doctor if you have an unresolved headache, blurry vision, or any other concerning symptom.  Hopefully this will resolve quickly for you.

There is nothing you can do but rest, take the meds, pay attn to how you feel. Rising BP can be so subtle that all you feel is ‘off’. Women can end up in the ICU with pp pre-eclampsia. You need to take it seriousky, watch your BP at home and report any thing unusual to your OB ASAP. This should resolve in a few weeks/months but it does increase your risk of chronic hypertension and pre-e in future pregnancies. You should make sure your PCP is aware of what is going on to. http://WWW.preeclampsia.org is an excellent resource for up to date research and treatment into pre-e.