I can sympathize with you, I am a single mom of two 9 yr and 7 yr. I have ADHD and the kids havn't been diagnosed yet but I suspect. Anyhow my house is always a mess. I can't seem to keep or get it clean. With working Full and part time in one job and trying to make ends meet who has time to house clean or organize. Not I. Too distracted each time I do try. Anyhow I don't really have any ideas on how to help but will surly be checking back to see what others have written. Good luck and many needed prayers headed your way.

JoshGrobanFan

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I've found that Adderol slows me down enough to take some time at the beginning or end of every night to pick up.

In the past, I would think to quickly past it and leave it for another day or pick something more fun to do instead.

But with this, it makes me realize that it's not really such a big deal to go ahead and do it. (Speaking in general terms)

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around my office room that I lost my way in for a whole week . I still have a major time staying organized and neat. I never go for perfection because it never comes; but I had taken some of the suggestions and Implimized them I think the best suggestions were to take large garbage bags and then ,make the pile I keep , may want to keep, and discard. Clothes are also an issue for me so If I didn't wear it in over a year or if it was torn I gave it away or threw it away. I turned on music and then took a week or so broke it into hours instead of days to do it. If I got tired, distracted I would go out to the park and walk just to clear out my head. I still have work to do in the next room but I left it. If you can send your kids somewhere and enlist friends to help , get it all out of the house and make it a party. Food and drinks (not alcholol) and let them eat and work. I was advise to remove everything from my room and it really worked because you return only what you want to Keep. Go on-line if you want a professional . Oprah hired someone for a women who was more than a rat pack and it turned wonderfully.

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I am a single parent to a 4 year old and a 2 year old and my house was recently described by a dear friend as 'decorated by vandals'.. A messy house really gets me down too so I hired a professional organsier to give me some tips that have saved my sanity.

1. Throw out most of your stuff so that you are left with only essentials and dearly loved objects. 2. Get your broom out every night and sweep everything into a pile in every room at the end of every day. Then tell your kids to take everything that is theirs because you're throwing out the pile in 5 minutes. If they don't pick up, throw it out. You'll only have to do that once or twice for the message to get through. Worked for me! 3. Go to the first room and put everything in a box that does not belong in that room then go to the next room. Take out what belongs in that room and put in all the things that belong in other rooms. Move to the next room and repeat until you have done every room in the house. 4. Sometimes things are too good to be thrown out but instead of putting them back on the shelf, put them into a box by the back door called the "Giveaway Box". Take it down to the local chairty shop when it gets full. 5. Most importantly, make sure everything has a home e.g. the dustpan and brush should live somewhere specific - not just "in the laundry".

I have days when all of these work brilliantly and other days when I am so tired I'm asleep on the couch by 7.30. My house is still far from organised but it is less of a hell hole than it used to be and can be put into a state of vague tidiness in about 20 minutes if I am expecting visitors. The biggest thing for me was getting rid of most of my stuff.

Good luck and remember that your kids will forgive you far more for an untidy house than for for not spending enough time with them.

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I am also a single parent of two boys -- 7 and almost 10. My 10 year old has ld, add, sensory integration needs, anxiety, and body awareness issues. My 7 year old has been doing ok until about a month ago when his previously minor impulsivity and procrastination issues exploded. his teachers complain he just sits at school unable to focus or start anything. i am a full time special educator with generalized anxiety and adhd. needless to say mu house can be quite a mess as well as my life and my time can begin to feel wholly disorganized (which to me is way worse than a messy house).

First off -- laugh as much as you can and have as much fun as you can with your kids. That way your relationship with them is intact as is their self-esteem which is the most important thing. Also, speak freely to your kids about all of your (your's and theirs) strengths and weaknesses that way you get more buy in to the whole family being responsible for the house.

I hired a personal organizer to come to my house when i moved in. It really helped to have someone get me started and make a place for this to go. Basically you just need a few systems that you can stick with and that work for you. It is also very very important for you to be kind and understanding of yourself. So organization isn't your strong point -- you can only do the best you can and try to tackle it a little at a time. I found in the past whenever i lost something or the house got messy i would "beat myself up in my mind' (oh you did it again-- you can't do anything right) This not only didn't help it also kept me stuck. You need to try different systems and see which one's work for you without judging yourself or expecting too much.

Good luck and remember -- A safe and loving house is WAY more important than a neat house and if someone figures out how to have both then please by all means give me a call! Quote:

meperez said: I feel like I’m drowning at home as a single parent! My house is a mess, and the second I unbury the floor, everything starts pilling up again! I just can’t seem to get and stay organized. I NEED HELP! As a single parent of 2 kids, ages 9yrs & 11yrs, I also work full time, and go to school online part time. I very rarely every have the time to take an entire day or 2 or 3 to even put a dent in this gigantic mess of an apartment we are somehow calling a home. If I could afford to hire someone I surly would believe me! I really need an intervention and I think at this point I’m ready to pay for the help! WHO, WHAT, WHERE can I go for this help? Something like THAT HGTV SHOW FOR ORGANIZATION!

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Single mom, kids 8 & 11 -- all of us have a healthy serving of adhd with sides of depression (me), defiance (8-year-old daughter) and severe anxiety (11-year-old son). I work full-time in a Fortune 100 company, handling a workload that's supposed to be divided among two people. I have no family nearby, no support network to help with the kids yet my employer is leaning on me to stop missing deadlines, stop being late for meetings, and stop being so darned unreliable. I'm well-compensated but I'm beyond broke. I was forced to declare bankruptcy and I'm still struggling to keep my house. Now I'm afraid for my job! Cleaning my house is so far from a priority for me right now and I even forget how awful it really looks.

I tell you all of that because 5 times in the past year, on occasions where I forgot how god-awful my house is, a friend or neighbor who stopped by unexpectedly looked inside my house, grabbed me by the arm, rolled up their sleeves and forced me to clean my house with them! Believe me, it was mortifying. Just as mortifying the first time as it was the 5th. The entire time -- all 5 times -- I kept apologizing, making excuses, thanking them profusely. I just wanted to die. But you know what? I got to talk to an adult for a few hours each time! And my kids, who usually hover in an orbit just inches away from me, stayed far away from me for fear of being put to work. And I got to enjoy a clean house for at least a night. Long enough to down a bottle of wine!

So try this. You probably know people who are neat freaks or germophobes. They keep clean houses. They actually own a mop and that liquidy stuff I've seen in stores to help get the floor clean. They saturate every surface with antibacterial spray, and they'd never ever wipe a used knife on their pants & put it back in the drawer. You'd never dream of allowing them into your house. They're the ones you need most! So call one of them. Say, "This is going to be the wierdest thing anybody has ever asked you. But I'm really awful at keeping my house clean, and I wondered if you could help me? You must have some secrets, because your house always looks so perfect."

They'll say, "Ugh. My house is a pigsty! I can't stand the grime... but thanks for the compliment. And that's not a wierd favor -- I'd love to help you!" And they'll show up 30 minutes later and probably bring their own cleaning supplies to boot! You know what the best part is? Nobody will believe them when they talk about how disgusting your house was... because that's what they say about their own house!

If that doesn't work, find a church that offers child care and see if there are any weeknight groups or classes that appeal to you. You'll have a chance to think about yourself for a change and know that your kids are in a safe environment that probably won't cost you a thing.

Good luck...

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I have hitten a point in my life if the house is a mess; I lost all my inhibitions and tell people to kiss my . Then I put on the radio real loud and start singing and begin cleaning. I have used all the thing everyone was so nice to give me ; and it been working out. I find however if I feel diorganized and stressed my house looks the same way. It seem it reflects my life and what is going on in it. I for example right now my desk is a mess. but the floor is clean so I 'm not to bad. Send the kids out , and meet someone who has a enough energy for two make friends throw a let help me clean party .

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