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I've become my Mother!

(65 Posts)
Oldwoman70 Thu 26-Mar-20 12:34:14

My Mother had set days to do cleaning, Monday - washing, Tuesday - ironing etc. When I was working I wasn't able to do that so everything was done at weekends.

Since retiring housework has had to be done around meeting friends etc. Now I am on lockdown I have found myself allocating certain cleaning to certain days - today it was bedrooms, hall and stairs. Am I the only one?

Feelingmyage55 Thu 26-Mar-20 12:38:47

I turned into my mother ages ago. Sorry no help. Oh a thought could you clean around watching box sets. Clean for half an hour. Watch three programmes. ?

SalsaQueen Thu 26-Mar-20 12:47:19

No, I clean the kitchen and bathroom EVERY day. The vacuuming downstairs is also done every day. Washing is done every day. Beds are changed twice a week. Everywhere else is cleaned fortnightly.

I'm 60, work part-time.

Calendargirl Thu 26-Mar-20 13:11:22

Goodness SalsaQueen you put me to shame!
Only two of us, usually do about three loads of washing a week, certainly not enough to do daily, but depends how many of you there are.
Beds changed once a week, quite sufficient as we are showered before bed. Personally think twice a week bed change is a bit overkill, but each to his own.

Oldwoman70 Thu 26-Mar-20 13:16:39

Me too Calendargirl - I can always find something more interesting than housework to do!

Oopsadaisy3 Thu 26-Mar-20 13:17:58

I once worked with a youngish lady who got up every morning at 6.30 stripped the bed and remade it before turning up to work by 8am ( we started at 9 ) her long suffering husband had to be woken up and virtually thrown out of the bed .
No children, but really! Clean sheets every day?

Laughterlines Thu 26-Mar-20 13:23:35

I know that feeling. Whenever I look in the mirror I say
What’s my mother doing here.

Take my advice, don’t do housework, it only needs doing again next year.

Smileless2012 Thu 26-Mar-20 13:29:07

I've always been like my gran and my mum with particular things done on particular days. I do love a routinesmile.

EllanVannin Thu 26-Mar-20 13:29:11

Yes, I stopped donkey-stoning the step years ago when it began to hurt my knees when kneeling.
Mop and Dettol suffice these days.

fatgran57 Thu 26-Mar-20 21:08:10

I know the feeling as well. Several times I have caught my reflection in a mirror or shop window and think "there's mum!" only to remember she has been gone for 10 years.

I hate housework - don't mind washing, washing up, cooking, re-arranging things a bit, change beds once a week on Fridays, towels Mondays, other clothes when there's enough to do a load, certainly don't look for things to do.

One of my daughters comes over to do cleaning used to be once a week but not at the moment - I paid her the going rate. she likes doing housework (strange girl!) so that worked out nicely for us both.

CherryCezzy Thu 26-Mar-20 22:41:05

EllenVannin many people don't even bother with that anymore.
Years ago where I was growing up if you 'broke the code' by doing the washing on the 'wrong day' there'd be neighbourhood gossip. Weird to think of that happening now.
I don't have set days for everyday household tasks and when the 'code' started to slowly disappear my mother broke it too shock. I do, like my mother though, like to keep my home clean, tidy and respectable as my mother would say. If me and my WP have to live in it we don't want it to be a dirty pigsty. We share & share alike the jobs around our home and relax and enjoy it. In that way I am definitely like my mum but it isn't a new thing.

M0nica Fri 27-Mar-20 10:49:36

Clean Monday morning and that is that for the week. Far too many far more interesting things to do.

paddyanne Fri 27-Mar-20 11:47:47

I always followed my mothers routine re bedding etc .It was the only thing that I did the same as she did,she was obsessively houseproud.It was passed on to 2 of my sisters ,the pot of white paint for touching up marks they cant wipe off ,not leaving any newspapers or magazines on a table ,they managed to pass me by.My life hasn't been worse for having the lived in look ,its clean just a bit untidy and I dont yell at my OH when he leaves a trail of things all the way from the front door through the house .Mum would have gone ballistic

Oldwoman70 Fri 27-Mar-20 11:56:17

Oh paddyanne I had one of those! His sister was visiting one day when he arrived home, she couldn't believe the trail he left between the front door, sitting room and kitchen! I now think as long as the place is clean a bit of clutter doesn't really matter!

TerriBull Fri 27-Mar-20 11:58:43

I don't know about I've become my mother, oh well I have sometimes, but one of my sons has definitely become me, and the me when he was late teens early 20s and going to raves, came home a couple of times looking slightly swivel eyed. Me "what have you been taking?" Now he phones us both daily to ask how we are, what we've been up to etc. etc. , not a lot of course! all jokey, light hearted until he builds up the crucial "have you been to the shops" more strangled voice "how far away were you from other people? you know we'd always drive down and drop anything off on the doorstep if we had to" and the inevitable "I love you mum/dad please make sure you're sensible!" who'd have thought it ten years or so ago such a role reversal would be coming down the line grin

Marmight Fri 27-Mar-20 12:01:35

I wish I could turn into my mother - she had a ‘woman wot did’, the lovely Kitty grin (although every time I look in the mirror, there she is looking back at me)
I quite like allocating time slots especially for jobs I hate. It makes me do them. Kitty taught me well although my expertise in polishing the doorstep with red Cardinal polish is somewhat outdated now!

Marmight Fri 27-Mar-20 12:04:26

Oh yes Terri the role reversal! I have 3 DDs all organising my life & behaviour and making sensible suggestions albeit from afar. It’s wonderful to be so loved ❤️

Luckylegs Fri 27-Mar-20 12:04:50

I’ve suddenly got two adult children who are phoning and checking up on us daily! This is wonderful, especially our son who we didn’t speak to very often, he was always at work, just so busy. The only problem is I’ve got nothing to tell them, been nowhere except a dog walk, seen no one but we’re ok. I expect the novelty might soon wear off.

grandtanteJE65 Fri 27-Mar-20 12:06:57

When I worked hoovering, washing floors etc were always done on Thursday evening to leave the weekend free.

Now that I am retired and quite honestly don't have the energy to do it all in one go, I do tend to wash clothes on Mondays, iron on Tuesdays, hoover and wash floors on Fridays.

timetogo2016 Fri 27-Mar-20 12:09:43

I love routine.
Monday and Friday i do the shopping.
On Saturdays i vac the stairs.
And dh does the rest of the housework.
It works for us.

TwiceAsNice Fri 27-Mar-20 12:17:53

I don’t look like my mother when I look in the mirror I look like my gran- very disconcerting! Until all this ramped up I worked still two days a week so did, and still do, a clean right through of my one bed flat on a Friday. I have hard floors and sweep those daily and vacuum and wash once a week. Bed changing and bathroom cleaned well once a week, kitchen cleaned daily. I put a wash on when I have a full load plus towels and bedding are other loads. Surfaces and handles are washed more regularly now with Milton but otherwise still the same as usual. I am enjoying more time for reading, tele, and knitting . Got to see some positives!

sodapop Fri 27-Mar-20 13:52:44

My daughter always said she would not say the same things to her children as I said to her.
When she had her own children she said " I heard your words coming out of my mouth Mother " grin

SalsaQueen Fri 27-Mar-20 15:22:17

Oldwoman70 and Calendargirl.

I do all that housework because there are 3 of us adults here, one cat (which moults a lot). I don't think it's excessive. I do other things usually, so I'm not usually this bored!

SalsaQueen Fri 27-Mar-20 15:25:53

Oldwoman70 Calendargirl I can assure you that changing my sheets so often ISN'T overkill. I have menopausal night sweats (lovely). Didn't stop having periods until 18 months ago.

lovebeigecardigans1955 Fri 27-Mar-20 15:40:17

I don't love housework (who does?) but I like the result and am doing a bit of spring cleaning at the moment.
Mum had a routine and you could tell which day of the week it was by our meals which was often the case with her generation who'd had rationing and shortages.
She'd often say, "Look what you've done to my nice clean draining board!" - not in a nasty way, if you put something on it. I find myself giving it a good wipe down with the sponge to make it nice. When I leave the house (the regulation once a day) I like to leave it in a fairly tidy state so that nothing nasty awaits me on my return.