icbn2802 I understand how frustrated you feel, it is awful when you hate your surroundings and want to sort them out but are limited by time and funds. If your DH is working so hard then you can't expect him to do too much. My other half is totally useless at anything in the house other than ironing! He even managed to break the hoover. I find it easier to do everything myself in the long run. Sounds like you are pretty busy yourself too. If you are babysitting, why can't your daughter and son-in-law help with some of the decorating or cleaning at the weekend? You help them a lot, it's the least they can do. I agree with what everyone else has said about clearing the mould - a lot of which can be due to condensation if you haven't the right ventilation or are airing clothes indoors. Anti-mould paint is good and so is bleach. Freecycle gives you loads of stuff for nothing, just keep a look out and carpets, rugs, furnishings, all sorts are up for grabs frequently. You can make a lot of changes with minimum outlay. As for dirt and cobwebs - that's definitely down to you and there's no need at all for them to be there! DH probably does care, but men don't see mess like we do! The only houseproud ones I know are absolute fusspots and I wouldn't want to live with them! Sounds like you've got a reliable and hardworking man and once you start to make changes, you'll probably get him on board. Best of luck to you anyway. Main bit of advice: don't tackle it all at once, like everyone says, do one room at a time and declutter as much as you can. The main thing is to have a happy home.
