I've been working on and thinking a lot about my theme for the year to get my house in order. Maybe it was because I had to teach a class on it for a weekday Relief Society meeting. (When I told my mom I was asked to teach on home organization, she laughed for 30 seconds straight. Really.) The class went pretty well, and I learned a lot from preparing to teach it. I've been slowly organizing stuff around the house a little at a time. A drawer here, a cupboard there. And I've been pretty good at keeping those places organized once I get them there. (With the exception of the kids room. It seems I can never keep that room clean. Sigh...)
Its hard for me to have to consciously think about housework all day. I know that the things that I think about now, if I follow through with them, will become second nature and eventually I won't have to think about them, but it is exhausting to think about housework all day. And right now I do because I want so badly for my house to look nice.
Anyway, I was thinking about this last night. More than anything else, I want everyone who comes into my home to feel welcome and like they are more important than anything else. I think that having a clean house is part of this. But I don't want my house to be so spotless that people are afraid to be themselves, or don't want to bring their kids over, or feel uncomfortable in any other way.
It is tricky to find this balance. I struggle with the "a place for everything" thing because there simply isn't enough room for everything. I have a hard enough time keeping daily things picked up and organized that getting to things like scrubbing the bathroom and cleaning out the fridge are long overdue.
What are some of your tricks? How do other moms keep on top of it all? And how do you do it and not feel like its weighing you down?
13 comments:
Two things that bring me sanity with the kids toys are: 1) Minimize. I put all the toys in totes and tupperware and lock the majority of them away in the closet. We rotate them out every few months and the kids act like it's Christmas every time to play with their "new" toys. 2) I put a little tote of toys in the places where the kids most like to play (i.e. living room, upstairs in the hallway) and then some in their rooms. Then there is a general rule that kids can't take toys upstairs/downstairs without specific permission. That way, when it's clean up time, you can throw the few toys in that room in the tote and your done. If the kids refuse to help clean up, I put them away up high in the closet for a few days. I remind my three year old about this if he's hesitant. It only took one time of my cleaning for him to learn.
Our house doesn't always look toy free, but I make sure it's clean (clean toilets and rinsed dishes).
Oh, one more tip that helps with appearing more organized is get a small cute box that can hold papers. I put paid bills or other things that need to be filed in the box, Then I go through them every few weeks and put them away. Even though I'm not always caught up on the filing, papers aren't everywhere cluttering up counters and desks.
Good luck! Remember it's a constant struggle for all of us, but keep up is WAY easier than getting there. It's worth the effort though. It's so much more calming to be in a clean, organized home.
I loved that thing on fly lady about having a clean kitchen sink...i have been working on that and my hot spots. It has made our house SO much better. Erin, I think that we are a lot alike in our struggle. I remember you saying it is your stuff making it a mess. I looked around my house, and it is my stuff too. I finally realized that I pick up everyone else's stuff and then when I get to mine, i am sick of it and since I am the one picking up, i justify leaving it out. I don't have any real advice, but just know that your struggle is one a lot of moms feel. Just remember that people is more important than stuff. Your kids won't remember how clean your house is...just the time you spend with them. Don't sweat the small stuff. It is OK. Don't be too hard on yourself.
I struggle the same way you do. And I also struggle because it isn't "me" to be spotless and perfect. And I feel like I'm fighting against myself AND the mess when I take on too much. So until my kids are older and REALLY able to help (like being able to do the dishes and clean the bathrooms by themselves) I strive for 2 things: a clean kitchen (meaning dishes are always rinsed and put in the dw and the counters are wiped) and things are "picked up" at the end of the day. It's not exactly how I want it, but it keeps the mess at bay and my sanity at a healthy level. :)
p.s. Yes, I'm teaching in Primary. John and I teach together. We have the 4-6 year olds (2 classes combined). And you're right - I did NOT want to accept!! They asked us the second week we were in the ward. I literally came home from church and cried for 2 hours. And then I cried all week whenever I thought about it. I'm struggling. But I'm going to do my best. If I'm still having a hard time in a few months I may ask for a release, but I don't want to do that until I can honestly say to myself, my bishop and my Lord that I gave it my best effort.
I believe that most people are behind in their housework somewhere, I definately am. I had a friend tell me once to do a room a day. Completely. At first, if you are like me, it can take several days per room, but after that first time through the upkeep should be easy. I have yet to get through all my rooms, but in theory, this should work.... :)
my secret is having a party or people over for dinner once a week. then i HAVE to clean at least that day, and it doesn't have time to get too out of hand. also, i've often felt like there's too much stuff to find a place for everything, but i realized that my furniture wasn't very smart or useful. so i went to thrift stores and changed it. buy things with doors and drawers. things dont' ahve to be organized behind the doors, but it will look so much nicer from the outside. and forget that silly open tv stand (i dont' know if you have one...i'm just saying)....get a dresser for the tv to sit on (a low one looks best, i think). then you have a place to hide lots of things (i keep diapers, wrapping paper, movies, and art that doesn't have a place in mine....and i always wonder where i would keep all that junk without my dresser in the living room. and i'm with jen about minimizing toys. maren plays with what's there, and if there is less to choose from, she doesn't even notice. i've really been thinking about this a lot lately, and i've found lots of stuff that works, so let me know if you want me to keep rambling, haha.
Just remember that less is more and I am not near as nice of mom when my house looks perfect. People with perfect houses have to give up something. So we have to ask how bad do I want perfect org. what will I give up for it? I used to have a much cleaner organized home when that is all I did. The more I find other intrests, fun time with my children being one of those intrests the less perfect my house looks. I have also come to realize many perfect homes have housekeepers. It has taken me lots of years to come to a happy medium on this subject. The Doctor laura book in praise of stay at home moms really helped me to kindof chill out and realize my real purpose was not to have a perfect home but a happy home. My kids and I have so much more fun when its clean enough to be healthy yet dirty enough to be happy!
I wish I could help, but I am sadly disorganized. I'm always WORKING ON IT, but never actually manage SUCCESS. But I can tell you that one technique that helps me is to focus on just leaving any area of the house better than when I entered it. I may put away Heather's makeup after I wash my hands in the bathroom or toss the shoes into the front closet so I can shut the door, or sometimes I spend more time and energy. It's just little baby steps throughout the day, but at the end of the day, I've progressed to a new place.
I sure do admire the way you are always working on improving yourself. Don't worry about the end result too much---just focus on doing what you can when you can and you'll get less discouraged.
and I love you!!!
Okay, here are some thoughts....even though we talk about this all the time together in person, I will leave some thoughts here...sorry if it turns into a novel!
1. TOYS! Best thing I ever did was go through and organize all the toys. Cars, animals, balls, dress up, 'play kitchen' it all has a bin (you've seen them)and they all are labeled. Kids usually play with one bin at a time. Then when they are done playing it seriously takes one minute to throw every thing back into it's respected bin (as you know, mine are all in the hall closet, keep the lids on and stack them in their closet or under the bed!) In our entertainment center is a laundry basket with random (bigger) toys, when they are pulled out throw them back into the basket and close the entertainment center door. I don't have one, but ottomans with storage would be a great place for hiding toys! ;)
Don't walk past or kick a toy out of the way. It seriously takes one second to bend down, pick up that toy and throw it where it goes!
I know it's hard where Ana gets all her toys out before she falls asleep, but clean up before bedtime. I try to get everything cleaned up before dinner, that way I am not cleaning after the kids are asleep and I have time to do what I want :)
What if you stored most of Ana's toys in your room or in a hall closet?? Switch some stuff around so she is not so tempted to play with as much and make as big of mess :) It helped a ton when I put the toys in our hall closet. Plus Taylor KNOWS she will be in big trouble if she gets out of her bed after we put her to bed! ;)
2. General house keeping.
ALWAYS make beds. Even if it's made and then you throw a load of laundry on top (or two like I am guilty of now!) a made bed always make a room seem so much cleaner! As you are rolling out of bed, pull the covers off with you forces you to make it right then! ;) Teach Ana to make her bed and let her do it by herself. Taylor thinks it's pretty cool doing it by herself, even if I go in later and 'help' straighten it out.
Get the kids involved in cleaning. Turn on some fun music and dance around like crazy people as you are picking up (good work out for you too!) Probably 75% of the time while I am cleaning my floors both my kids have a broom or mop and are helping me.
Hand them both a duster and let them go to town :) Taylor is pretty good these days!
You spray the windex and let Ana wipe it off, one of Tay's favorite cleaning chore!
We talked about bathrooms yesterday, but I forgot my best way of cleaning my bathroom! While the kids are playing in the tub, clean the rest of the bathroom! Then when they are out and running around all you have left to clean is the tub!
When you are cleaning the kitchen, fill up the sink with some soapy water, pull up a chair and let them play! Sure some water will be splashed around but it's easy enough to wipe up:)
Letting them think they are doing what I am doing helps a ton!
Plus it teaches them (in a way) that we need to clean and that cleaning can be fun! ;)
Cleaning and organizing is a major pain, but it shouldn't stress you out! You will find a routine that works for you I just know it! Good luck! I probably forgot something, but I will tell you more when I remember it! HAHA
There are a couple of things I do to try and keep balanced. 1 is that I have a notebook that I write all my goals for the week. (simple ones: laundry, journal writing once a week...) and then I chip away at it. I mark things off as I do them and I see at the end of the week how much I have really accomplished. I have done that every week for nearly a year. It really helps. I also try to take just a few minutes for myself every day. It gives me a chance to breath and recharge my batteries. I know you're doing great. Keep it up!
i love alisha jane's idea for cleaning the bathroom during bathtime because i tend to get super bored when maren's in the tub, so i'm always trying to get her out before she wants to. but it reminded me of something i've started doing with the tub. i always notice how dirty it is while i'm showering, and i tell myself i'll scrub it later, but i forget. so i started keeping a magic eraser (they really are magic) by the tub, and i just clean it WHILE i'm showering! it sound silly, but it's so much easier being in the tub than leaning over the side and trying to rinse it without getting myself all wet.
I am thinking that if I throw away my past (pictures, journals, old books I read once, old magazines, high school stuff, things the kids gave me, bills or whatever came in the mail last week, every present we ever received) and then throw away everything I use rarely (Christmas stuff, snowmobile things, suitcases, mother of the bride dresses, the vacuum) and then throw away everything I am going to do in the future (crochet afghans with scrap yarn, make blankets out of old Levis, my homework, my exercise videos, make-up, chore charts) Put the rest in boxes in storage units. And viola!! no more clutter! Life is simplified! I'm free! I'm free!
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