Mr. Clean Vs. Miss Tidy

Most days if you stopped by my house unexpectedly it would be somewhat tidy - I don't have little kids anymore with their little toys - I just have BIG sneakers and smelly socks! But if you looked closely you would see that my house isn't always clean. Not "the cockroach crawling out of my kitchen sink" dirty, just not "white glove" clean.

I learned a long time ago that my level of cleanliness wasn't hyper sensitive, but when clutter started to increase, it drove me crazy.

So when I am crunched for time, I do the jobs that will only build if they don't get done and postpone the ones that  would be the same amount of work whether I did it today or next week. Dishes, ironing, toys will only build like an avalanche if I put it off, but chores like dusting and sweeping will take me just as much time and effort even if I do it only twice a month.

This is one way that I have cut myself a break. I don't stress if we don't clean every week, and most times we do it every two weeks. But most days we make sure the house is picked up. We do this by making sure there is a place for everything. Backpacks have a place, coats have a place, kitchen supplies have a place. It makes it easier for everyone to "participate". You need to find the system that works for you - and if it doesn't, try something else. Baskets and bins are great at corralling clutter - we have 3 boxes on our top shelf in our coat closet - one with a picture of mittens, one for scarves and one for hats. Look at where your clutter is and find a system that works - or get rid of it! We also do something called a "10 minute cleanup" I call everyone together and set the timer - we divide and conquer and usually are able to accomplish a "picked up" house by the time the timer goes off.

I love to think about organizing - it's sick, I know - but it does make life easier. I just bought a shoe holder and hung it in our kids bathroom - I placed medicine, Q-tips, band aids in the pockets - at a glance we can find what we need - I'm so excited! I think this system will work and it's cute to look at.

So even though my house might not impress Mr. Clean, Miss Tidy is welcome anytime!