I feel as if I am constantly putting things away, in the place where they belong.
- Books go on the book shelf. Kid books, baby books, my books.
- Clean clothes on the hanger or in the appropriate drawer. Shorts, shirts, socks, shoes- oh my!
- Dirty clothes in the hamper. Shorts, shirts, socks, shoes- oh my!
- Toys in the toy closet or to whichever kid it belongs to (unfortunately no game room here!)
- Baby bottles to the sink. Same with sippy cups, snack bowls, and silverware.
- School papers, calenders, artwork.
- Pillows and blankets go back to their respective rooms, only to be pulled out again to make a fort or for the kids to drag each other around on.
- Things the kids have outgrown litter the floor.
- Same with half eaten apple cores. And cracker crumbs. And candy wrappers. Slam dunk into the trash can.
- Baby stuff is EVERYWHERE. The limited space we had for baby stuff has been swallowed whole by a bouncy seat, a swing, a johnny jumper, bibs, and STUFF.
This is just a smattering of what lines my floors right now. I am overwhelmed on a daily basis by putting the shit AWAY. If Daddy Mo tells me one more time that I need "to have a process in place for organization", or that "as you pass by it, just pick it up and put it wherever it belongs", or "make the kids pick up at the end of the day" then I just might bat him over the head with my frying pan.
While all of these are GREAT suggestions and I do do them from time to time, I just can't seem to get a complete handle on the mess. With each child, I have done my best at keeping the house as clutter-free as possible and I think I have done an OK job, BUT with the addition of the third child, it seems as if the mess has multiplied exponentially. Seriously.
Any suggestions on keeping my house clutter-free? Organized? Picked up?
And if you even think to repeat what Daddy Mo repeats weekly to me, then I just might bat YOU over the head : ).
11 comments:
Check out my post here. It has done wonders for our home. If you want the "Chore Chart" just let me know!
Right before the hubs gets home I have BG run around the house clean it up adn then it looks great for the 15 minutes he walks in the door.
Plus I have asked people to at least give me a 30 minute warning before popping over for a visit. I just can't keep up somedays.
If you figure out a solution, please let me know. We're constantly picking things up and returning them to their "homes". I get sooooo tired of it!
Taking clutter from point A to point B is too much for me to handle. I use laundry baskets. They are lined up along the wall in the kitchen. (Where everything ends up!!!!) I toss stuff into them all day. Then after the the kids goto sleep, I TRY to take said basket where it belongs, and them unload everything. It doesn't happen every night. During the day, if I catch B tossing something on the floor, I remind her it goes in the basket. Works for me.
What's really funny is that I just stopped to read a few posts, but I'm currently doing a HUGE purging of CRAP. I'm just in a mood to TOSS and it feels so good.
I have the same problem. even as I'm doing this today, my boys are totally trashing other rooms. But in the end, there will be less stuff to leave all over the floor.
I don't have much of a system because I think there isn't a fool-proof one. We live with small people that are tornadoes. I think the best thing is to hire a cleaning lady or a "mother's helper" to keep the kids occupied a few hours while you try to get something done. Good in theory anyway :)
I say bop him on the head anyway. It won't solve anything but it will make you feel better! ;)
Ship 'em off to Grandma's! Oh wait, not an option, is it? Darn.
I would say Sophie is old enough to help you some. That's what I'm making Ben do these days. He gets a quarter everytime he does what I say RIGHT AWAY and if he does a chore, like make his bed, put his clothes in the hamper, without me asking at all. It's helped some...
I agree with Elaine. Sophie is old enough to help out around the house. I pay BJ a quarter to help me pick stuff up too. He loves getting the money and putting it in his piggy bank.
And on another, jealous, note. At least you have places for everything. I have no closets, Mia has no bedroom, my laundry room is in my bedroom which triples as the nursery, there is no garage, or pantry or......wow. My house basically sucks. And it's always a mess, too!
Make Anthony hire someone to help you if he doesn't like it. Seriously. Or just hit him on the head with the frying pan. I'll come over and do it for you if you'd like!!!
It gets pretty awesome when your 12 year old thinks its fun to clean the kitchen, put everything away, and wash the floors.....the day will come my friend.
Many blessings to you and Happy Easter. Love your blog, I visit often.
Kelly
I understand the urge to "reach out and touch" your husband for those remarks. Mine was making similar comments to me just a couple of days ago. At which point I screamed something unrepeatable about being on "pregnancy disability leave" and stormed off for minute.
A good batting probably would have been more direct!
P.S. I am going to be blogging about my daily schedule soon. Not that I'm a housekeeping guru or anything (OBVIOUSLY) but no one has died due to toxic exposure, or tripped to their death on a toy (yet).
It might be helpful to pare down on everything they have. There's no way they use or need everything, and that would help. Also, as little Anthony continues to grow, he'll also grow OUT of some of those huge space sucks that are the baby toys (bouncers, exer-saucers, etc.) and they can be sold, donated, or stored for grandkids one day.
I also agree that getting the kids involved would be helpful. I know Sophie is of the age where she could help with tasks and Sam's getting there. Livers is two and will at least help with putting stuff away if I prompt her. She's also a little anal retentive, like her mother. Not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing....
Hang in there...
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