Photo: Tom Clare with freedigitalphotos.net

Having children has challenged my “everything has to be neat and tidy” mindset.

For as long as I can remember, I’ve been a neat-freak. I remember cleaning my room as a teenager. Rearranging things and organizing all of my knick-knacks.

I know some of you wish you could keep a clean home. You wish you had more of a desire to get the dirty dishes out of the sink.

I wish I cared about it less.

Because, for me, having a clean home sometimes take precedence over getting on the floor with my kids. As much as I hate to admit it, there are times I’m cleaning the house when I should be playing with them instead.

What God has been teaching me recently is that the dishes can wait. The laundry will be there in the morning. My priority (for this time in my life) is to love on the little ones God has given me.

That being said, it doesn’t mean I should never clean. That my house has to be a disaster for me to be a good mom. There are times when we must clean. When the dirt doesn’t need to be left until tomorrow.

The catch is finding quick clean up tricks. Things you can do to keep the house looking “somewhat” clean without sacrificing too much of your time.

Here are a few quick tips that help me keep a “somewhat” clean home: (Click to tweet this!)

1. Designate a certain time of day as “pick up time” for the whole family. Ask everyone to take their toys, shoes, clothing, etc. to their rooms. The whole family made the mess, so the whole family gets to help pick it up.

Sally Clarkson, in the book Desperate, shares how she turned on music at 5 PM every day and made a fun daily ritual out of pick up time. Some families I know pick up once a day right before bedtime. Others pick up twice a day at naps and bedtime.  Find a time that works for you, and stick with it.

2. Enlist the help of your children. I wrote last week about how to teach your kids about money. This is one great way to encourage your children to help with the chores.

3. Enlist the help of your spouse if you’re married. My husband and I switch off the “end of night” duties. One of us bathes the children, while the other picks up any remaining things that are left out.

4. Do the dishes as a family right after dinner. It’s amazing how a clean sink can make your entire kitchen appear cleaner.

5. Once a year, organize all files. I do this every year in December or January. I organize all files from the previous year and put them in a separate filing cabinet. We start the new year with empty files, ready to be filled with documents.

6. Once or twice a year, go through your clothes (and your childrens’ clothes and toys) and get rid of unwanted or unnecessary things. 

7. Go through mail as it comes in. Or, if this doesn’t appeal to you, make a designated spot for mail in your home. Otherwise, you’ll end up with various piles throughout the house of papers you need to go through.

8. Use baskets to make cleaning easy. We have two large baskets inside of our coffee table. To clean up, all we have to do is throw everything into the baskets.

9. Make beds in the morning. It only takes a moment, and it makes the entire room look much better.

10. Don’t allow the mess to become huge. I don’t know about you, but when the entire house looks like a disaster, I  don’t even want to think about how to get it picked up. I’ve found that if I pick up a little bit every day, the task never becomes too daunting.

Let’s talk: How do you keep a “somewhat” clean home with children? 

I’m linking up with some great blogs this week. Check them out!
www.themominitiative.com
www.thebettermom.com
www.themodestmomblog.com
www.thekoalabearwriter.com