I remember when I was pregnant and told some folks that we don’t wear shoes in the house and they laughed. They said, “Yeah right, that won’t last long.” My toddler now comes inside, and we take our shoes off before roaming the house. It’s doable, and so is having a tidy house (read: tidy, not perfect) with kids. I’m not necessarily talking about vacuum lines on the carpet and a general smell of Lysol; but all items have a “home”, and the house looks picked up. I will caution: I have one child. However, I’ve asked moms of more, and they agree that it’s doable!
For me, it is relaxing to have most of the house picked up so I’m not focused on the mess around me. It allows me to find things easily and care for what I have. Some days the house is a bit of a mess, but these are the ways I tidy things back up again:
Get the little one(s) involved.
Depending on your child’s age, they can help with a lot of tasks and even have duties of their own. For example, my toddler puts the empty garbage can back in the bathroom when I’m done emptying it, wipes the dining room table off with the rag, puts his shoes away, etc. There are lots of age appropriate tasks that your child can do, and they will often surprise you , going above and beyond. Sometimes this means your productivity will slow down a bit, but helping them develop a willingness and desire to help is worth it.
Never return empty.
I heard of this a while ago, and it’s really handy. If you are going to another room, grab something that needs to go there and bring it with you. That way you’re in the habit of return things to their place in your home and it makes for less pick up later.
Don’t procrastinate simple chores.
It just builds up! I once felt very ambitious over a pile of laundry I needed to fold and I dumped it on my bed thinking, “Ha! I fooled myself, now I have to fold it before bedtime.” Then I forgot about it and when bedtime rolled around, I just swiped it off the side of my bed right back into the basket. So much for cleverness! If I know something needs to get done, I need to do it quickly instead of whining and pushing it off till later {definitely talking to myself here}.
Kids pick up their toys before a change in the day.
I do allow my son to get a bunch of toys out and have at it, but there are times of the day when we stop and pick everything up. Before bath time/bedtime, before naptime, before leaving the house (unless mommy is running really late, ahem) and before meal times, we stop and I help him clean up all his toys.
Give most items a home.
If you have piles of stuff everywhere and you don’t know where anything goes, it’s probably because it has no place to go. I have a tray on my coffee bar where things collect and when I pay the bills I go through it. Honestly, it’s nice to have a “whatever” tray for papers and such that I can worry about later; it seems to be contained. Toys and personal items have their spots around the house too.
There are definitely days and seasons when the house will not be so tidy – illness, major life transitions, busy seasons when we aren’t at home much or there is some other crisis going on. But for the normal day-by-day, I prefer to have a tidy home. It gives me more time to focus on my son or other activities, and it is possible with a small child who sometimes acts like a tornado!