I’m turning the tables this week. I need your help. I’ve been really struggling with getting my home clean and keeping it that way. You see, I actually do enjoy cleaning. I like having things neat and tidy. I would LOVE to have a cluter-free home.
Summer was supposed to be a time for me to have extra time to get organized since the Hubs is home a lot more. Well, we’ve ended up traveling a bunch – just short trips here and there.The calendar is nearly FULL!
Laundry Mountain has begun to overtake the basement. When I spend the time tackling the mountain, the Paperwork Hot-Spot Fire pops up or the Dishes Demon rears his ugly head. The hardest has been when the Little-Baby-Growing-Up-Quickly-Clothes-Switch happens pretty much monthly. I an still finding 3 month sleepers when my moose wears 9-12 month ones now.
I just feel like I’m sliding backwards.
Heart check.
Rather than wish away the summer days in favor of a consistent fall routine, I should be soaking up all the family time. In just a few short weeks, just one day off a month for the Hubs will be hard to come by.
I started working through Sarah Mae’s ebook 31 Days to Clean right as summer began. I’ll be honest – I didn’t get very far. I did begin gleaning some invaluable insight. When it comes to cleaning, my heart is out of whack. I struggle to balance the time spent cleaning and the time spent enjoying. I grumble about chores rather than do them to bless my family.
So, my home looks a little bit better. My heart is moving in the right direction. And I’ve just started the book.
I’m intentionally stepping away from the book from the remainder of the summer. I am intentionally stepping toward my family. As long as we have clean underwear and as long as we have food to eat, we will be fine. It is a season to enjoy each other and to stress less about the home.
Now, come the start of the school year, you bet we’ll be back at it. I’ll be back working through the book. Why not snag a copy for yourself so we can work through it together?
So, turning the tables – I’m looking for some input. Some tips and tricks. While I am stressing less, I do need some help!
How do you keep your mess and clutter under control? How do you keep toys cleaned up? How do you encourage and teach your little ones to take care of their toys and to clean them up?
Please share ideas in the comments!
*************
Now – it’s time for Thrive @ Home Thursday! I have some exciting news. Jenni and I have decided to extend the deadline for linking up! The link will now be open from Thursday through Saturday! We know how busy life gets. This will help us all link up if we miss a day! Be sure to come back and check out the new links through Saturday!
AND – we have a twitter hashtag! Join us and tweet using #ThriveAtHome to connect with other Thrivers!
It’s link-up time! Grab the button from my sidebar and link on up below! In the “Name” field, feel free to enter the name of your blog post rather than your name if you choose.
Guidelines
- All post must include a link back to Jenni Mullinix or Rediscovering Domesticity by using the button or a text link.
- Post topics can include: Biblical Encouragement, Home Management, Intentional Living, Marriage, Motherhood, and Recipes
- Giveaways are NOT allowed and will be deleted.
- Posts must be from family friendly blogs and contain no vulgar language, images, etc.
- Please link back to your blog post not your homepage.
- You need only link your post one time at either host blog. Once linked, your post will show up on both blogs.
- Visit the blog post linked before you and leave a comment. Of course, visiting more than one is encouraged.
Link up your post below!
How are YOU thriving at home?
Thrive @ Home Thursday ~ Expanded http://t.co/WsHL33Tt
Come link up your #ThriveAtHome post! http://t.co/SQvP7mj1 (with @jennimullinix )
I totally get this – I was there! For toy control, I went through and purged all the old/broken/beat up toys and bagged them for garbage. Then I put half the toys in a tote and put it in the attic. Every few months I rotate the toys in and out again. I also have a hard rule that the girls may each have 2 toys out at a time. Before they get a third one out, something has to be picked up. Good luck!!
I just do little clean ups throughout the day and try not to stress about it until back to school!
Come link up your #ThriveAtHome post! http://t.co/SQvP7mj1 (with @jennimullinix )
If there's anything I hate so much, it's cleaning the house. When things pile up, that's when I dread it the most. What I do instead is do bite-size chunks of cleaning here and there. I try to tidy things up little by little whenever I can, and when my energy permits. I pick things up with my toes, so I don't have to bend over.
I follow a strict daily cleaning routine. By end of the week it's all done, and I'm less stressed because it didn't take all day! thanks for the linkup!
I have found the best thing for teaching my little Samantha to clean up after herself has been the daycare we put her in. (She entered Evergreen Academy at three months. Yep, that is right, she started "school" that young.) They have taught her to be a better housecleaner than I ever was, putting away her dirty laundry, closing the child safety gat behind her t lock herself in the Samantha friendly part of the house when she gets to spend a few minutes in another part of the house with mom or dad, getting a pot to play with and then putting it back in the cabinet, that kind of thing. We are currently working on making sure all her items have a home, and I think we will be good. Now, as far as my housekeeping, I just do my best, and try to keep the unfinished housework out of the child friendly area.
My recent post Simple 1-2-3 Kid’s Cookbook Review
When you find out the tricks of the trade… well let me in on it! LOL!! I used to love to clean… it was quite easy.. That's when I lived alone! LOL! However… with a family FORGET IT!! I hate cleaning now… it's just because as soon as it is clean… I enjoy the sparkle for all what seems five minutes… and it's back to what it was!. lol… so.. what I do now is …" pick up" the house.. I got tired of getting all fired up because no one picks up after themselves! ai ya yai!
My recent post Day 406 ~ Free Driver Evaluations!
I'm trying to not get too fired up! I think it wold be a little easier if there was more space in age between my boys. Buggy is 3 1/2 and starting to be quite helpful. Scrunch – 2 – really wants to help and, bless his heart, THINKS he is helping, but I spend more time digging dishes out of the trash and garbage out of the sink…. Fletch, of course, needs to be nursed RIGHT as the others need the most help and direction…. Maybe in four years?? I can dream, right!
I just decided that my son had too many toys because there was always a mess in his room. I put half of his toys in the garage, and we switched them out from time to time. It didn't work though…still a mess every.single.day. So… I put half of the toys still remaining in the garage; left little man's faves in his room (a select few); and put the rest in a big plastic mud bucket that's in his closet. He has to have permission to get in the closet and get those.
And you know what, it worked! He now plays w/the toys he has in the room, asks when he wants to go in the closet (like it's a special treat), and has taken a bigger interest in his books. Hurrah! I think he was just overwhelmed with too many good choices.
Good luck w/your journey when you begin reading again.
And hurrah to you for making the decision to choose family. I love that!
What a great idea! I do know we have too many toys. I try to take loads to the basement but somehow those toys grow feet and walk back up the stairs…. This fall we are PURGING!
I have my own schedule of when I do things, and that helps me. But it's hard to keep it up during Summer Vacation. Now that the kids are home all the time, cleaning house seems so pointless…
My recent post The Garbage Bag Solution!
It's Friday, but the #ThriveAtHome linky is still open! Link on up and meet some great bloggers! http://t.co/RFMHCb4I (with @jennimullinix )
Thrive @ Home Thursday ~ Expanded – http://t.co/Gb1V5yuq (via @redmestic)
Just added my #inlinkz link: http://t.co/f5sTNjI4 here: http://t.co/pPiF3zdp via @inlinkz
We do the best we can around our house, but it's not always easy. We are a busy family so things tend to fall behind fairly quick. A few things that work for us: 1) I've assigned age appropriate daily/weekly chores to the girls and they love being able to help around the house when they can place a sticker on the chore chart for the stuff they complete. 2) I have a pick-up rule I hold to – when I leave a room, I pick up something that doesn't belong and put it where it belongs. 3) We stack stuff belonging upstairs on the bottom steps. Whoever goes up the stairs is supposed to grab whatever is laying there and take it with them to be put away. A pretty wicker basket at the foot of the stairs is a good tool for storing things that need to go upstairs. 4) I try to do one load of laundry wash/dry/fold and put away every day. 5) The dishwasher is emptied first thing in the morning while I'm fixing breakfast and packing my husbands lunch. Then throughout the day, dirty dishes go straight to the dishwasher. After dinner clean-up I run the dishwasher. 6) Trash is scooped up throughout the house and emptied each evening as part of the after dinner clean-up. The deep cleaning is always scheduled for Saturday mornings but doesn't always get done as planned. Just depends on how many other fun things we have going on.
My recent post By: finding joy in the day in and day out – Christian Forums
RosannThanks for your tips! I am sooo looking forward to having a routine again (though this carefree summer has been amazing).Audra Michelle Writer, Rediscovering Domesticityhttp://rediscoveringdomesticity.com/
It's Friday, but the #ThriveAtHome linky is still open! Link on up and meet some great bloggers! http://t.co/RFMHCb4I (with @jennimullinix )