![]() ![]() Turn the dishwasher on and wipe down the cupboards. Take a scan for the inevitable lost homework, remote control and favourite sweater and put them into their places before you hit your pillow. Taking one minute to clean up after breakfast is way easier than a full kitchen clean up that takes an hour before bed. This is the trick to a tidy home whether you have kids or not. So allow them to have fun and make a mess doing so, but instill in them the habit of cleaning up immediately after they’re done. Once kids hit a certain age, they’re capable of cleaning up after themselves. Allow them to make a mess, but teach them to clean up after. Either hang them back up or put them in the hamper. Get kids (and adults!) in the habit of always putting their clothes away when they take them off. Have a dirty laundry hamper or bag in each bedroom and the main bathrooms. Have them keep all their individual grooming products there and not on the counter. Give each person a drawer in the bathroom, or again, employ the shoebox trick to designate a part of a drawer to each person. Designate these boxes as the one spot in the house to keep all of the important things like school papers, party invitations, lunch money, keys, takeout menus, tools and other needed ‘junk’ like batteries, phone chargers, etc. ![]() Label them as needed for the stuff that gets dropped on the way in, or that’s needed quickly on the way out. Wrap shoe or cereal boxes in pretty paper or have the kids paint them, then tuck them into a freestanding dresser or even onto open shelving near the entry. Hang a hook plus a cubby or crate or basket at the entryway for coats, boots and bags for each person, and establish the rule that outdoor wear stays at the door and is hung up and put into their spot. Open bins and baskets contain everything are are easy to toss stuff into, and labels on the front will help keep everything separated longer. For example, all Lego together, all art supplies, all stuffed animals, all hair accessories, etc. Get creative by employing bins in their favourite colours in their rooms – and keep like with like. Get each family member to help in identifying where they’d like to house their things, so that the system works for them and they know that they have a responsibility to keep using it. Create designated spaces for everything you keep. Then take the kids with you to the donation center or charitable organization so that they can feel good about helping others and less stressed about giving their things up.ģ. Perhaps one kid at a time, or all books one day, clothes the next, etc. If you’ve not done this in a while and it’s a big task, break it into categories. Teach the kids that those toys, games, art supplies, books, gear or clothes that they don’t much use or care about can go to someone else who does, and getting rid of them will make more space for enjoying the things that they keep. ![]() Identify, with your whole family, the things that bring them joy or are truly useful and used often. You may end up missing all of that commotion someday. ![]() It’s the season that you’re in right now, and down the road you’ll be able to have the minimal kitchen with bare counters that you dream of. Acknowledge that your life right now with kids is complicated and messy and that your space will reflect that to some degree. HERE’S HOW TO KEEP YOUR HOME TIDY AND SERENE:ġ. But I write this from a place of empathy, hope and practice, because I know first-hand how changing our state-of-mind and simplifying our daily habits and systems can transform how we feel and perform.Īnd even more than an uncluttered home, what you can achieve, even with the messiest of families, is a serene state of being. Now, I know that advice coming from a single gal who has the luxury of not having to clean up behind anyone but herself may seem unhelpful at best, and condescending at worst. Still, with a few essential systems, some diligence, and the right mindset, it really is possible to have a relatively uncluttered home and even more importantly, serenity. Or at least to a cocktail with your single friends. Especially if you’re an organized person yourself, and even if you’re not, the constant battle to keep up with stuff that’s never put back in its place is enough to drive you over the edge. ![]()
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