Clean House = Potentially Saner You

Anyone with kids who can walk (or even crawl) probably knows what it is like to be constantly picking and cleaning up toys, crumbs, spills, etc. Lately this has been making me go absolutely insane because, being a minimalist when it comes to design, I simply do NOT like clutter!

I think the breaking point was when my younger son Adam turned 1 and learned what I call "the windshield wiper"  (i.e. anything he sees that he sees in a pile or puddle he simply swishes his hands in them), coupled with the fact I recently got a cat...

But anyhow, here are just a couple of things I have been doing lately to help keep the house a little tidier:

1. Everyone sits at the table to eat, no matter how small the snack is: This eliminates unnecessary crumbs and spills everywhere and also eliminates the "But Dad is sitting on the sofa!!!!". 
   
2. Whenever you displace something, put it back in its place immediately: This may sound simplistic but you would be surprised how a diaper, box of wipes, change of clothes, bottle, etc. can pile up toward the end of the day. Sometimes I'm so exhausted that I say "I'll do it later", but at the end of the day I'm even more exhausted plus I have a houseful of stuff to put away.
   
3. Teach the kids to play with only 1 toy (or one set of toys) at a time, AND to put away the first toy before they start playing with the second one: As tempting as it is, and much faster too, please don't put all toys away for them, because that will teach them that Mommy or Daddy is my servant. Teaching them the above will help them learn valuable lessons for school where they must put away their own toys.
   
4. Follow the age recommendations on toys: There were often times when I saw toys with the label ages 4+ or 5+ and would wonder what could possibly be so dangerous for a 3 or 4 yr old since it's not like they put toys in their mouths or anything? Well apart from smaller parts being potentially dangerous, it will be easier to maintain sanity when your home is not full of small pieces of plastic called toys all over the floors, under furniture, in drawers, etc.
   
   • How to know which toys are the culprit? Each time they are done playing, I take a bag and fill it with ALL the small things that make me sweat. Bag could be stored for when they get older, or better, go straight into the donation bin.
   
   
5. At the end of the day do a quick sweep, vacuum and wipe-down of surfaces: Don't leave it all for one day in the week- it will greatly alleviate your weekly chores. Personally, I usually do a light cleaning every 2-3 days especially in the bathroom and kitchen area-I almost never an overburdening "weekly" cleaning day.
   
6. Wearing socks or slippers should lessen the amount of smudgy prints  if you have darker wood floors (laminate is the worst): Its usually moisture such as sweat or water mixed with oils (such as natural body oils) that makes the smudge.

Here are a couple for starters, and will add more as I learn them via trial and error! They have really helped, and are worth it to implement.