Help For Mommies, Controlling Stuff

Getting Stuff Under Control
 Last post I talked about some unnecessary cleaning that might be sucking up your free time.  Obviously there's gonna be some chores that you just can't avoid.  You've got to deal with food and diapers and laundry, no matter how organized you are!  But, those aren't really the problem.  It's all that other stuff that seems to be constantly out of place and needing your attention.  If you want more time for the things that matter to you, like crafts and playing outside, it will help if you show your "stuff" who's boss. 


Control Clutter
Here’s a tip that my husband pointed out.  I’ve gotten so used to living this way that I hardly even notice it.  I absolutely HATE clutter!  Especially "visible" clutter.  It eats away my peace of mind just like clashing colors do.  I remember back when I had two little rugrats, I used to wish I had a pit built into the corner of the living room floor and an indoor rake so I could just rake all the toys in there without having to bend down a million times a day.  I was probably pregnant, too!  I never got the pit, but I did get a solution.  Rotate toys.  I always kept one small toy box in the playroom with a nice mix of favorite toys.  The rest got put into bins out in the shed or garage.  Every couple of weeks, I would switch out the boring toys for new ones from the bin.  Since they were gone for a while, they seemed fun again.  I never packed away the absolute favorite like “Sheepy,” but all those other toys were taking over my house and it was starting to look like a daycare!  Yikes!
 I did the same thing with books.  Just one small basket was available, so the mess could only get so big.  The mess was also small enough that a toddler who made it could clean it up easily.  It’s important that you only do chores that your children CAN’T do.  Actual cleaning.  As for junk that kids drag out, well,  they can drag it right back to where it came from. 
A friend of mine with littles suggested a solution to the clothes clutter mess.  She keeps all the clean, folded clothes in her room.  She calls it "family closet."  Kids don’t have access at all.  That way the clean clothes go on in the morning and stay on and the dirty clothes come off into the hamper.  I never tried that because I don’t like kids stuff in my room, since it’s the only place in the house that is not available to them, but it works for her.  I liked keeping the clothes on shelves in the kid's closet, instead of drawers.  I only kept out clothes that fit and were the right season.  Then I labeled baskets on the shelves so that the kids could dress themselves and put clean clothes away.  The important thing is to find a solution that works for you, and stick with it.  My girls were especially messy with clothes.  Gotta change to fit the mood, you know!  Now they have to deal with their own mess, so I don’t mind as much.  As for your husband...

We'll talk about that later.

But for now, getting clutter under control will go a long way in helping you free up some time for the things you enjoy.

I'm heading outside to enjoy the sunshine and watch the chickens play!
jen