controlling kid chaos

The older I get, the more of a neat freak I become.  This is most unfortunate because kids are messy.  Really messy.  It would've been so much easier if I could've started neat and learned to relax by the time I had kids.  But I can't.  I love my kids, but I hate the messes that they are constantly creating!

A couple of years ago, when we were living in Seattle, I remember being offended when a childless couple came over for a neighborhood cocktail party and the wife commented "I just don't know if I could have kids and live with all this kid clutter everywhere."  At the time I had only one child, and the "piles" of "kid clutter" in my living room consisted of a (mostly decorative) wooden rocking horse and a wooden kid-size table in in corner.  There were no toys, no hideous brightly colored swings or jumparoos or ride-on toys or high-chairs.  Just a rocking horse and a table.

So while I was slightly irritated and a little bit offended (since I take pride in my very clean house), I also thought, "oh honey, you have NO idea!"

But the truth is, I really don't like having kid clutter everywhere, either.  I want my living room to be a comfortable living space, a place where we can invite guests and relax in a serene environment, not just a dumping ground for every toy on the market.  I don't mind if my kids take something out and play with it  as long as when they are done, the toy goes away.

In order to find some balance and to bridge the gap between my need for clean and their messy nature need to play, I have worked very hard to set up a system of controlling the chaos that comes from having kids.

In a nutshell, this is my controlling-the-kid-chaos philosophy:

1. Spend time organizing the toy storage area.   My theory is that if you can tame the area that generates the chaos, you can tame the chaos in general.  Even if you are lucky enough to have an out-of-sight playroom, you're probably not lucky enough to have kids who are content to keep all their toys in one room.  It seems like once they've thoroughly trashed one area they no longer have any interest in playing there, and they move on to the next room.  Thus, if the place you would like them to play is kept neat and tidy and they can easily find the toys they actually want to play with, they will play where you want them to.  Most of the time.  And even if they don't, they will know where everything goes when it is time to put it away.
2. Only keep out the toys they are truly interested in.  Everything else gets stored in the attic (or given to Goodwill.)  I would guess that at least 80-90% of my kids' toys are currently stored in the attic.  I try to pay attention to the things they are actually playing with, not just pulling out and throwing on the floor, and then put the rest away.   Every once in a while, M. will request something that has been put away and we will swap out something she is no longer playing with for something new out of the attic, so not only does it keep things tidier, it keeps things fresh and new.  I am a firm believer in the idea that less is more when it comes to toys.  This was never more evident for me than last fall when we took our 5 week cross-country motorhome trip, preceded by a month of living in a hotel.  All of M.'s toys were packed away and for more than 2 months she had nothing but a small bag of random McDonalds toys and Boeing canine unit trading cards (from Boeing Family Day) to keep her entertained.  That little bag was everything--her friends, her zoo, her tea party set, her "babies." It forced her to use her imagination, and she was never once bored.  It was an eye-opening experience, and I find that the less "stuff" I leave out for her to play with, the more self-entertained and imaginative she becomes.
3. Put toys with a lot of pieces out of reach.  Why is it that almost every toy these days has about a billion pieces?  In our house, puzzles, legos, games, kitchen accessories, doll clothes, craft supplies,  play-doh, and any other toys with lots of small pieces are kept on higher shelves in the girls' closet.  This makes them easily accessible to an adult, but not to them.  It is much easier to enforce the "don't take out something new until you put the other thing away" rule when you have control over what comes out and what doesn't. 
4. A place for everything and everything in its place.  It is SO much easier to clean up when everything has a home.  Use labels whenever possible. (I try to label everything, although currently my one-year old thinks it is hilarious to pull the labels off almost immediately.)  My husband once asked me why I am so obsessed with labeling, since I already know where everything goes.  I patiently explained that the labels were not for me, they were for him (and everyone else.)  I love using opaque or lined baskets for the toys and clothes they can reach because the room will look tidy once everything is put away, even if not everything goes in the correct basket or gets folded up correctly every time.  (And let's face it, it won't!)  For the higher shelves, I like using Sterilite 30 quart containers with lids.  I am also a huge fan of those Command adhesive hooks.  Don't forget to have a place for storing all the artwork that comes flowing in every day!  I keep a bulletin board in their room for M.'s favorite pictures, and the rest go in a 18 gallon container in her closet for me to sort through (much) later.
5. Make them help clean up, even though it takes MUCH longer.  My four year old can now clean up her room entirely on her own (though often not without a battle.)  When she was a little younger, I would break it down for her and assign her one task at a time.  Sometimes it took all day and 20 trips to the naughty stool, but eventually she started realizing that I wasn't going to back down.  My one year old has now started learning what it means to clean up, and will put things away with assistance.  This works in direct conjunction with having a place for everything.  When kids know where things belong, it is much easier for them to tidy up.  I'll readily admit that I don't always stick to this rule because it is often much easier and faster to just quickly pick things up myself every day, especially during the week when my older one is away at school.  But it is such an important lesson for kids, and *hopefully* someday all the training will pay off! 

Of course since kids are always changing, the system is constantly evolving to keep up.  A few years ago my husband found a kid-size metal grocery cart (from an actual store) at a garage sale for $5.  When M. was a little younger, we used it to "shop" each evening for things she had left lying around the house.  It was a great system.  She thought it was fun and we ended the day with all the toys picked up.  Unfortunately A. is now at an age where all she wants to do is climb into the grocery cart, which is a disaster waiting to happen.  The cart is now in the attic, waiting for the day that we can use it again!

Happy organizing!

speed cleaning

I never dreamed I would become such a neat freak.  In college, on my own for the very first time, my living conditions were less than sanitary (to say the least).  The only time any of my roommates or I would clean the dishes was when all of the ones in the cabinet were finally dirty.  Our bad-neighborhood duplex, with it's 70's dark wood paneling, shabby carpet, and mis-matched garage-sale furniture didn't exactly inspire any of us to keep it neat and tidy.

Things finally turned around for me when I finished college, got a real job, and, for the first time, my very own apartment.   I painted the walls, hung pictures, and got stylish furniture that matched.  I finally had a home of my own, and I wanted to take care of it.

It was around that time that I read an article in Real Simple magazine about speed cleaning.  (The title, I believe, was "A Clean House in 20 Minutes a Day," or something to that effect)  I still remember it because I actually cut out the little boxes and taped them up in each room of my apartment.  The idea was fairly simple--it was a method of using convenience cleaning products for a few minutes every day to keep things neat and tidy all the time.

It was perfect for me, a single girl with a small apartment, and I implemented it with great success.

Then I got married and had kids.   And a real house.

20 minutes a day just wasn't going to cut it anymore.  The major flaw in the Real Simple system is that it doesn't account for people besides you, the cleaner, living in your home.  And let's face it:  Kids are messy!  The second you put one thing away, they are dragging out another (and we're not allowed to velcro them to the wall all day.)  So needless to say, my system has been modified somewhat.  These days I probably spend, on average, about an hour each morning making my house sparkle.  The trick is to staying on top of it.

I am a list kind-of girl, so I actually have a daily checklist that I use each day.   It is located on my "control center" wall where I have a dry-erase monthly calendar and where there is also a spot for a weekly meal plan and important phone numbers.  Since it is all in one place, I can easily check the calendar for any pressing activities or appointments.  This helps me prioritize my cleaning activities and to cut things out or add things as necessary.

My "Control Center:"

My supplies:

I don't use a wide variety of cleaning supplies, and I'm not that picky about brands.  The one thing I don't ever use is dusting spray because it will ruin wood furniture.  I prefer to use those swiffer dusters when I have them, or else just a water-dampened rag.  The one thing I also use frequently that is not pictured here is my Swiffer Wet Jet.  What a great invention!  It makes mopping so much faster & easier.

My system:

General Guidelines:

• Start at one end of the house.  (I start in our Master Bedroom and work my way through the living room and kitchen to the girls' room and bathroom.)
• Cleaning is much easier when everything has a home.  Work on creating organized storage for all of the things that end up being scattered around the house, like papers, mail, shoes, & toys.
• Use a large laundry basket to collect items such as toys or clothing that need to be returned to a different room.  If you have multiple offenders, use multiple baskets.  After you have finished tidying every room, take 5 minutes to put away the collected items.  
• Save sweeping/mopping and vacuuming until the end, then do it all at once.  We have mostly hard surface floors, so I use an industrial dry mop to wipe the floors each day.  It takes only a couple minutes to run it over all the floors and then shake it off outside.  About once a week, I do a really thorough sweep and then use a Swiffer WetJet to mop.  I vacuum the rugs about 3 times a week.
• Likewise, save the glass cleaning for the end as well.  Once the house is completely clean, I will grab my windex and rag and run around doing spot checks on the glass doors and windows.  I wipe the bathroom mirrors as well as the fixtures and sink. 
• Keep daily shower cleaner in the bath/shower and spray down after each use.  

Bedroom(s) (5-10 minutes each, depending on how much to pick up):

• Always make the bed.  Even if there are other things laying around, the room will look much, much cleaner.  
• Quickly pick up any clothes, toys, or dishes that are lying around.
• Use a duster to quickly dust all surfaces, including the headboard and footboard.

Bathroom(s) (5 minutes each):

• Squirt toilet bowl cleaner around the rim; let sit.
• Use disinfectant wipes to quickly wipe down the sinks, tub, and shower.
• Use toilet brush to quickly scrub toilet, rim, and seat.
• Use disinfectant wipes to wipe down toilet & surrounding floor.

Living Room/Dining/Home Office Areas (10-15 minutes):

• Quickly pick up any shoes, dishes, toys, or other items laying around.  (Put them in basket to put away later.)
• Use duster to quickly dust all surfaces.
• Use damp cloth to wipe down furniture (if leather), table(s), and dining chairs.
• Tidy desk area and make sure all paperwork & mail is filed & sorted in its proper spots.

Kitchen (10-15 minutes, depending on how many dishes):

• Quickly pick up any items that don't belong in kitchen and place them in basket(s).  Gather any dirty dishes and put them next to sink.
• Quickly unload (if necessary) then load diswasher.
• Hand wash dishes/pots/pans as needed
• Spray all counters with disinfectant spray, then use soapy water and wet sponge to wipe them all down.
• Wipe down stovetop.
• Dry and put away any hand-washed dishes, then drain and rinse sink--the secret to a truly clean-looking kitchen is clutter-free counters and a nice clean sink.

Finishing Up:

• Use a dry mop to clean hard floors.  Spot clean with a sponge if necessary.
• Vacuum rugs/carpet.
• Clean glass surfaces & mirrors as needed with glass cleaner and a lint-free rag.  Don't forget to spray & wipe the bathroom fixtures for extra shine!
• Put away items collected in baskets while cleaning.

It may take a little getting used to, but before you know it you'll be so deep into the habit that just the thought of not cleaning your toilet every day will send you into panic mode.

Or maybe that's just me.

Happy cleaning!