Tips to Staying Organized and Tidy With Kids

Maintaining a tidy home and staying organized while managing kids can seem like a daunting and impossible task. Here are my best tips and tricks to staying on top of your game...most of the time!

I’m not going to pretend that I have it all together all the time, far from it. But, I have spent countless hours brainstorming, implementing and adopting new habits throughout my days and weeks that help me stay ahead of the game...most of the time. With kids, you are bound to have endless messes, piles of laundry and loads of dishes on-top of bills, appointments and the general everyday to do’s. It all adds up pretty quickly. I was once a full time nurse and I’ve had to adjust to staying at home and learn my new found career called “Motherhood.” I’ve discovered that it takes far more time and effort than I ever expected. I’m a mom, a wife, a cook, a cleaner, a teacher, a pastor, an accountant, a secretary, a property manager, a calendar keeper, a personal shopper...you get the idea. As a mom, you carry A LOT of titles and it is so easy to get discouraged or in over your head. Some days I’m a rockstar, I manage to stay on top of my to do’s. Other days I simply throw in the towel and let it all go. Every day is unpredictable and you have to learn to be flexible. I’ve learned to suppress the perfectionist in me and be okay with “good enough.” I’ve sought out countless ways to get it ALL done and I wish I could share the magic solution, but it’s just not possible. What I've discovered is it is a matter of finding balance in your days to become more productive and efficient with your time. So, I decided to share how I make the most of my days and ways I have found to help me to maintain a tidy home and stay organized so that I have more time for the things I love and most importantly for those I love.

-Wake up before your kids.

Waking up before my kids is my key to a successful day. A schedule with kids is so unpredictable, but if you can beat the chaos by waking up before your kids, you are able to steal a moment for yourself. It allows you to ground yourself, get a work-out in, sip on an uninterrupted hot cup of coffee or sink into scripture. It sets you up for success. I used to be a night owl, staying up until the whee hours of the morning soaking up the silence and tackling my chores. As my family has grown, I’ve learned that sleep is more precious than ever. When I’d stay up late, I was bound to be woken just an hour after my head hit the pillow, leaving me irritable and frustrated the following day. By altering my routine, I’m able to head to bed at a reasonable time, get the sleep my body needs and still have an opportunity to have some quality time alone. It’s not for everyone, but my golden hour is 4:30am. Two and a half solid hours of quiet before the world around me awakens. It’s certainly not for everyone, but I always encourage others to try it. It’s worth it.

-Spend time in the word and in prayer.

It is so incredibly important to establish a solid foundation for your children and yourself within your home. Your children are not only dependent of you physically and emotionally, but spiritually as well. You are your children's pastor. Take a moment in the beginning of your day to commit to a devotion, absorb a scripture and implement it into your day. The Bible App is an excellent resource of devotionals, especially for moms in need of a little daily boost. Let Him and His word guide you through your days. He will honor your efforts and you'll find your days flow with His guidance.

-Get yourself dressed!

I know…it’s hard enough peeling yourself from the sheets in the morning, separating yourself from that plush pillow when a busy day awaits you, and we all know how easy it is to stay in those PJ’s. Getting dressed the moment you get out of bed each morning not only boosts your confidence, but gives you a sense of preparedness and ensures you’re ready for whatever your day brings. You don’t want to be caught in your robe when your friend pops over unexpectedly or the Fedex guy needs a signature.

-Make your bed everyday.

Making your bed everyday starts your day with an accomplishment. It sets you on track to continue to build on that completed task. It also encourages you to tidy around you, with a made bed you recognize the mess that surrounds it and more often than not, inspires you to continue good habits throughout your day.

-Take a moment to prepare your day and have a plan the night before.

Every evening, take a few minutes to plan your next day. Have a general idea of meals, your schedule, any to-do’s that need to be addressed and any activities you want to do with your kids. The less thought you have to put into your day the next day, the better! The saying goes “For tomorrow belongs to the people that prepare for it today.” - Malcolm X. When you have kids, having a plan is so important for a successful and productive day. Your kids will thrive on routine and the structure you provide. However, don’t forget to allow yourself to have down days without a plan or a purpose, they are just as important for mental health and recuperating from our busy lives.

-Establish a cleaning routine.

Establishing a cleaning routine is crucial when keeping a tidy house. Often without a routine, before you know it, it’s been three weeks since the toilet has seen a scrub and dust bunnies have taken residence under the dining room table. With an established cleaning routine, you are able to pick away at the cleaning one day at a time rather than be stuck finding a babysitter and designating an entire day to playing catch up.

-Set reminders for yourself.

I live by the reminders on my phone. With my mind in a million different directions, having a “second brain” so to speak, is a life saver. I have monthly, weekly, daily and even hourly reminders. It alleviates stress and allows me to use my brain for more important things. I struggled with using my reminders app for the longest time, simply because I felt as though it was cheating. I was bound and determined to do it all on my own. After forgetting a few very important tasks and getting a few slaps across the face with some hard reality checks, I figured that technology can be a blessing if used appropriately so why not take advantage of its perks. We can’t do it all after all!

-Have an ongoing to do list with you at all times.

I carry a notebook (physical and/or digital) with me everywhere. If I think of something, I write it down. For example, I will jot down something that needs to be accomplished, something I need to buy, a phone call to be made, etc. It’s my brain on paper. By writing things down as you think of them, it instantly relieves your brain of remembering the task and frees up your mental capacity to tackle other things. As a mom, you have enough things to remember and accomplish at any given moment. By writing things down, you’re not only bound to remember them, but you clear the brain clutter and overwhelm of trying to juggle it all. I love paper, writing things down and crossing them off gives me a huge sense of accomplishment. If you like sticking to digital, Google Keep is a game changer! Try it, trust me.

-Never go to bed with a messy kitchen.

This is one of the biggest tips. A simple, but incredibly important habit to get into. I don’t know about you, but the condition of the kitchen when I wake up in the morning sets the tone for the day. If it’s a mess, my morning begins by being overwhelmed. I'm trying to tidy before the mess gets out of hand while simultaneously managing hungry bellies, a rushed husband and a rapidly growing disaster. If I make a point of cleaning the kitchen before bed, I wake up and the morning rush is smooth and as close to “peaceful” as it can get with four hungry mouths to feed.

-Tackle troubled areas in your day to day life.

Do you have countless piles of mail? Over flowing laundry? A bag of socks waiting to be sorted or matched with a mate? Or how about that Tupperware drawer?...To tackle these eye sores and little frustrations, I started writing them down. Everything that irked me throughout the day, whether it was something as broad as my morning routine or something as small as my silverware drawer. I started making a point of recognizing the things that didn’t go smoothly in my life or the things that caused unnecessary frustration and I honed in on them. I addressed each individual frustration and re-evaluated it. I asked myself how I could fix each problem and changed it. An example being the kids dishes. I had an excess of kid friendly dishes, all different shapes and sizes...a nuisance to put away. My solution was purging all of my current kid friendly dishes and replacing them with all of the same dishes. What used to take far too long to sort and put away and took up far too much room, is now easily sorted and stored without the frustration. I highly encourage you to do the same. Focus on the difficult areas of your life big or small and tackle them. Solve each and every one. Not all at once, mind you. But once a week, once a month, whatever suits your life. Before you know it, resolving those little issues will soon pour over into other aspects of your life. You’ll find things start to run more smoothly and efficiently without much effort!

-One load of laundry a day.

Oh laundry... my weakest point. It has taken me YEARS to establish a laundry routine that works effectively for me and my family. With three kids four years and under, it’s not uncommon for each child to go through at-least two outfits a day and a pair of PJ’s. Add a hardworking husband and I’ve got a lot of laundry... Just recently I sat and brainstormed until I determined exactly why I couldn’t keep up. I recognized I needed a designated folding area, so I rearranged my laundry room to accommodate a folding table and built a rack for hanging. I also timed my loads and set an alarm for myself for the end of each cycle so my laundry didn’t end up sitting damp for three days only to need a second wash. I also realized I needed to separate my laundry per individual(s) in the house and complete ONE load a day as to avoid an overwhelming pile to fold, hang and put away.

-Don’t fold your kids' clothes.

I can hear the *gasps* from here. I know...but before you judge me, here’s my rationalization. They create monstrous amounts of laundry, they love to dress themselves and they love to help me put their clothes away. Because they enjoy dressing themselves, their clothes are forever thrown about in their drawers as well as disheveled and disorganized as they seek out their perfect outfit for the day. They also enjoy putting their clothes away, which usually means grabbing it from the table, dropping a few items here and there or collecting the leg or sleeve of their clothing that were once neatly folded now a ball of wrinkles in their little arms. The type A in me is screaming inside after I folded and creased them to perfection and I restrain myself from running behind them to refold and reorganize the now clustered mess of clothing. All that said, my kids’ clothing was a huge frustration for me. So what was my solution? I stopped folding them. Now I run a load of kids clothes, sort them into baskets and let the kids put their own clothes away. I cut my folding time to a fraction of what it was. I avoid the stress of watching my neatly folded efforts unfold before me. I let my kids have reign over their clothes (within reason) and I am able to happily praise their help without the underlying resentment. It’s a win, win! Besides, chances are their outfits will be wrinkled and speckled with their last meal within an hour of putting them on anyway. Remember to pick and choose your battles.

-Keep a laundry basket in every area that collects laundry.

Laundry, laundry everywhere and not a basket in site. One day I recognized how much laundry floats aimlessly in each room. The laundry from little bodies shedding their outfits, my husband tossing his socks aside or the kids abandoning their bath towels with no direct place to put them. I thought my simple laundry sorting hamper was sufficient for my family, that was until I purchased laundry baskets. I took a moment to pin point areas that would benefit from a laundry basket. For example; my kids room, our bedroom, the bathroom and one in my kitchen to collect soiled dish towels and washcloths. I strategically placed each bin in its’ designated spot and, no surprise here, my laundry was localized, organized and manageable. Who knew?!

- Keep a scrubber in the tub.

This is a favorite of mine. I’m not sure why it took me so long to implement this. Cleaning the tub is one of my least favorite chores and admittedly one chore I’d happily avoid. I went out and grabbed a tile scrubber with the connected fluid dispenser that you can fill with whatever cleaner you’d like. I fill mine with some dawn detergent, white distilled vinegar and warm water, an awesome safe and effective cleaner! I leave the scrubber out of little arms reach in the shower (but within mine) and toward the tail end of my shower, I’ll grab the brush and do a simple and easy scrub down of the tub and walls, give a rinse and I’m done. DONE! A chore that would usually take me weeks to commit too and thirty minutes to complete, is now done in less than a minute and completed multiple times a week. You can thank me later.

-A place for everything.

The saying goes, “A place for everything and everything in it's place.” I made a mental note of all of the things in our home that needed a designated spot and I gave them each a home. Our laptop no longer floats from desk, to counter to bureau. Diapers and wipes aren’t tossed about each room, but rather sit in their baskets neatly organized and accessible for the next diaper change. And that pile of stuff that jumps around the house with no place go? Gone. There is not one thing left homeless within my walls and I don’t welcome anything in unless it serves a purpose or will have a proper place. Along with finding designated homes for everything, I eliminated clutter. I went through each room in my home and purged what was unnecessary and what did not serve a purpose in my life. I recognize that when my house is cluttered, my mind is cluttered. By eliminating clutter, I’m able to think more clearly, work more efficiently and maintain a much tidier and functional household for my family.

And there they are, my biggest and most effective tips that I can share, for now. I’m sure I’ll have a list more as my life changes. I hope you find these tips helpful! It’s an awesome feeling to be able to maintain a tidy house and over all organization with kids. Remember though, it’s so incredibly important to learn to be okay with a little mess here and there and to give yourself permission to relax a moment, embrace your kids, or simply just take a mental break. We have to give ourselves grace each and everyday. No day will ever be the same, we have to adapt and go with the flow. You’re human and only capable of so much at any given time. These are simply to help on your journey of motherhood and managing your own household and responsibilities. Be gentle to yourself, don’t seek perfection, seek balance.