Tips on keeping an organized house: Special Edition for families with small children

I recently came across an article in a housekeeping magazine with tips on staying organized, and it was pretty entertaining. I'm assuming most families with young and/or numerous children can relate. For those of you with children who continually beat yourself up wondering why you can't just pull it all together, let me offer you some peace of mind by sharing my modified list of organizational tips.


1. Put things away as soon as you are done using them.

If someone has figured out how to effectively communicate this to toddlers, I'm all ears. Feel free to put things away as soon as you're done using them - this is a great tip. You may find however, that getting everyone in the house under 4 ft tall to do the same could quickly turn into a full time job. At some point, you will probably just have to let go, and that's ok because eventually you will completely lose it and make everyone clean while you are acting like a psychopath for an hour or two and you can get your peace of mind back - for 5 minutes or so before it all starts coming undone again.

2. Have a place for everything and keep everything in its place
unless you can't handle the frustration of not being able to find something when "it should be right here!"   Your best bet on this one is to  resign yourself to the fact that things will only stay where they belong in another 10-25 years (depending on how many more kids you plan to have and how quickly or slowly they mature).

3. Make a to-do list for the day.
I like to do mine towards the end of the day by listing small accomplishments that I've already achieved (brush teeth, eat food, keep all family members out of the emergency room, etc) so I can get a little emotional boost as I cross them off. The real to-do list that I made first thing in the morning has usually been lost by then anyway.

4. Do one thing at a time.  (I laughed long and hard at this one)

4 kids? No problem. They'll keep themselves entertained while you focus on your "one task." Just beware your Kleenex box may look like this by the end of the day when someone decides to pull 150 Kleenexes out of a box to make a blanket for the cat. (Don't worry potential visitors - we have a decent box of tissues ready for company).

5. Clear the table and wash dishes as soon as you are done eating. But only if you don't mind a toddler crying to be held and pulling down your pants the whole time you are cleaning up. This at least improves as you get kids old enough to help. At that point you might just want to invest in an ipod or something to put in your ears after meals to block out the sound of their complaining about how none of their friends are ever subjected to such cruel and unusual punishments. And many nights it will just need to wait until all the kids are asleep.

6. Drawers are your friends.

They're just not real chummy with toddlers. Exhibit A:

7. Finish what you are working on before moving onto the next task or activity.
That's right! Do not let yourself become distracted. That 2-year-old crying for a snack will figure out how to get herself a glass of milk and cut up an apple in another 2 years or so - she can wait. The child scaling the fridge in an attempt to get at some forbidden treat or toy will get a good lesson in gravity when he falls (or discipline if he succeeds). No matter how adorable that child is when he asks for a cuddle and a story, do not give into his plea for love and attention. Ignore that baby who ripped off his diaper, pooped on the floor and now appears to be making a mural on the wall with his own feces. Be firm: resist the urge to switch to a new task before you have finished the one you are on!

Of course, some parents with children are able to completely avoid following these modified organizational tips and can happily continue with your more standard procedures. The trick to this is to make sure to breed children who are quiet, calm, not prone to wandering or making fast movements, and are content to only explore and play within the limits and confines set by their adult care-takers. This is possible. I know because I have seen such children. From a distance, yes, but enough to know they are out there and if you choose your mate wisely, you might get one. I don't really expect to ever have one myself, but then I'm not sure I would even know what to do with such a child so I guess we'll just stick with the active/curious/rambunctious type.

To sum it up: this is EXACTLY how it feels to try to keep a clean house with children around:

Sometimes, you have to stop and ask yourself,  "What does my family need from me most right now?" And a lot of times the answer is not a clean floor or dishes. Sometimes it's just your undivided attention or a trip to the park. And when that happens, just let the chocolates go by and enjoy some time with your kids while you still have them in your home.