Clutter Control

I have never been one to mind clutter. Sure, I much prefer a tidy house, but it just was never high on my priority list. {Enter three, almost four, young children}. Life changes change your perspective. There were times this past winter where I felt like my life was raging out of control. The fall previous I was overly busy with working two part-time jobs, traveling a good deal, and taking care of the girls, so things just got backed up and instead of really cleaning I established clutter collection locations. You know, those spots in your home that tend to gather all the items that don't "go" anywhere else. Things just spiraled out of control from there. Within a month's time, one of my jobs was eliminated, I took a job coaching 7th grade basketball, I found out I was pregnant, almost caved to exhaustion, and then quit my other part-time job. This all took place while Richard was going to school full-time and working full-time. And through all of that, guilt consumed me because I was supposed to be homeschooling. I did manage to keep myself so busy, I didn't have time to get too depressed.

Once Spring rolled around, I found myself in a second trimester rebound and a first-time solely stay-at-home mom. That little pep in my step helped me get a grip on my priorities. One of the first things I discovered was that the condition of the house was a major distraction for me when it came to homeschooling. I have read some on this topic and I've heard two opposing views:
1. You have to accept that your house won't be clean during these years, and ignore it.
2. You have to get rid of the clutter in your house or it will distract you.

For me, number one was not an option. It just wasn't working. I couldn't focus on the girls when there were literally hundreds of other projects screaming my name, demanding my attention as well. So since Evelyn was not technically in school yet and advanced for her age, I decided to set aside homeschooling for the spring and focus on getting our house in order, so we could start fresh for her kindergarten year. So here are ten things I've done to keep clutter under control.

1. High shelves. I almost drove Richard crazy with the number of shelves I added to our house this Spring. Some of them were just for me to put items on that didn't currently have a home, but I added some in the girls' room where I placed all of their toys that had small pieces. I can't even begin to explain how much this has helped! And will help once I have a crawling infant here in a few months.

2. A Storage Shed. We bought ours and put it on our property, but I know you can rent these as well. Our house is just so tiny, I needed a place to store things that just didn't fit, like our Christmas tree, camping gear, books that we want to put on our big old living room book shelves one day, etc. We actually killed 3 birds with one stone on this one. I got a shed with a loft to store all our totes. I divided the bottom of the shed, so we could keep our grill, bikes, and Power Wheels in one half and made a play house in the back half for the girls. This enabled me to get their toy kitchen out of their tiny bedroom. And honestly, they play with it more out there.

3. Purge. I made it a goal to get rid of at least 15 garbage bags of "stuff." I thought this would be a painful process, but let me tell you, it felt great! I now keep a "Goodwill" box in my utility room, so hopefully, I don't get to that point again.

4. Minimize Clothing. Part of the purge was getting rid of tons of clothing!

5. Accountable Kids. I've written a lot about this, but it's a lot easier to keep your house free of clutter when everyone in your house shares responsibility. We took a break from AK in June because we were traveling a lot, but as of right now it has taught all the girls how to get themselves ready in the morning and for bed. Can't even begin to explain the weight this has taken from my shoulders. We'll start back up on Monday.

6. Accountable Adults? I'm going to call it Same Page Partnering. I could write an entire post on this one topic, but for now, I'll try to be brief. AK was working so well for us, I decided to make an AA board for me and Richard. I just started working on this yesterday, so I'm sure I will write a follow-up post. But, as you can see from the picture it's the same concept, without the rewards. Well, the reward is harmony in our marriage. Sometimes Richard is so busy he doesn't have time to help me. Other times he's oblivious to the fact that I have a mental to-do list constantly running through my mind, and he hasn't figured out how to read it yet. (Wink). I created 3 categories: daily tasks (red), weekly tasks (green), and at-least-monthly tasks (brown). I was worried he would think that I was treating him like a little kid by doing this, but he actually chuckled when I explained it to him. I said that these were the household chores that I would try to get done while he was at work. He could come home from work, see how many were flipped over, and quickly judge how well my day went! It also let's him know what needs done without me being a nag.

7. The Clutter Basket. I have actually established a clutter collection location, but it's a basket, with a handle, that is meant to be carried around the house so clutter can be put away. When I'm quickly cleaning up the house, I throw smaller items into the basket. When the basket gets full, I carry it around the house and put those things away. I also use it when I'm cleaning I don't have to make as many trips throughout the house. It saves steps, time, and helps keep things tidy.

8. Labels. This is so when people help me clean, be it Richard or anyone else, they can help keep toys and school supplies sorted properly. Sort your toys, your kids won't play with them otherwise.

9. DVD Cases. We bought a DVD storage case at Target and got rid a lot of the cases. (85 to be exact). It cost $15. That is close to the best $15 I have ever spent. I'm not lying.

10. Daily Kitchen Cleaning. We homeschool in our kitchen, so this is my focus room to keep clean. The other rooms I try to clean weekly.

I'm anxious to see how these steps will work in the winter. It has always been easier for me to keep my house clean in the summer because we are away from home a lot more and the girls play outside a lot. Some of them, however, I implemented during our very wet, rainy Spring and they worked then, so I'm optimistic. Any additional tips?