You feel like you can never get your home to be as tidy and neat as it used to be before you had kids? Don’t worry, you’re not alone. The truth is that everything changes once you start a family. All the priorities overturn and often this change makes people feel overly anxious and frustrated.
The Simple Secrets for a Tidy Home and Simple Life with Kids
I used to dream about living in the perfect home with the perfect garden, children and husband. Now I know that what I had pictured as “perfect” as a young girl was a quite unrealistic and frankly saying quite unhappy perspective. I have learned to live with all imperfections of living with my hubby, and all the frustrations and frantic moments I have had with my young children.
Today, I look back to the moments of panic and helplessness I felt when trying frantically to put everything in order while taking care of my two toddlers and I can’t help but smile at the unrealistic expectations I used to have.
Thankfully today I have found some simple ways to get things back to normal and keep the house tidy and clean even with all errands I have and the care for the children taking up most of my time. I would like to share them with all of you who are facing the same problem and are struggling with keeping the balance between these two seemingly incompatible tasks.
Sit Down to Write Down
The first tip is to take the time and sit down to write down a plan for cleaning up. Don’t rush things and never attempt to rush into cleaning and do everything at once. You can schedule the different chores for different days of the week. Plus, if you stick to your weekly or monthly cleaning schedule, you will find that there is much less cleaning up to do if you take the time to clean up regularly.
So, why not plan to gather all the dirty clothes and do the laundry on Monday, and then leave the dusting and vacuuming for Tuesday, and leave the cleaning of the bedrooms for another day of the week? Delegate as much as possible — for example, you can ask your spouse or children to help out with some of the tasks by adding their names to your family cleaning schedule. This will free up some of your own time, and remember — ‘ME TIME’ is important!
2 Boxes
Another great tip for quick and efficient cleaning up is to have 2 boxes or baskets with you when you go around the house. Put all the toys and other misplaced items which don’t belong in a certain room in one of the containers and throw out any rubbish and unnecessary items in the other.
Once in a while you should also schedule a day for cleaning out the closets from any clothes and shoes which no longer fit your kids, or those dresses and shirts which you keep stacked and haven’t worn for over a year. I usually do this twice a year – in the spring and in the fall.
This is the perfect opportunity to do a good deed and give away those useless items to someone who will appreciate them or to someone in need. You can make a friend happy or give away the unneeded stuff to a charity.
Your gesture will surely be appreciated and you will also make room for a more decluttered and minimalist life in your home. Believe me this will make you feel amazingly relieved from the everyday stress.
DIY
To make my life simpler and easier I also purchased a quality home haircutting kit and now cut the hair of my children and husband at home. It is quick, easy and saves a lot of time and money. My kids love their short hair and are happy to let me experiment with some quick and simple hairstyles which don’t require that we spend ridiculous amount of time drying and styling their hair every single day.
[Tweet “Here’s the “1 gift rule”…”]I personally have started following the “1 gift rule” when it comes to Christmas or birthday gifts at home. I loved the idea which was widely popularized last year by Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher regarding their view of raising their children without spoiling them with hundreds of expensive gifts on every festive occasion.
This caused my children a bit of a disappointment at first but after I explained to them the idea of receiving just one but a truly appreciate gift each, I think that we have reached a mutual understanding. This new approach not only saved us a ton of money this Christmas, but it also will be beneficial for my little ones I think. I hope that they learn to appreciate the small things and learn to live with less “things” and enjoy the simpler and less cluttered life.
Choosing to live a simpler and less cluttered life has proven to help relieve stress and anxiety which has become an increasingly serious problem for people living in the modern world. So once you realize that you aren’t a slave to “things” and start leading a life with just what you need is a definite relief.
It is easier if you teach your children this viewpoint since early childhood, but again it is never too late as my personal experience has shown. It is essential that your kids learn how to cope with the wave of over-consumption which has taken over the modern world by storm
It is causing people to spend more than they have on things which in many cases they don’t really need. This will help them grow up being more rational and practical when it comes to shopping and gathering stuff.
Leading a lifestyle which is decluttered and simple has made me a much happier and calmer person. All the stress of being surrounded by things which I don’t really use and which I regret purchasing is now gone. I am now able to spend more quality time with my family and feel better about our lives.
I don’t stress anymore about being immaculately groomed all the time. I have also managed to save up a lot of money which I plan to spend on the future education of my children instead of buying yet another fancy dress or pair of shoes which I will hardly ever wear at all.
So, try to simplify your life and free yourself from the unnecessary items and you will see how much easier the cleaning up and taking care of your children will become!
[Tweet “Simplify your life & free yourself”]Identity Magazine is all about guiding women to discover their powers of Self-Acceptance, Appreciation, and Personal Achievement. We ask that every contributor and expert answer the Identity 5 questions in keeping with our theme. Their answers can be random and in the moment or they can be aligned with the current article they have written. In that way, and as a team, we hope to encourage and motivate each other, thus inspiringyou to Get All A’s.
1. What have you accepted within your life, physically and/or mentally? Additionally, what are you still working on accepting? Now, we’re not talking about resignation, rather stepping into, embraced, and owned.
I have learned to accept the fact that I can never be perfect, so I have embraced the idea of loving myself as I am – with all imperfections, and living it according to my viewpoint rather than trying to live up to the expectations of others.
2. What have you learned to appreciate about yourself and/or within your life, physically and mentally? On the other hand OR in contrast, are there elements of who you are that you’re still working on appreciating?
I now know that I will never get rid of those stretch marks from my belly after giving birth to my 2 beautiful children and rather than looking at them as ugly and terrible I prefer to see them as “love marks” which will always remind me of the beautiful experience of giving birth and having children.
3. What is one of your most rewarding achievements in life? Tell us not only what makes YOU most proud but also share the goals and dreams that you still have.
My children are my biggest achievement and I am continuously working on fulfilling my dream of giving them a perfect start to their lives and helping them turn into great human beings who are happy and satisfied with their lives and achievements.
4. Of course, we all have imperfections, or so we think. In truth, we are all perfectly imperfect. What are your not-so-perfect ways? Likewise, what imperfections and quirks create who you are–your Identity?
The moment I came to realize that there is no way that I could ever be perfect was probably the turning point of my life. Today, I am happy with my physical imperfections and have learned to love them instead of loathing them. As for the imperfections on my character – I am working on improving my patience and on controlling my bouts of anxiety.
5. “I Love My…” is an outlet for you to appreciate and express all the positive traits that make you…well…YOU! In fact, sharing what you love about yourself will make you smile, feel empowered, and uplift your spirit and soul. (We assure you!) Therefore, Identity challenges you to complete the phrase “I Love My…?”
I love my children, my husband, my imperfect body, and the fact that we have all learned to talk through any problems and make compromises in order to resolve any difficulties we face in life.
Photo by iAlicante Mediterranean Homes on Unsplash
