So, you like to clean?

I'm going to guess and say most people would say, "NO". I know there are a few out there who actually enjoy scrubbing, dusting and washing the day away, but I am certainly not one of those people. Unfortunately, (fortunately?) my dislike of cleaning is heavily outweighed by my dislike of a cluttered messy house. I would like to say that I have complete control of the kind of mood I am in, but in reality the condition of my house completely determines what kind of day I'm going to have. Nothing puts me in a foul mood quicker than waking up to a messy kitchen or coming home from a weekend away to a  messy house.

I feel like I have spent all of my adult life searching for a way to keep my house tidy and clean while spending as little time as possible actually cleaning. So, for the past year I have been using a method that has worked very well! I follow "The Fly Lady".  As long as I follow my routines and put in 15 minutes of "zone cleaning" my house stays clean and visitor friendly. Now, when I say clean that does not mean there aren't toys in the floor or blanket forts built somewhere. That's something that's never going to happen as long as I'm living with another human being and I have accepted that...at least I try. If I stray away from my routines for even a few days my house is in complete chaos.

I share this because I know a lot of moms who either spend their entire day cleaining in a circle and end their day exhausted or they are so overwhelmed by the mess and clutter that they don't do anything and end their day stressed because of the environment they're in. I've been on both ends. Neither of which are very fun. If this sounds like you I encourage you to give her method a try. I firmly believe that feeling good about yourself and having pride in your home will make you a happier person :)

If you care to know my routines, here they are:

Morning:

• Make the bed, pull back curtains,and open the blinds.
• Drink my coffee
• Get myself ready
• Pack big K's lunch
• Get both girls ready
• Take Big K to school
• Feed little K breakfast
• Put clothes in the dryer

Mornings can be really stressful so I make sure I give myself plenty of time in the morning. I don't like getting up early, but things just run smoother when I'm not rushing to get out of the door. Something else that makes things easier is that my big girl is able to fix her own breakfast. I'm big on encouraging kids to do things on their own. Not only does it teach them responsibility and independence it makes things a lot easier on you!

Evening:

• After dinner immediately I clean up and load the dishwasher. I set mine on a 4 hour delay start so if any dishes find their way into the sink I can stick them in. My goal is to never go to bed with anything in my sink!
• Wipe down counter tops and table
• Get the next mornings coffee ready and set it to start 15 minutes before we get up.
• Put a load of laundry in the washer and set a delay start for the next morning.
• Before the girls go to bed they pick up their toys and after they go to bed I do a quick pick up. This is the only time of the day when I pick up and it stays that way <3

As you can see I do as much as possible in the evenings to make less work for the mornings. I love any appliance that has the option of delayed or timed starts!

I hope this helped someone or gave you ideas on how to make your life a little easier :) Let me know if you have any tips or tricks on how to make mine easier!!