Keeping things Clean

I got a wonderful compliment from my mother in law the other day. She complimented me on my home and how clean it was!! If you are a daughter in law...well those kind of compliments are just wonderful....if you are a stay at home mother to four kids....then that compliment can make your heart sing just that much more. It's uplifting and it's validating. She then asked the all important question of...."How do you do it??" Here's my short list of how.

1.) It's important to me. I believe it's the job God gave me to do and I wish to bring honor and glory to Him in all I do...even in my home making....so I wish to do it well. I believe God is a god of order. I also believe that order can help promote peace. I want this for my home...for my spouse...for my children and for any guests we may bring in.
2.) Eliminate clutter. A decluttered home tends to look cleaner even if it's not. Open surfaces just look neater. Clutter takes way more TIME to take care of...period.
3.)Do little bits each day to stay ahead.
4.) My kids help. They each are responsible to pick up their items. This didn't come naturally and had to be trained into them...but hey that's my job! And it's never ever too late for them to learn. We have a chore chart on the fridge that rotates each week. Each of the four kids has only one thing to do that takes them between 10 to 15 mins a day...and that's about it. They each put their own clothes away and manage their own rooms how they see fit (with in reason). With six people doing something every day...well things get done! Dad does the grass and trash take out on Thursdays and is a great handyman! That is enough for him as he works for us daily at his outside job. I have my own list of "mom" things to do.
5.) RELAX and enjoy your home...however you keep it! If how you currently keep it frustrates you....then don't be afraid to make changes where you can. Don't kill yourself if you are in a season where it just can't be helped....illness and young babies about! My home was WAY less neat when the four were 6 and under.....Oh man those were the trench days! It's OK....they do grow up and there is a light at the end.....for real...I promise!

And that's it! We don't go for white glove clean here either...real people just can't live like that. We go for progress and realise that when a kid wipes something down....it WILL end up cleaner than when they started but may not be perfect......the inventor of perfect needs shot anyway.....LOL....it's not reality! And I "mop" my kitchen floor with a wet towel and my feet....and just swish it about because I HATE stooping and squatting (thanks FLYLADY). My Granny would probably scold me for NOT bending on hands and knees with a scrub brush...but why when my floor is clean!??!!
~Moxie