Some ideas for staying in control of the mess at home ..

(real photo taken 20 minutes after I tidied our sunroom)

On Facebook over the weekend I asked the question of what is your best tip for maintaining a tidy home. I find Sunday evenings exhausting trying to tidy up after the weekend.

Here is some of the advice I received ...

Donate /recycle / re-gift

Be organised

Teach girls to put things away and unfortunatly be a nagger to make them do it!!!

Invest in a cleaner! I get mine done fortnightly and works out to be about $40 a week. Best money I spend in a week.

Recycle toys often! and get the kid to pop their own washing away

Lower your standards - aim for safe

Ride it out until your children leave home

Don't look at it on the weekend, knowing Monday is coming and it can all be tidy again then (at least for 6 hours while they are at school.) There will come a time very soon when they have all left home and we will wish for the mess back again. So just enjoy it with them

I made the rule that they only play with one set of toys at a time and must get packed away before the nex comes out. Also we do 15 mins speed clean every night and I judge the most improved room. I had to model and help when they were younger. However we are often still in a mess!!

A friend once told me the OHIO method - Only Handle It Once.

Imagine the tidy house and the lack of what creates the mess and then thank God daily for the gift of the mess generators! Read that once in a reflection and it's now my messy house blessing - may it be yours also :-)

*Have you got a magic wand tip that you can share? (pretty please!)