mykdsmomy Posted March 7, 2012 Share Posted March 7, 2012 I don't care that I have 6 kids, two dogs, and a fish. I don't care that two of those kids are infants under 6 months old. I don't care that one of my kids has extreme behavioral and developmental challenges that requires my constant supervision and redirection. I don't care that my dh works long hours 6 days a week and then plays in our church band on Sunday mornings.....NO MORE EXCUSES....I WANT A CLEAN, ORGANIZED, HOUSE!!! I am so fed up with being embarrassed at the condition of my house when people pop by unexpectedly. I want to not worry about it anymore. I want to wake up and not have to clean the whole stinkin house before I can start my day!!!!!! Yes, I have older children and they help out....but the babies and my sn son tend to outnumber our efforts! I have often thought that if I minimize our "stuff", we'll have less stuff to put away, keep organized. Well, I feel like I've done that and we STILL have stuff out everywhere. DH is almost as bad as the kids :glare: He will leave his stuff laying everywhere and when I call him on it, he denies that it's "that much stuff". I should take pics and show all of you ;) (it's mostly mail (he takes care of the bills), papers from work, his clothes, hats, belts, hangers, etc). I need my house to run more smoothly (is that correct use of the word? Those adverbs always mess me up...ughhh and there I go ending a sentence with a preposition! :001_huh:) Can someone give me tips on how they keep their house with many kids running? Can I be a minimalist with all these kiddos? What about all of the baby carp? We have lots of gear....and I feel like we need it to keep the babies entertained/soothed. (one swing, one high chair, one pack n play in the family room with toys because the floor is tile and too hard for them to lay on), a jumper, changing table, two carseats and a bouncy seat, oh and two bumbos! The kids have a minimal amount of toys The laundry is eating me alive! Piles everywhere (clean and dirty). Our dining table constantly has a few loads of clean laundry waiting to be folded! Then there are our dogs.....and we're warming up so here comes flea season!!!!! (We use Advantage and Frontline alternating between the two...but we still have issues here and there.....plus they still sneak up onto the furniture when we're not home :glare:) Dishes are a nightmare! I have a hodge podge of dishes....I need uniform!!! I want one white set!!! Ok, this has turned into more of a vent/rant/rage :lol: Gotta run....school needs to be done, there's a funky smell coming from our non working dishwasher, trash has two dirty diapers in it and baby L just fell asleep on my lap...... Any tips/advice/etc are welcome (just be gentle ;) ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BakersDozen Posted March 7, 2012 Share Posted March 7, 2012 Have to get out of the house soon but can share one tip/hint: Laundry: If possible, ditch the individual laundry baskets kept in bedrooms. Purchase recycling bins (the kind that stack preferably) and keep them in your laundry room (if you have the space) or somewhere central (garage?). Assign one dc a laundry day each week. A full bin equals a load of laundry. Each bin is a color (lights, darks, whites). Dc in charge of laundry washes, dries/hangs and sorts laundry out (we sort laundry out on the a couch). At the end of each school day (around 4:00 for us) everyone puts laundry away. Pieces of laundry that are left by older dc I put away for them at a charge of .25/piece (I made $8 yesterday! :D). Laundry is controllable...far more so than dhs who leave things out and don't think anything of it. :glare: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minuway Posted March 7, 2012 Share Posted March 7, 2012 Yes, you can be a minimalist with 6 kids - I am with 4. If you edit down to only what you really use and really love, and then give everywhere a logical place to live, cleaning becomes much easier. I am constantly editing and streamlining because through gifts and hand me downs we always have stuff coming into our house. My favorite book for this kind of thing is House Works - it goes into a lot of detail over decluttering and organizing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jennsmile Posted March 7, 2012 Share Posted March 7, 2012 I love my correlle white dishes, I had a complete set for 12 (need to replenish bowls). I pair it with glass Ikea cups so I don't lose my cool when they break. We are heading to IKEA Saturday and will be replacing the small glass cusps as we are down to two. I also like Ikeas plastic ware for little ones. Other than that I am :bigear:. Still working the kinks of organizing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maddykate Posted March 7, 2012 Share Posted March 7, 2012 Another suggestion regarding laundry that is working in our home (6 people)... Each child has 5 outfits in the drawer - three sets of playclothes, one nice outfit, and one church outfit. ALL other clothes are in storage boxes in the garage. When one set of playclothes gets too bad, I toss that set and go to the box to get another set. We live in an eleven hundred square foot, two bedroom town home. I have two chest of drawers for four kids. They have to be able to fit all of their personal clothing, outfits, etc into two drawers each. It is a system that is working beautifully. I highly recommend it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ottakee Posted March 7, 2012 Share Posted March 7, 2012 I agree with paring down the amout of clothes for each one--likely harder with teens but you can try. In the kitchen you can either go with 1 style of dishes---like white. OR you could get some dishes like from IKEA and have a different color for each person in the house and they get ONE dish, ONE bowl, ONE cup, ONE little plate, etc. Then you always know whose dishes are whose, who left them out, etc. You will though have to wash dishes after each meal that way. Then just use paper for guests or have a few hidden away. Chore lists might work for your olders with a list of chores to do each day. Maybe assign one child the living room, one the dining room, one the kitchen, etc. I know what you mean. I have 3 kids with special needs but mine are older and ARE capable of helping......yet my house is a MESS and I am sick of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosyl Posted March 8, 2012 Share Posted March 8, 2012 I downsized my kids' clothing and that helped so much with laundry. The downside of that is I actually have to keep up with laundry. lol I used Organized Simplicity. She has the reader set up a mission statement with the family before starting with minimizing. It helped with minimizing and the organizing to use the mission statement. I have a small basket for my dh to sit his stuff in in the living room. I have a small crate for his mail, bills etc. it is not organized, but it is confined--which is 1/2 the battle. I think that I am going to hav eto try the color coded dishes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abacus2 Posted March 8, 2012 Share Posted March 8, 2012 If your budget can handle it, now is a good time to use paper plates, bowls, etc. while you try to reign things in to a more acceptable level. Could you get a routine going where each kid old enough to handle it does one load of laundry each day including folding and putting away? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LibraryLover Posted March 8, 2012 Share Posted March 8, 2012 (edited) My dh gets a *ton* of mail, large pieces of mail: jounals, trade mags, conference envelopes, etc. He has a large basket for all of this. (Which I mailnly keep on the counter. It's a pretty basket, so it doesn't bother me.) He can carry it around the house, to his desk etc. But anything with his name goes in the basket (and it's not a small one). Some of the school items do stay on the desk and table for most of the week. I've trained myself to accept that. We do have bookshelves, but it's often easier to leave some of their notebooks and such at their spot at the desk or table. Early Friday afternoon, we clear all desks and the table. Everything goes back in the shelves until Mon. This has the place looking tidy through the weekend. Some things just are. People live and work here, and I don't have it in me to have the place look like it's always on the real estate market, waiting for an Open House. That would be too stressful. Laundry is kept in everyone's closet, in their own basket. There is no main center for dirty laundry. There is no hamper in the bathroom. In fact, There isn't anything in the bathroom but hookss and cabinets. No chairs, no benches, which are invitations to pile. The children all do their own laundry and have since about 10/11, maybe 12 for the oldest, before I got a clue. I've tried to teach them to fold as items come out of the dryer, and put right into their basket, which they then bring to their room. My 18 yr old hates to fold, so every T-shirt and all pants are hung. That's right, he does not have drawers of mushed up T-shirts. The boxers and socks can be tossed in his drawers, I don't care. lol I keep zilions of hangers on a rod near the dryer. Kids have to help. Clutter does drive me nuts, but it doesn't drive my family nuts. I've tried to teach them short cuts, and I have no issues reminding someone that a dryer bell has gone off and that dryer needs to be cleared for the next person's batch. That's not the same as running around screaming about their messes. lol Right? Edited March 8, 2012 by LibraryLover Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pretty in Pink Posted March 8, 2012 Share Posted March 8, 2012 I agree about paring down the kids' wardrobes. Additionally, I keep all of their clean clothes in the laundry room. It makes it easy for me to wash, fold, put away, and they don't go rummaging through it every day like they did when the clothes were in their rooms. Bonus: they don't need dressers! Less furniture = less expense, less dusting, and more room for beds and play (essential for kids that share rooms). I mentioned in another thread that my children have just three kinds of toys: legos, race cars, and a play kitchen. The little ones also each have one or two stuffed animals that live on their beds. I want to get rid of the books that we don't use on a regular basis. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LibraryLover Posted March 8, 2012 Share Posted March 8, 2012 The other thing I have found is that it doesn't take long to do certain tasks. They might look overwhelming, but a lot can be accomplished in 15 minutes. Or 5. It takes only a couple of minutes to pick up all the stuffed animals the dogs have dragged from the grils' room down to the living area (I have no idea why they do this.) A 'regular' messy kitchen only takes 15 or so minutes to put back in order. Ok, you might have to fill the sink with hot sopay water for that extra dirty pot, but swiping the counters and filling the dishwasher is a quick job. Sometimes I forget that and stress some. Yet, once I just start running the hot water for rinsing, and start putting the lunch boxes and containers back in the cabinets, it looks nearly perfect in minutes. Sure the big stuff, scrubbing the splatters in the stove burners takes longer, but to clear counters really does take a very few minutes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heart_Mom Posted March 8, 2012 Share Posted March 8, 2012 I agree about paring down the kids' wardrobes. Additionally, I keep all of their clean clothes in the laundry room. It makes it easy for me to wash, fold, put away, and they don't go rummaging through it every day like they did when the clothes were in their rooms. Bonus: they don't need dressers! Less furniture = less expense, less dusting, and more room for beds and play (essential for kids that share rooms). I mentioned in another thread that my children have just three kinds of toys: legos, race cars, and a play kitchen. The little ones also each have one or two stuffed animals that live on their beds. I want to get rid of the books that we don't use on a regular basis. How do you store the clean clothes in the laundry room? Do you have dressers in there? I think I really need to minimize how many clothes and toys my children have access to. With toys, I could put most in the basement and just bring something special up when they request it... I love hearing everyone's ideas. I feel much the same way as the OP. I know I have a lot going on, but I would like a clutter-free house too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LibraryLover Posted March 8, 2012 Share Posted March 8, 2012 I think drawers and dressers are the work of the devil. :001_huh: They are really only good for undies and socks. Hanging everything makes so much more sense. You can see what you've got! In our old home, we built closet systems in all of the bedrooms with lots of hanging space and hooks, with some shelving for sweaters andthat room's linens. The children did not have dressers. Our current home is over 100 years old, and that era just didn't have the closet thing down. ;) We have dressers in the girls' room now, and I really depsise them. Their closet is 19th century small. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pretty in Pink Posted March 8, 2012 Share Posted March 8, 2012 How do you store the clean clothes in the laundry room? Do you have dressers in there? I think I really need to minimize how many clothes and toys my children have access to. With toys, I could put most in the basement and just bring something special up when they request it... I love hearing everyone's ideas. I feel much the same way as the OP. I know I have a lot going on, but I would like a clutter-free house too! I have this shelving unit: http://www.homedepot.com/Storage-Organization-Garage-Storage-Freestanding-Shelving-Units/h_d1/N-5yc1vZb9pd/R-100655787/h_d2/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10053&langId=-1&storeId=10051 I used it in a previous home and just slid laundry baskets on the shelves. My current laundry room is more narrow but the lower cabinets are deep, so I store two baskets under the counter and two on top of the counter (4 kids). My daughter's clothes are currently being stored in her changing table in the hallway (an antique dresser, so two large drawers for clothes and two small for diapers and supplies). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thessa516 Posted March 8, 2012 Share Posted March 8, 2012 How do you store the clean clothes in the laundry room? Do you have dressers in there? I think I really need to minimize how many clothes and toys my children have access to. With toys, I could put most in the basement and just bring something special up when they request it... I love hearing everyone's ideas. I feel much the same way as the OP. I know I have a lot going on, but I would like a clutter-free house too! I've been thinking about doing this, as well. I found this blog. It has a post about how she organizes her children's clothing in the laundry room. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LibraryLover Posted March 8, 2012 Share Posted March 8, 2012 I've been thinking about doing this, as well. I found this blog. It has a post about how she organizes her children's clothing in the laundry room. Oh my. lol That does look pretty. Is it set up so that she has the kids take the first shirt and first pair of pants off the top of the stack, or does she let them rummage/search for the items they want? I can only see that as mess piles with mine. Hangers are my friend. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heart_Mom Posted March 8, 2012 Share Posted March 8, 2012 I have this shelving unit: http://www.homedepot.com/Storage-Organization-Garage-Storage-Freestanding-Shelving-Units/h_d1/N-5yc1vZb9pd/R-100655787/h_d2/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10053&langId=-1&storeId=10051 I used it in a previous home and just slid laundry baskets on the shelves. My current laundry room is more narrow but the lower cabinets are deep, so I store two baskets under the counter and two on top of the counter (4 kids). My daughter's clothes are currently being stored in her changing table in the hallway (an antique dresser, so two large drawers for clothes and two small for diapers and supplies). Got it! Thank you! My laundry room is very narrow, so we really don't have room for any sort of storage unit there, but maybe we could use that idea in my girls' room closet which is very large. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thessa516 Posted March 8, 2012 Share Posted March 8, 2012 Oh my. lol That does look pretty. Is it set up so that she has the kids take the first shirt and first pair of pants off the top of the stack, or does she let them rummage/search for the items they want? I can only see that as mess piles with mine. Hangers are my friend. :lol: Yep, hangers are my friend, too. I hang up everything except jeans, pjs, underwear, and socks. But now that you say that, I'm betting my boys would go for the jeans on the bottom of the pile, then the rest would fall down. :glare: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beth S Posted March 8, 2012 Share Posted March 8, 2012 Oh my. lol That does look pretty. Is it set up so that she has the kids take the first shirt and first pair of pants off the top of the stack, or does she let them rummage/search for the items they want? I can only see that as mess piles with mine. Hangers are my friend. :iagree: When I'm at Walmart, I make a mess of the shirts for sale when they are stacked like this. This would be MUCH too much work for us. Our kids lay (cram?) their shirts and jeans into a drawer and shut it. :001_smile: A previous poster mentioned limiting each child to 4-5 outfits (with more in storage). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mystie Posted March 8, 2012 Share Posted March 8, 2012 Decluttering as much as possible helps. With baby #4 I minimalized the gear and only had a baby wrap, a Bumbo, and I finally caved and pulled out the exersaucer....it was huge, but a life-saver. Baby stuff can take up so much room! It won't be around forever, though. Just get rid of it as soon as babies outgrow it. I went through recently and cut back all the clothes the kids had. It has helped a lot. They each have about 3-4 outfits, and at the end of the day, I run a load of laundry with their clothes and pajamas from that day. With fewer clothes, there's less on the floor, the drawers can close easily, and I *have* to do laundry and get it back to the kids. I found the blog series on "Reasonably Clean House" at ourmothersdaughters.blogspot.com very helpful and yet funny and encouraging. If you go to the blog and scroll down the sidebar she has links to her housekeeping, menu planning, and laundry posts. I wrote about the series myself on my blog here: http://www.simplyconvivial.com/tag/reasonably-clean It's helped a lot, but decluttering and establishing those habits can take years! I'd say this is year 4 or 5 for me in trying to keep stuff "reasonably clean" -- and it's been hard, slow going! But it is quite worth it! Find a few blogs or books that acknowledge the difficulty but encourage you to stick to it anyway and keep persevering even when you feel like you'll go crazy. I've totally been there and still get there sometimes, but it's slowly, slowly, becoming less and less often. :grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom28kds Posted March 8, 2012 Share Posted March 8, 2012 I hear ya, sister!!!!! I don't have babies anymore but have at time 7 kids living in the house plus me and DH. My oldest is married and on her own. Laundry isn't as big a deal to me becuase my laundry is in the basement and no one sees it. My youngest 4 (out of 8) are ages 5,6,7, 10. I'm soooooo tired of toys laying around the house and kids not picking them up. I'm soo ready to get rid of them. I feel for you and wish I were helpful but I happen to be in your boat. I want to get rid of things but feel guilty for doing so. UGH!!!! :bigear: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mykdsmomy Posted March 8, 2012 Author Share Posted March 8, 2012 Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!!! :grouphug: This is the first time I've been able to get back to the thread to respond! I'll be back in a while to multi quote some of the brilliant posts :) One thing I've found is that I feel so much more at peace when there is nothing out on the counters! I put everything away that was on my bathroom counter (except the basket that holds our everyday stuff) and it looked so peaceful!!! I think the mental clutter that all the stuff brings adds to my feelings of being overwhelmed! Less "stuff" means more time for organizing the things that really matter (if that makes any sense at all :lol:) Be back in a bit....I have the owners of our house stopping by today to look at our floors (they are going to replace them)....plus I have dfd's social worker coming by....which means I'm in full on panic clean the house top to bottom mode!!!!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mudboots Posted March 8, 2012 Share Posted March 8, 2012 I've been thinking about doing this, as well. I found this blog. It has a post about how she organizes her children's clothing in the laundry room. This idea is great! The laundry room and the kids' rooms couldn't be any further apart in our house. Plus, the kids are constantly pulling their clothes out of their closets. I may just empty their closets until they are older. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rieshy Posted March 8, 2012 Share Posted March 8, 2012 I keep all the toys in my bedroom master closet. Keeps the bedrooms from descending into madness. Anytime my family goes anywhere (especially fun places) we spend the last 10 minutes before departure picking up the main rooms. The kids know that I Will Not Leave until the pick up is completed. They don't like being late, insert evil laugh... it's amazing how fast a group of kids can clean just to get me out the door. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mykdsmomy Posted March 14, 2012 Author Share Posted March 14, 2012 . OR you could get some dishes like from IKEA and have a different color for each person in the house and they get ONE dish, ONE bowl, ONE cup, ONE little plate, etc. Then you always know whose dishes are whose, who left them out, etc. You will though have to wash dishes after each meal that way. Then just use paper for guests or have a few hidden away. . I LOVE this idea, thank you!!! I used Organized Simplicity. She has the reader set up a mission statement with the family before starting with minimizing. It helped with minimizing and the organizing to use the mission statement. I have a small basket for my dh to sit his stuff in in the living room. I have a small crate for his mail, bills etc. it is not organized, but it is confined--which is 1/2 the battle. . I've read Organized Simplicity as well and really liked it. I think I need to re read it ;) I've given dh a small basket, then another, and another, and another....He now has several baskets filled with his stuff inside his many different cabinets :glare: I agree about paring down the kids' wardrobes. Additionally, I keep all of their clean clothes in the laundry room. It makes it easy for me to wash, fold, put away, and they don't go rummaging through it every day like they did when the clothes were in their rooms. Bonus: they don't need dressers! Less furniture = less expense, less dusting, and more room for beds and play (essential for kids that share rooms). . I love this idea and on a similar note have always wanted to have a "family closet" to keep at least the little ones clothes in but we don't have the room. Our washer/dryer is in our kitchen and it's pretty crammed :( I went through recently and cut back all the clothes the kids had. It has helped a lot. They each have about 3-4 outfits, and at the end of the day, I run a load of laundry with their clothes and pajamas from that day. With fewer clothes, there's less on the floor, the drawers can close easily, and I *have* to do laundry and get it back to the kids. I found the blog series on "Reasonably Clean House" at ourmothersdaughters.blogspot.com very helpful and yet funny and encouraging. If you go to the blog and scroll down the sidebar she has links to her housekeeping, menu planning, and laundry posts. I wrote about the series myself on my blog here: www.simplyconvivial.com/tag/reasonably-clean It's helped a lot, but decluttering and establishing those habits can take years! I'd say this is year 4 or 5 for me in trying to keep stuff "reasonably clean" -- and it's been hard, slow going! But it is quite worth it! Find a few blogs or books that acknowledge the difficulty but encourage you to stick to it anyway and keep persevering even when you feel like you'll go crazy. I've totally been there and still get there sometimes, but it's slowly, slowly, becoming less and less often. :grouphug: Thank you so much for the links!!! I know I do need to persevere and it will pay off. Rome wasn't built in a day....but I'm sure if Rome had small children, it would have been wrecked in a day :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elfgivas Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 re laundry..... after many, many years, the thing that works for us is for me to put a load of laundry in each morning before breakfast. i do minimal sorting (each week, there are two/three jeans loads and laundry loads). everything else goes in together. we bought a large washing machine.... it fits clothes for 6 in it, so i'm guessing with littles it would do 7 or 8.... then i hang it up (no dryer). then before dinner Every Day, the elders go and put away their stuff. i put away dh and my stuff. when the youngest ones were really little, i would stand at the racks, hand them folded things and say "put these in your top drawer", "these go in your middle drawer", etc. the there is a jeans/towels/sheets load each morning after i hang up the first load, and it goes on the line. at the end of a day, it comes in and i fold it and put it away or call dc to come and get their jeans. a lot of other stuff still isn't where i'd like it, but starting with one thing may help everything else? :grouphug: ann Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scuff Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 With the older kids, we went through their rooms and painfully decluttered. Then we made up a detailed list of what to do when cleaning. (make bed, specifically what should be on the bed, pick up toys, (and labled the shelves for where to put the toys) pick up floor, then detailed areas of thr floor going around the room) This has worked beautifully. They are able to clean their own rooms in just a few minutes. And they haven't really missed the stuff we got rid of. The girls did talk about their barbis the other day, but i reminded them that they still have dolls, AG dolls and stuffed animals. They quickly decided they were ok without their barbies. (we did declutter together, sO they did help decide what to get rid of) We also really decluttered the baby's toys. It's amazing how many toys she had already been given. After this we went through each room of the house making lists of what to do to clean that room. Each list is laminated and each week a child is assigned that area. They are rewarded with game time and $ for doing their chores and each day after dinner, they work for a bit to get it all done. With the lists (so they know exactly what to do) and incentive, they have kept the house reasonable. It's still a kid's job, so the floor really needs an adult mopping and we do have to check their work (rules are mommy checks twice, sibling may precheck once, that way they don't have me checking all night long while they do a mediocre job). But it's so much cleaner than it was. They are starting to take ownership of the house (annoyed when sis leaves stuff in their area sometimes helps thrm think about where they are putting theirs). It's not perfect. The whole house needs a good scrub down. But they've maintained the house pretty well while I've been sick and tired these last few months due to #5. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scuff Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 One more thing, does dh have a room or corner of the basemnet or something that is all his? If so, gather his stuff ina box and put it in his area. Or the kids can do it when they are responsible for a room. That way he can deal eith it in his own time and it doesn't aggrevate you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pretty in Pink Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 I love this idea and on a similar note have always wanted to have a "family closet" to keep at least the little ones clothes in but we don't have the room. Our washer/dryer is in our kitchen and it's pretty crammed :( Family closet?! Now there is a good idea! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cara in Ky Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 For those feeling guilty about de-cluttering, my kids and I participate in a yard sale once a year. We join in with a friend who's neighborhood does one large sale together each year. My children LOVE to participate. I allow them to choose what of their's stays and what goes. Usually what they take on Friday is a small load, but when they see the $$ they make friday, the load for Saturday's sale is always larger. Win win. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scuff Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 When decluttering, it's helpful to think about how they play with things. My girls are ver imaginative in their play. But they had a ton of different things that they played with that way. Large stuffies, small stuffies, dolls, barbies, my little ponies, AG dolls, doll house & dolls, paper dolls, playmobile, sch. plastic animals & barn, ect ect ect. With ds it was building sets. So, when we widdled down things, we let them choose from catagories. They still have a few sets of things, but it's much more managable. And since they were getting rid of things that they played with similarly, they haven't really missed the things that are gone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nova147 Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 What's working for me right now is mimizing wardrobes (forces me to do laundry!), doing ongoing chores (dishes, laundry, cooking) myself, and paying the kids for cleaning chores (counters, toilets, floors). Mine are little and will do chores for a quarter or two. They don't do a great job, but it's better than nothing. I declutter occasionally by grabbing a few things that are annoying me (toys that talk too much or are always on the floor). I wish I could be more intentional about this but I have too much going on to do that. I like the idea of paper plates. Might have to do that for a while. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lineinthesand9 Posted May 25, 2012 Share Posted May 25, 2012 I think drawers and dressers are the work of the devil. :001_huh: :iagree: I'm a fan of hanging clothing, and tubs/bins! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpecialClassical Posted May 25, 2012 Share Posted May 25, 2012 I don't have time to read all the replies, but I suggest starting with one room. Continue cleaning the other rooms as you have been/can. Whatever room visitors will spend time in or see first is the room to choose. Then declutter that room as much as possible. I have done this with my living room and it is so fast to clean! I figure that even if the rest of my house is a mess, drop-by visitors can feel comfy and will know we aren't complete slobs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommymilkies Posted May 25, 2012 Share Posted May 25, 2012 We only have 2 smallish closets in our house. ENTIRE house. No pantry, hall closets, or anything. The third closet is where the washer/dryer is, so it's not usable as an actual closet. We have a smaller house that is awkwardly laid out and has baseboard heaters throughout which makes decorating and arranging furniture impossible. Last weekend I turned our library/hs room into the "playroom" to clear some space in the kids' rooms. It has made an amazing difference. Plus we threw away 3 bags of trash and took 2 bags to Salvation Army, so win-win. Sometimes having a big goal helps. I still have a lot of decluttering to do and the dog hair makes my house continually filthy. :glare: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swellmomma Posted May 25, 2012 Share Posted May 25, 2012 I've been thinking about doing this, as well. I found this blog. It has a post about how she organizes her children's clothing in the laundry room. That looks like an awesome solution. I have that same bookcase holding our homeschool stuff in the livingroom. Very tempting to dump all the books on the floor and put the laundry in it. Though some how I don't think that will help my mess right now. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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