Before You Go to Bed Tonight

Have you ever gone to bed with utter and complete chaos around the house? Sometimes, you just want to close yourself off from the mess and kids fighting and your husband not being home. Well, I think you know as well as I do...the next morning, it looks and feels even worse! Do you know there are some simple steps you can take to take charge of this situation?

A few weeks ago, I found a website by someone who calls herself Flylady. The crux of her mantra, is if you keep your sink shiny and clean, everything else will follow along. She has many followers who she has guided from baby steps to being full fledged superwomen around the house. I felt I already had a handle on things but valued her opinions. I think they are good ones. If you are at a complete standstill, be sure to stop by her website. I didn't want to write about household order without mentioning her.

If you have no need for a major overhaul in the homemaker arena, there is this one small task you can do to keep your life and home in order. I call it the "15 minute pass through". After the kids are in bed and all the lights are down low, I grab the laundry basket and make a pass through the house from room to room. I collect things that are out of place, remnants of trash and straighten up blankets, chairs askew and rugs bunched up. As I go through the room an item belongs in, I just grab it out of the basket and put it away. It's that simple. At this time, I also go over my to do list for tomorrow, as well as my long term to do list. It's pretty amazing how you realize what errands need running and things you have been putting off....all while you are walking around your house.

The first time you do this, if you've never done it before, it is going to take longer than 15 minutes. So don't be disheartened. Give it a chance. There is a certain inner peace the mind thrives on, knowing everything is in its rightful place. I won't go into the mumbo jumbo but suffice it to say you will finally sleep like a baby after doing this.

If you want to get your kids and husband in on it, have them stage their school and work items by the front door. Have their shoes and other items ready to go, including their outfits for tomorrow. Sometimes I even go as far as getting out the cereal bowls and cereal. You have the added benefit of having the morning flow so much easier if you take these additional steps.

What simple things do you do around the house to make your life easier?

Read this article and others on family life at Manicmama!