A few tips to help your day run smoother

3 kids is no walk in the park with a cool breeze blowing...especially with two 5 year old tornados like I have. 

I am certainly not one to give advice on how to maintain your home, but one of my goals for the new year has been to keep my house more "picked up" or "tidy", whatever your fancy is. 

During the day though, when the kids are having lots of fun playing and well, just being kids, things are far from perfect, and I'm really ok with that. We try to keep the things that they drag out to a minimum, and clean up when we are done with things. This is a work and progress for all of us. 

 A couple of weeks ago, we did a huge clean out of the playroom. We eliminated so much stuff that they just didn't need, nor did they love anymore. It was a great feeling. Such a great feeling that I really cannot wait for spring to get here so I can have a humongous garage sale. I fully intend on getting rid of anything that we haven't used since we moved into this house in November 2011. But that's an entirely different post in itself. 

Today I wanted to share a few things that I have been doing that seem to be helping things flow a little better. 

1. Putting all my clean dishes away, right after I'm through washing them!

I have never ever done this, and I find that it has made a huge difference in the way my kitchen looks. 

We have an open floor plan, so if my kitchen is/looks messy, then it makes the rest of my house feel messy, even when it's not. It takes me about 3 extra minutes a night to do this, and I think it's 3 minutes well served. 

2. Pick up the living room before the kids go to bed. 

If we have been consistent throughout the day with not dragging out more than we need, then this part doesn't take us very long. I have the twins take all of their stuff to their bedroom, it may not get put away at that moment, but we are taking baby steps here. 😉 

They also help clean up Carly's toys. I have always been the one to clean up everything, but I feel that they are 5 years old now, and it's time for me to start making it a must, instead of a fight. 

I tell them Mommy is not a maid, and that  it's not fair for them to expect me to clean up after them for everything. The best part about this, is 96% of the time they enjoy helping me. It is a way for me to make them feel important and needed. They love being mommy's big helper. 

3. Making sure the kitchen table is clear after dinner! 

This is pretty explanatory, but it makes it nice to come out to a noncluttered table in the morning for breakfast. 

4. Shoes are taken to the closet as soon as we get home. 

After many, many, and I cannot express the MANY times I have searched for the missing 4th shoe, I have finally got the girls to take their shoes to their closet when we get home. I generally have to ask them once, and sometimes I get one child who listens, and the other needs another reminder, but it has helped so much. Less clutter sitting around our house, and the majority of the time, I do not have to search for a shoe outside of their bedroom! SCORE!! 

I know these sound minimal to some of you, and I'm sure for many of you, this is nothing new , but for me, it has been very helpful. Having two children the same age, and then having a baby, hasn't been the easiest thing for me to adjust to. 

So I'm taking baby steps here. I can't change everything overnight, so it's one step at a time. For now, I'm pleased with the change these little things are making in our day to day lives. 

I hope some of these ideas where helpful to you! I would love if you shared some of your helpful ideas!