Keeping a Tidy Home While Homeschooling

The following post is from contributing writer Jen @ Forever, For Always, No Matter What

Notice my title is how to keep a “tidy” home.  Don’t confuse that with immaculate, pristine, and ready for a magazine photo shoot.  That, my friends, is a fairy tale.  Real, living, breathing mess-making people live in your home.

It’s my belief that our children would prefer to live in a home that is a little bit lived in, rather than a home with a stressed out, freaked out mom who follows them around with a mop and a dust cloth barking orders.  That’s no way for anyone to live, especially a family that is together 24/7.

However, going in the other extreme and living in a disorganized pit of chaos is no fun either.  No one thrives in that situation.

Whether you are living in a disorganized pit of chaos and looking to make some changes, or just in need of a couple of fresh ideas to keep things rolling, I hope this post can be of help.

Tips for a Tidy Home

Get up Early – This is the single best thing I can recommend for helping your day to go smoothly.  Getting up and being ready for the day by the time the kids get up is a marvelous thing.

Go to Bed with a Clean Kitchen – It really only takes a few extra minutes to tidy up the kitchen before heading off to bed for the night.  You will thank yourself in the morning.

Have a Chore Routine – Have a laundry day, a bigger cleaning job day, a sheets washer day etc.  When you get up knowing your day has a specific cleaning purpose, it’s so much easier to get that task completed.

Cleaning Times Throughout the Day – Just like it makes it easier to clean up as you go while cooking, the homeschooling day is the same way.  In the morning I expect the kids to have a made bed and picked up room {I do the same!} before we start our school day.

When we break for lunch we take a few minutes to tidy up the house, put away books that we are finished with etc., we do the same when we are done with our school day/before Dad comes home.  We do another pick up before the kids head for bed.  Many hands make light work and the mini cleanups really help little messes to stay little and more manageable.

Declutter – This is a never ending task and one I must stay diligent with.  If you haven’t done a major declutter in a while, I highly suggest the task.  And I’m talking a top to bottom declutter, not just a junk drawer.

This isn’t a quick fix, but will definitely give you the biggest bang for your buck.  The less stuff the easier it is to clean.  Have a garage sale, sell it on-line, donate or throw it away – but get rid of it!

Keeping a tidy home is a constant practice in diligence.  It’s worth it though to not feel overwhelmed every day with the myriad of tasks we have to accomplish.  Staying on track and doing small things each day really add up.  The reward is a comfortable and inviting home for you and your family.