~The Keeper Of Home Series:Why Keep a Tidy Home & How To Do It When Your Busy~

This morning, I thought I would talk about why you may want to keep a tidy home.  Some people think keeping a neat and tidy home is to impress those who may visit your home from time to time.  Yes, it is nice to a have a put together space when people are over, but it goes a lot further than just that reason.  Consider how much nicer your days could be to live inside a home that is neat, clean and tidy and organized.  Some people think they are too busy to do this, I say if you are very busy, it is all the more reason!  Busy people need a place to get away from the hustle and bustle of daily life.  Busy people need to know where everything is quickly at times...more reason to declutter and organize.  

First let me start by saying, we will never have a home that feels clean and tidy when we have too many items in the home.  Yes, I'm referring to clutter.  Clutter does not mean trash, clutter can be very nice items that are worth good money.  However, if they don't have a home in your home, those items actually can cause your life stress.  If you find yourself victim to piles of clutter laying around your home, or closets that are full of who knows what, then it is time to take action!  You can tackle it head on if your schedule allows, or just do a little each day.  Let's say you don't have a lot of time to just work on clutter.  Make a game out of it, and get rid of 10-15 items each day.  Make sure to bag them up, and put them in the trunk of your car, so when you get a lot, you can run them to donate.  It is best to not keep the items you are going to donate inside of your space, other wise you are still living with the clutter.  Letting go of things you don't use on a regular basis, extra clothing that you may not truly have the space for, or have not worn in years.  If it is an item that you have a memory associated with, take a photo, and make a little photo album of those items, then let them go.  Of course if it is something very special to you, then give it a good home.  My motto is if it does not have a home, it won't say in our home.  Sometimes it takes a while to find the proper home for something.  Before we can make home's for all of the items that we will allow to take up valuable real estate in our space, we must make space by decluttering, regrouping and organizing those things we allow our selves to keep.  Just remember it's okay to take baby steps, and  just do a little each day.  If you do this, it may take a while, but if you don't give up, in the end your space can truly be a sanctuary for your spirit.  

   I think it is a good idea to develop an organizing system for yourself and your family.  Some form of an organizer that you can keep track of events and a little pad of paper in that organizer, where every evening, you can make a tomorrow list, of tasks.  I can not tell you how much this helps me.  It is good to also make a morning routine, a after dinner routine, and a night time routine.  Customize these as you need and get in the habit of doing them.  I believe keeping your kitchen clean is the most important task, because we must be ready for the next meal.  Cleaning as we go helps to make it easier, I have found.  So when you are making dinner, wash the items you used to prep the dinner even before it is done cooking.  Dry them and put them in thier home.  After dinner, clean your kitchen, do the dishes, and wipe counter tops down every evening.  Cleaning as you go, and having set routines that you get in the habit of  doing, is key to keeping a neat, tidy and organized home. When we do laundry, fold and put it away as soon as we get it out of the dryer.  This way our laundry never becomes piles of clutter.  If you hate to clean, set a timer and clean for 15-20 minutes at a time, then let yourself take a break.  This method works well for me on days that I just don't have a lot of energy.  Cleaning little by little still gets the job done!

The actions of decluttering, tidying up, cleaning your space and organizing is a ongoing process, that you will never be done with.  However, the big declutter and organizing will make the daily up keep so much easier!!!  One thing my mother told me is work as hard for yourself as you would for any job you get paid for.  This always stuck with me.  Keeping a home is work, but to me it is important for my spirit and my family's.  Just remember when we as mother's get so upset that no one else seems to care, we care, and we deserve a neat tidy home!  

I thought I would put the photos of my simple outside fall decor up on this little blog post.  I know it is not really fall yet, but Sept. 1st is when I like to decorate for fall.  Thank you so much for visiting my little space, and I hope that anyone who is wanting to keep a tidy, clean and organized home, but does not know where to start, can just start with baby steps.  Have a great day!  Hugs.  Juli