Hello!

How can I get my home in order? I have 2.5 and 1 year old and I feel like I’m struggling to keep my head above water. I feel completely disorganized and my house is constantly a shambles. I have recently discovered the huge benefit of meal planning but I’m wondering what other mums do/ use to make their life easier. Looking for ideas like routines, organizational tools, apps etc.. Basically anything that has made a big difference to your daily life.

Posted by anon, 20/09/13

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  • Meal plans, daily routines, family diary/ weekly planner, and reward charts can all help. I found it’s easier to not try and control the chaos, but just kind of go with it. Get your kids to help with the day to day tidying up.


  • What ideas did you end up using?


  • do what you can :)


  • ive learnt not to put as much pressure on myself to have everything perfect and also not letting things pile up because then it is overwhelming to get started!! I try to do one load of washing every morning, i put it in the machine the night before with detergent then switch it on the minute i wake up and hang it out before i go out for the day. Also focusing on one or two cleaning tasks per day to break it down. Meal planning is great but im not very consistent here.


  • Meal planning has been a big saviour to me too. All of my children’s toys (similar age to your two) are all kept in one area of the house and the eldest is responsible for packing up before meals so that everything is kept reasonably tidy throughout the day. Taste.com is excellent as if you find a recipe you like when meal planning you can create a shopping list as you go and then just print it out.


  • I found relaxing about it helps :)


  • I feel the same. Don’t be too hard on yourself.


  • i find that night time and early mornings are my power times. during the day i find it harder to get things done


  • I actually find the most productive time to be in the mornings, by afternoon I am all burnt out.


  • I get up of a morning and while the kids are eating breakfast I might make beds and put washing on. Whenever the kids are watching tele I try to get things done. if they kids are old enough also get them to help put things away


  • An organised house with children is hard if not impossible.I have a HUGE toybox and we pick up before bedtime evry night without fail.As long as the dishes are done and the beds made the house will look tidy.A schedule is important I bought a crockpot so meals are prepared first thing in the morning without fail.I found with a crockpot use the same amount of liquid and spices as if cooking in the stove as the meals turn out a lot better.


  • lists work best for me. im so forgetful since having kids!


  • Teach your kids from a young age to help you when you are cleaning. Train them to put their toys away when finished playing.


  • I colour code the toys in boxes, and though my bub isnt old enough to help pack them up, this is a good system for us, i do meal plan and do my grocerries online (that way i do it at night when the shops are closed and dont waste time during the day with bub being grumpy at the shops) also i allocate one area a day, ie vacuum one day, mop the next, sheets the next etc.


  • Some really great tips here!


  • I just reorganised our study, hubby and I took a trip to Ikea and spent $75 on a heap of nice coordinating boxes. we have a different box for family photos, books, toys, receipts and bits and pieces. In total we purchased 15 boxes of all shapes and sizes and it has made so much difference. Our bookshelf looks great now and everything is so tidy. it makes it easier to put things away and keep it clean. also get rid of anything that you don’t need. I hate clutter, and if I haven’t touched something in awhile I will just throw it out.


  • with change of season i wake up 15 minutes earlier to get up and hang the washing out before it gets hot. small changes start great effiency :)


  • i found that cutting down tv time helps. as they like playing with tv going and background,…when no tv, they go outside to play


  • Have a list of what you absolutely need to get done, and cross things off as you do them. It motivates you to get more done, and even if you think that you haven’t done anything, look at your list and see what’s been crossed off, and you can see that you’ve actually got stuff done.


  • Sometimes you ju have to let go, realise that memories are made from mayhem and mess and that some things are ok left for later – sometimes children are like a blender with no top aren’t they!


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