Around The House Tip

As the maid (that's what I like to call myself) to 5 people and 4 animals I am always looking for ways to simplify my life.  

One thing I have noticed since being married and having children is that they are MESSY.  They leave a little, or sometimes a big, trail around the house where they have been.  Usually consisting of toys, books, electronic devices, etc.  

I used to pick these items up one by one and take them to their appropriate locations alllll daaaay long.  So to simplify I started using a basket and collecting things that did not belong once a day.  We would then put the items where they were supposed to be.  This worked well for a long time, when the kids were sharing rooms and our house was small.  

Now we have a toy/playroom and basement bedrooms. It just takes too long to collect, sort, find homes and so forth.  

That's when I started using one basket by the stairs for toys that go in the toy/playroom, this works well because all the toys go in one room now. Yay!!!  But for items that go to specific kids rooms, that was a challenge.  I felt like I was calling or yelling, they would say, for them to come and get their stuff all the time.

Finally, rethinking the situation, I came up with an answer that works great for us..........I have them take their clean and folded laundry to their rooms once a week to be put away.  They each have their own baskets in the laundry room, so now when I find an item that needs to go to their room I put it in their laundry basket.  Then when they put their clothes away they can put the items away too. AWESOME right?!?!?

This has also solved another problem we have, kids losing things.  They now know  if they can not find something (probably because they left it laying around where it is not supposed to be) to look in their laundry basket, because that is where I put it when I found it laying around where it was not supposed to be!!!! Urrr

Anyway it works great all around, and a lot less urrrrs from me. :}