Can You Have a Clean House with Toddlers?

It’s one of those weeks.  You know, where you look around your house and say, “What in the world happened?  Did a tornado hit?”

I know that my house will never be one of those pictures from a magazine.  I’m okay with that.  I mean, people actually LIVE in my house…  But sometimes the clutter gets to the very core of me.  Maybe it is because my own mother was a SAHM and the house was spotless.  No, I kid you not, spotless.  She ironed my dad’s hankies for goodness sakes!  I can’t remember seeing cookie crumbs on the carpet – if they were there, they got vacuumed up right away.  The kitchen floor got scrubbed weekly, and waxed.  Waxed!  So maybe that is why when I look around my own house I feel like I’m just not doing something right…

Granted my mother had kids 7 years apart, so by the time there was a toddler making spills and carrying things off, there was also an older child to entertain the toddler so Mom could clean.  But  still, there has to be a way I can make my house a little more presentable, even with a 3 year old and (can he really be almost 21 months?) her toddler brother.

And that’s what I’m in search of today.  Answers.  Yes, I know, in the time I took to write this I could have swept the kitchen floor or picked up the toys that are scattered in the living room… That is if I actually took the time to write this in one sitting (which I didn’t).  But I want something that will last longer than just when it’s Monkey’s nap time and Peanut is in her room (making a mess, no doubt) for quiet time.  So I’m off to research some ideas/make a schedule/hire a cleaning service (lol – not on one income!)/ or maybe find my own fairy godmother to come up with a solution.  I’ll get back with you on my progress — But if you don’t hear from me in a week, assume I got lost in the mountain of laundry and send back up, please!