Most of us realise that children require a routine, but I have found that I too perform better when I have a routine, especially when it comes to keeping an orderly house.

I don’t have a super neat and tidy house, but I find that if I stick

I thought I would write down how I do things, and maybe someone out there in Minti land might find that a few things I do, may well work for them as well, so here goes.

I have a stack of folded and clean face washers near my kitchen sink, I have a nice wooden basket on the kitchen bench and the folded bibs in a stack not far from the high chair. I am able to feed and clean bub and the chair with little fuss or mess rather quickly as everything is near where I need it.

I have a plastic table cloth folded in the high chair that I simply flip out and put under the chair during meal times. After I have wiped down the chair with the face washer I used for face and hands, I simply take the drop cloth to the edge of the lawn for the dog and the birds to clean up.

I have 2 spare bedrooms (I know I’m very lucky) in this house and I keep the linen for the beds in that particular room (one has a queen the other a king single with a trundle bed) in the dressing table draws that are in each room. That way I can quickly change linen without hunting or going backwards and forwards all over the house choosing linens. I also keep an old face washer in a draw in each room to run over everything as a duster and then I pop it in the laundry’s laundry basket or machine on my way back past…. Easy and done.

I don’t put my vac away entirely, it lives in a corner in the lounge all tidily arranged and behind a rocking chair, but it has it’s extension cords all attached so that I know I just have to plug it into the plug in the lounge and it will reach the entire house with out a problem. I don’t have to turn it off and stop for anything because if I do stop I am likely to lose momentum or get distracted and the job will take longer or be left unfinished.

My Mop lives in my kitchen also tucked away and un noticeable and I simply fill up the kitchen sink and mop from there. It saves having to find, rinse and fill a bucket etc. I use usually Domestos and I’ll soak some bibs and face washers in it before I use it on the floor……. To birds with one stone. Then you just hook out the plug with what ever and rinse out your sink and easy peasy jobs done.

All our daughters toys have their place and if not the communal toy box, but it’s only half full, just about everything has it’s special spot and this makes tidying up toys so incredibly fast and easy. No thinking required, you know where they go, so bang, bang, bang, there they are, and neat as a pin, it’s done in less than 5 mins.

Speaking of toys I have created using furniture a play area that’s separate from the rest of the house and except for things on wheels (prams, walkers, block trolleys) the toys stay in the toy play area. This also makes things easier, tidier in general and quicker to tidy up later. We have low shelves, tubs and baskets in the toy room, so apart from book placing and soft toy placing and puzzle placing on shelves everything else can be easily tossed in the general direction of the basket, it’s so incredibly quick it should be mandatory LOL. And I may add, that as I was a Nanny who brought toys, games etc with me to my gigs, our daughter has a TON of toys, and dress ups etc, an absolute ton, I could open a toy library.

Bathing. When I give bub a bath I have a roll of paper towel in the cabinet under the basin. I dry bub, let her lpay on the mat with a couple of bath toys whilst I wipe the tub out with the towel, I use the same towel to wipe down the vanity, basin and mirror then shuttle bub out the dor with me crawling backwards behind her wiping down the floor after having hung up the bath mats over the shower and the sparkling clean and dry bath. One last look at the shining bathroom that took 4 minutes to do and I can smile and close the door, it’s done.

If something doesn’t have a spot, use a nappy box. I have wrapped some of ours with wrapping paper to make them look nicer and if I’m in I can’t be bothered mode or I haven’t the time mode I simply shove everything that’s looking scattered into a box to sort out at a better time. This happens mostly with the stuff on this very computer desk, which unlike our old house, is sitting in the open planned kitchen dining living area, and seems to be the collection point for absolutely everything at some point especially when hubby’s home……. So decorate a box to get back to later. Having an instantly clear desk or bench or table may give you the lift you need to make you feel good that day or secretly happy with yourself when a friend rings to ask if they can come over for a cuppa in 10 mins etc. And I find that I DO get back to the boxes, because as I said earlier, everything does have it’s place, it’s just then a matter of carting the box around until it’s empty again.

These nappy boxes are also great for having in the bottoms of kids wardrobes as if something doesn’t fit, simply fold it up again and pop it in the box, when the box is full then you just have to tape it up and write the size (as they’ll all be around the same) and the season and either put it away or give it away or what ever it is you do with your cast off’s. Also great for the toy toss and tidy if your budget doesn’t stretch to tubs or baskets (I got all our baskets from Op-Shops though which is a great place to look, especially after Xmas). Just go to your cheap shop, buy a roll of nice wrapping paper for $3- AUD and either use tape or glue (sparingly if glue… as in not much) Fold the tabs in if using for a toy toss and tidy and cover them, it’s quick easy and very effective.

I have discovered that Woolworths/Safeway sells stuff called Cleaning Vinegar. This is a Super strong white vinegar. Where I live the tap water is extremely high in calcium and as a result the shower gets calcium stains regularly as does everything I put through the dish washer often came out with a white film over it, I pour some cleaning vinegar in the dishwasher prior to turning it on with it’s regular washing powder and everything comes out as it should, crystal clean and shiny, shiny. In the shower I have put some in a pump spray bottle and spray it on, it doesn’t require wiping or even washing off it just melts it away like magic, and best of all you get a cordial style bottle full of it For $1.95 AUD, it’s brilliant stuff and cuts cleaning time down to a ¼ of what it once was. I have a pump bottle under the bathroom basin in the main bathroom and the ensuit (it’s also good in the loo’s) Your house may smell like a fish and chip shop for half an hour but it’s not eye wateringly unbearable or anything and goes completely after a short while.

That’s all I can think of for now. I hope this has helped someone out there find themselves some more free time, as that’s what being a little bit organised and in a routine essentially does for you, well, that’s what I have found anyway.