Clutter-Free....sorda

I was recently asked how I keep my house so clean with my kids home all day......I literally chuckled under my breath. CLEAN? More like the appearance of clean. Yes, if you walk in my house right before a house showing and the kids are already in the car, my house is clean. If you walk in my house 2 minutes after our return when the showing is over, IT IS NOT CLEAN. Toys start getting pulled back out, snacks start making crumbs again, and dirty clothes starting piling up. To be honest, I do not like clutter. If things, papers, or toys start piling up in a certain area, I can handle it for awhile but then I have to get it put away for my sanity. I have mastered the art of stuffing in drawers and have bought many plastic bins for easy cleaning.....and hiding:).

So, that is how answered the question. I have about 4 junk drawers in our home. One is in the kitchen and 3 are in our roll top desk. These drawers house anything from a garden shovel to a toy helicopter or from a dart gun to a hammer. I love these drawers because when I start seeing things all over, I just stick it all in there and it is out of my sight. Then, when those drawers get full, I clean them out once a month and start all over with the stuffing. So, is that considered clean? Not really, but it does help me feel like it is. I can't do it all. I can't have a incredible, spotless, and most-organized house and really concentrate on what's most important: my kids. I can't cook every meal from scratch everyday, three times a day and read fun books with Samuel while it rains outside. These sneaky tricks I have only help me to feel clean but give me tons of time to do the things that matter most like making a volcano with Katelyn. I honestly can't tell you the last time I mopped my kitchen floor or cleaned out the freezer. I can tell you how great the MLK documentary was that Katelyn and I watched and how many questions she had. I can't tell you the last time I even looked under Katelyn's bed (there could possibly be all kinds of things under there) but I can tell you that Samuel's favorite thing to do with me is paint pictures. I can't tell you the last time I dusted our blinds (I may never have...lol) but I can tell you how much Katelyn lights up when she is on a horse and the excitement it brings to watch her ride.

So, is my house really clean? Yes and No. Most of the time, NO. Yes, if I have recently stuffed all the clutter away. I don't know what happened when I got into my thirties but it seems I have gotten to a place of seeing importance in things. I don't feel bad anymore if someone stops by and our house looks "normal." I know that I will never get back these years with my sweet little ones and I have to pick and choose what gets clean each day. So, if you ever come to my house, open a few drawers and you will see where it all goes......just don't look under Katelyn's bed!! Keepin' it real!!!

Junk drawer in kitchen....I can't even tell you what's all in it!!

Our kitchen this morning: Basketball shoes and Josh's computer bag still is still in the floor from last night. Samuel wanted to clean the dishes for me, which means water is spraying all over the place and he is soaked. Cinnamon rolls are still sitting on a dirty stove top. A hair-bow of mine sitting on kitchen countertop(my nanny and mom would hate that something that goes in your hair is near food...AHHHH). School books all over kitchen table which is an everyday occurrence. I couldn't get the laundry room in the picture but there is laundry falling out of the dryer that I didn't fold last night. It will stay this way until this afternoon and we've had all of our fun..:).