I have a theory that in order to have a truly clean house with kids you should be gone constantly, then you and your kids wont have a chance to get it dirty. I thought that when I quit my job my house would always be organized and clean, but quickly learned that is definitely not true, the more I am home the messier my house gets. Since we are home everyday for most meals and the kids playing, my house certainly gets dirty fast. I may not be the best housekeeper around, I hate dusting and my bedroom is the pit of despair for all things that don’t have a home, but the one room that I try to keep clean is my kitchen.  

Every night after I put the kids to sleep, I walk into the kitchen to pick up any mess that I didn’t get put away after dinner, any snack dishes, and cups. I make sure that I pick up the counter tops, spray them with my vinegar and water solution, wipe the counters, wipe the table, empty the coffee pot set it up for the next morning, empty all the dishes from the sink, fill the dishwasher and wipe out my sink. Doing this every night makes it so I am greeted with a clean kitchen in the morning. It sets the tone for a less chaotic morning. I can’t cook in a dirty kitchen, so when it is cleaned at night I don’t feel like I need to clean before I can prepare my kids breakfast.

Try cleaning your kitchen before bed so that everyday you wake up to at least one room that makes you feel like there is order in the world, it might even balance out some of the craziness of raising kids.