I have 5 children, 4 boys and 1 girl. All the walls in my home are white. My kitchen and dining chairs are all white with cream upholstery. My family room rug is cream. Our entire master bedroom is white. All of my curtains are white or cream. Do I clean 24 / 7? Do I beat
my children? Do I have plastic everywhere? Am I crazy? The answer to all of these questions, {except maybe the last one}, is NO!!!
My home is NOT PERFECT! It isn’t spotless every minute of the day, but my husband and I have taught our children how to help around the house so we can have a beautiful, clean home while raising children. Let me share my best 5 tips on how you too can have a home filled with nice things while sharing it with your children.
Some people have told me that my children aren’t normal children, that I got lucky to have really good ones. That is true to a degree. But, there is hope for all you mothers out there with messy children, or wives of messy husbands!!! Anyone, I repeat, anyone can be taught how to help around the house and how to respect their surroundings. Some may be easier taught than others, but everyone can be taught with effort and dedication on your part.
Let me give you an example. I taught elementary school for 3 years before I became a mother. I didn’t birth those children, and let me tell you, I taught them all how to respect our classroom and how to help keep it clean. We worked together to our surroundings clean and tidy so we could have the best learning environment. Well, our homes are the perfect classroom’s to teach our families how to respect and care for their surroundings. I believe that when you have a clean, orderly surrounding, there is peace that surrounds you. You are happier and more productive.
By teaching your children how to respect and care for their home and their belongings, you are teaching them invaluable life skills. These lifeskills will help them through their roles as an employee, a roommate, a spouse and wherever else life takes them.
Doing it all by yourself robs your children of that valuable lesson. You will become burnt out! Keeping a tidy home and training your children, is not a task that is done overnight. It is an ongoing process that is never-ending. Some days you will feel like a complete failure. Other days you will feel like Mom of the Year! That is the cycle of life. They key is consistency and perseverance!!!
Start with these…
5 Tips on How to Have a Beautiful Home with Children
No. 1 Give everyone in the house jobs to complete daily.
No. 2 Set household rules.
No. 3 Get a good spot cleaner and use it!
No. 4 Have carpets and upholstery cleaned once or twice a year {if upholstery is light in color or used heavily}.
No. 5 Reward yourself and your family for working together.
No. 1
Give Everyone Jobs to do Daily
Don’t do it all by yourself!!! A household is a team that should work together. Find a job that each person in your home can do everyday and have them do it. This shares the work load and gives everyone ownership in the house.
Start them young! My kids thought that cleaning the toilet was a privilege until they were in first grade! I bought vacuums and mini brooms and dust pans, so my children could clean with me. There comes a day when the light turns on and they realized that they’ve been tricked all this time! By then, they have learned how to clean!!!
At our house, I made job charts for each of my kids. We hung them in the kitchen pantry so they would see them every single day. It only took a few days for them to know exactly what tasks they needed to complete each day. Find what works for your family and put it to work! I have found that ideas work for a season, and then need to be put to rest and something new and fresh needs to be introduced.
I used my kiddos silhouettes to create a specialized job chart for each of them. They are laminated in order for them to mark of their jobs when they are finished with them. We simply wipe them clean each week. Cheap clip boards were covered scrapbook paper and then coated with a layer of Modge Podge.
Each of the kids has their own list of jobs, that we let them help choose. Most days, I have to remind them to finish their lists. Somedays they surprise me!
Just for fun, when the kids left for school the other day, I snapped a photo of their room. Brace yourself there is no photo styling here!
The little boy’s room shared by my 7 and 4 year olds…
Their beds are made, not perfectly, but they are made!!! They’re clothes and drawers are a mess, but over all their room is tidy and their toys are put away.
Here’s a view when I help them style it…
My teenage boy’s room…
No made beds, but other than that, this room is pretty tidy for two teenagers {room tour here}!
Here is my daughter’s room…
Here’s a peak when I help her make the bed {room tour here}…
She does pretty darn good! She helped me design her room so she has a sense of ownership. I never, have to tell her to make her bed.
My point is two fold. One, my house is not perfect, but it is pretty clean for having five children living in it. Two, my kids have learned to take care of their things because of their daily responsibilities.
I also give myself jobs to do everyday. Here is my list….
Daily
sweep kitchen floor | wash kitchen counters | vacuum rugs | tidy the house
Twice a Week
laundry | wipe down kitchen appliances | clean toilets
Once a Week
mop floors | grocery shop | clean bathrooms | wipe spots off upholstery
Below are links to the exact tools and cleaners I use to clean our home {some affiliate links are used for your convenience}.
No. 2
Set Household Rules
Decide in your house what rules you will have. Do this together! Then post them somewhere for everyone to see until they are familiar with everyone. We don’t have many rules. Keep them simple and easy to follow. Some of our rules are…
No food outside of the kitchen
Take your shoes off inside
Do your jobs before tv or video games
No jumping on the furniture
My kids play ball in the house. They chase and rough house just like kids are supposed to do. But, they know how to treat our house with respect.
No. 3
Get a Good Spot Cleaner and Use it
Spills and accidents happen. All the time. A good spot cleaner will be your best friend. My mom got me hooked on this one
I think it’s called Stingray now. You can find it here. It is fabulous. It’s really fabulous. One day my son decided to get a meatball off his fork by flinging it. The meatball catapulted onto my cream linen drapes in my kitchen. Red spaghetti sauce on cream linen!!! He was horrified and so was I. The spot came almost all of the way out with this magic in a bottle!
No. 4
Have your Carpets and Upholstery Cleaned Once or Twice a Year
I know this can be expensive. Do what you can afford. Once a year is fine. On my high traffic areas, like my family room rug, I have it cleaned twice a year. It costs about $50. Having it cleaned often has helped it stay looking great. Along with regular vacuuming. Your upholstery that is used a lot, or is light in color will also benefit from a good cleaning once or twice a year.
No. 5
Reward Yourself and your Family for Working Together
Everyone loves a little incentive. Your children will respond much better to the whole job idea if they have something to look forward to. So will you!
You don’t have to spend money to have a nice reward. It could be an extra 30 minutes of tv or game time, or a homemade treat, or a trip to get ice cream. I like setting a fancy table with a special dinner.
Setting a fancy table will also teach your children how to behave at a nicely set table. This will make eating out a much more pleasant experience!
You can have a beautiful, clean home with children!!! You can, you can! Try these 5 tips and see how they work in your home. I will be cheering you on!
xo
Don’t miss a post! Subscribe to my weekly email, click the button below
Randi! Can you tell I’m getting caught up? Lol! This post is so fabulous! What great advice from one of the best mamas I know! We didn’t even get the chance to talk much about our kids at Haven:( My biggest regret is not staying up late with you guys that first night! I had no idea what the other nights would bring, so at least having that first night with just the few of you that stayed up would’ve been so nice! Boo hoo! NEXT TIME!!!! Xoxo
Next time for sure!!!! Thanks so much for taking the time to stop by! I just love you dear friend! xo
Whst a great post. Loved it.
Thank you Heidi! Your comment made my day! xo
This post was absolutely amazing. Thank you so much for sharing! I needed to read this so badly. We need to get more organized and start a daily chores list for my kiddos!
Thank you Carissa! I’m so happy this helped! Let me know how it goes! You can do it!!! xo
Randi, you know I have been waiting for this post. Truly awesome. I know so many who I am going to point this way! You are amazing <3
Kelley you always make me smile! I am so thankful for our friendship! xo
This makes me feel more confident about having my dream white walls and furniture home in the future. Definitely starting my daughter young with a little broom. Thank you!
Yes Yara! White walls and furniture are definitely in your future! Train that sweet daughter of yours! All my best! xo
I have littles too and they are pretty good too (but it is definitely because we have trained them… And constantly reminding them) I loved these tips! And I can’t wait to try that cleaner because I have been on the lookout. Also like who do you call to get upholstery cleaned (is it carpet guys?) and lastly what is your paint color?
Hi Aly! Thank you for your comment! It is definitely a daily battle! Yes, I just use my carpet cleaner for cleaning my upholstery. Call around for the best price, not all companies charge the same. The paint in my whole house is Ralph Lauren’s Edwardian Linen mixed by Dunn Edwards. I hope that helps! Have a lovely evening! xo
I was wondering if your children all have the same chore list? If not would you be willing to somehow share what the different chores your kids have during the week and school year are. thank you so very much
Jeanne, thank you for your question. My children all have different chores. Ones that are tailored to their age. How about if I do a short blog post next week on what jobs are assigned to who? I have some advice on that too! I hope that will be helpful to you and others. It has made my life so much easier! xo
Jeanne,
I may not get to that blog post so I’m just going to give you a quick run down of what my kids do for chores. My oldest (16) waters the plants outside, empties the kitchen and bathroom trashes, and washes and vacuums the car weekly. My second oldest (14), vacuums all of the rugs, takes the trash to the curb and washes and vacuums the other car weekly. My daughter (11) vacuums the hardwood and tile floors, helps empty the dishwasher, dusts and sets the table. My 7 year old helps straighten up the house and empties the dishwasher, clears the table. My youngest (4) helps take the trash out and empties the silverware from the dishwasher. All of the kids are supposed to make their beds, put their laundry away and help make the school lunches. I hope this helps!!!
LOVE every word of this! Where are the pink ruffle napkins from?
Yay! Thanks Kathy! I had them made from a darling Etsy shop. If you look under my Valentine’s Day Tablescape post, there is a direct link to her store. I have loved everything she has made for me! I hope that helps! xo
Randi. Thanks but the Etsy link says no longer available. If you have any other info please pass along.
Kathy here is a link to her store https://www.etsy.com/shop/LaFortuneLinens?ref=search_shop_redirect . She is on vacation until Labor Day. xo
You are so sweet. Thank you!
Randi, you’ve convinced me that I must get on my boys more! I too need a clean and tidy home but most of the time, it’s me doing it! ugh! Time to change that! Thanks for the motivation!! BTW, your boys bedrooms are decorated so well for boys…love it!
xoxo
Shauna don’t you do it all by yourself!!! My teenagers even have extra jobs to pay for their phones. We have them vacuum and wash our cars every week. Thanks so much for stopping by and for your sweet comment! xo
I love this! Our family keeps a cleans house too and everyone is amazed that we can live this way with 2 kids. Just have to teach them young!
Jenny that is so great! My mom taught me that way and I’ve tried to teach my kids the same way. Keep up the good work! xo
This is so great Randi! You are an amazing mother!!! xoxo
Jen you are an amazing friend!!! xo
Randi!!! I’m dying over the meetball on the drapes 😂 I can totally see the look on my son’s face too at our home;). I love all of your tips and may have to try that cleaner as well since I have a black lab that loves to rub up against my linen drapes…ugh!!! Great post :))
HAHA! Thanks Bree! There is never a dull moment around here, that is for sure! Thanks so much for your sweet comment! xo
Randi! LOVE this post! I’m laughing because I have a similar post that has been sitting in my drafts unfinished.. “how to have a nice house with kids”.. great minds think alike! 🙂 But YOU are the queen with 5 kids (4 of them boys no less!) and such a beautiful clean white house! So many great tips! I love how much you involve your kids in the chores! We do the same around here and have the same rules about eating in the kitchen and shoes off in the house. You are such an inspiration! xo
I can’t wait to read yours Erin!!! You are such a dear friend! xo
Love this! I learned from the best 😘
Hey Randi, Love this! Have your kids ever watched tv without finishing their chores? How do you handle this?
Hey Sam! Yes!!! Everyday! When the kids get up, they need a few minutes to just lay around and wake up. They just have to finish their jobs before school. I still have to remind them to do jobs. We are far from perfect! But, they don’t fight me about doing their jobs.
This is a great post! I also have 4 boys (6 year old twins, a 2 year old and a one year old) and a 3 month old baby girl. Our house feels like chaos so frequently. It’s good to know that an orderly house is actually possible with 4 boys. Honestly, I’ll be cleaning up one mess while they’re making 4 more. I’m inspired to try chore charts and a reward system for my twins. How young did you start you kids cleaning?
You sound like one busy lady! Yes, you can totally have order amongst the chaos! I started mine “helping” with fake vacuums and brooms when there were about 2. At 3 I gave them little tasks, like helping me put the pillows on their bed, or matching socks in the laundry. At 4 they get specific jobs, like emptying the silverware from the dishwasher, making bed, etc. I hope that helps! Good luck! You can do it!!! xo
how do you get your area rug cleaned for $50? is it from a carpet cleaner who comes to you? whenever i’ve priced area rug cleaning, it was much more.
I guess I must have an awesome cleaner! That’s what he always charges me! Yes, he comes to me. xo