Surprisingly though, my house actually stays cleaner now that I have two kiddos than it did with just one, or even before any. It's never really spotless, but I have started doing a pretty decent job staying up with the clutter and the picking up (although actual deep cleaning still happens waaaaay less than it needs to).
I've forced myself to pick up a few helpful habits (that I have been doing successfully 95-100% of the time since the new year, so I think it's officially habit):
1. I try my hardest to go to bed with an empty sink. Dirty dishes have never been something that just bothers me like they do some people. However, I have found that waking up to a clean kitchen just takes a bit of a load off and starts my day of fresh. Some things that have helped with this is working on the dishes all day long so it's never really a huge chore. I'm also better about this because I have a baby and his bottles that need to be washed in the sink regularly.
2. Rinsing out bottles. This should seem like a no-brainer, and I'll probably gross some out you out (including myself) with this confession. But when Bella was a baby, I was too lazy to even rinse out her bottles after she drank them. I let them soak in hot soapy water before washing them all, so I always wash them in bulk. But this go round, I'm sure to rinse out the bottle and nipple/throwing the liner away before lining them up on the counter...there were some pretty nasty things to deal with in Bella's case, and I can't believe I didn't do this extremely simple step to prevent that.
3. I always pick up the living room and her bedroom before I go to sleep. We did a decent toy and clothing purge right after Christmas, and once again, everything has a place. Arabella is getting better about being able to help pick up too. The mess used to not bother me unless it just got out of hand or stayed messy for a long time. Now, several days, we pick up in the middle of the day and throughout because I just can't stand stuff being everywhere.
4. I try to keep the laundry run through so it doesn't pile up big time. I do ok with this, but the folding and putting away still takes longer than I'd like. I'm hoping to get in the habit of doing that as soon as I take each load out of the dryer, but it's still a work in progress. I am much better about folding and putting away the kids' laundry than I was with just Bella though.
5. Unpacking. We go a lot. Suitcases used to stay in our rooms and the living room for days, sometimes weeks. I'm still not always great at getting things unpacked promptly, but here lately, I have been doing a lot better. My suitcases stay on my bedroom floor still, but none in the living room. And I unpack Hunter and the kids pretty quickly. This also helps me be able to find the clothes and shoes and accessories I'm looking for without having to rummage through suitcases and piles.
I desperately need to get better about keeping the floors clean. I just so hate cleaning floors :/ The bathroom is also a weakness. I do ok with the toilet and usually the tub, but the room as a whole is lacking.
I really think that having the second kid clicked some internal switch that made me realize how quickly things can get out of hand if I let them. So I'm trying my absolute darnedest not to let that happen! I know I feel better waking up to a "clean" (at least picked up) house, and Hunter appreciates it as well. I'm hoping I can keep these habits up and improve the ones that aren't quite up to par yet.
clean wishes!
love, angie
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