Tips on Family Spring Cleaning

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Happy Spring Everyone!!  I know that Spring has sprung in most places already, but here in Virginia, the weather cannot make up it’s mind on whether it wants to be in Spring or want to be stuck in Winter.  However, we have had a couple of nice days where we could be outside all day enjoying the sun.  But, what is a mother’s first thought when Spring arrives??  Spring cleaning!!  It’s a point where us parents can go through our clothes, kids toys, etc. and figure out what we can sell, throw away, or keep.

It’s one of my favorite times of the year because after I clean and go through everything, I feel refreshed because I have decluttered my house.  However, this year I have one little problem and she is my daughter.  When I start to declutter and clean, she is right behind me to clutter the place up.  Then, once I start going through her things, she wants them all and she plays with everything.  I have to admit that she gets that from me because I like hoard things.

So, the result is feeling like that cleaning literally never ends!  So, there goes the question that I has been stuck in my head….is there a solution to this??  Can I have just one room that is clean??  I know that I am not the only mother in the world who feels this way right??  The answer, I believe, is yes and no.

I understand that my house will never be perfectly clean.  I know that there will be days where I am pulling out my hair because I have just cleaned a room to only find it messy a minute later.  It’s amazing how you ask your children to clean up their toys and it takes them FOREVER to do it, but if you clean it up, then a minute later it looks like that you never touched it.  It’s frustrating, but I think there is solution to this.

I have looked EVERYWHERE to find tips on how to declutter with being a mother and tried it all, but nothing ever worked!  I have even started watching the Marie Kondo show on Netflix with starting on only the first chapter (so far), which is clothes.  Nonetheless, even after watching some of those amazing transformations, I still feel like it is overwhelming when I look at my house when it is cluttered.  So, if you are like me and need some new ideas, then here are my few tips on how to get around motherhood and spring clean:

  1. The age old tradition of working with your child.  Talk with your child to see if they have a favorite show, hobby, game, or anything and if they do and if they get stubborn (like mine does on occasion), then let them know that they will not get their way until they help out.  I even had to do this and it worked.  Also, even when I felt like being lenient or the “fun mom”, my husband was the one that put a stop to that, so that way there is always a constant of helping out one another…even if it is the smallest of cleaning tasks.
  2. Make a game out of it, then give them an allowance afterwards.  Make cleaning a game with your child.  Like say, “let’s see who can clean up the fastest, Mommy or or your child’s nam.”  If they help you clean, then give them an allowance like an ice cream cone or money.  Eventually, cleaning will become a fun chore and if their piggy bank gets full, then you can take them to a toy store, pick their toy, and let them pay with their money.  They will feel so accomplished because it was something that they did by themselves.
  3. Share the responsibility.  If you have a yard sale, then share the responsibility with your child.  Make them the manager of their toys, clothes, etc.  If they see a child or an adult liking their stuff, then you can ask them if they can share their things with the child or say that the adult will be taking their toy or clothes to their child.  It will give them a sense of pride and you can praise them for being such a good manager.
  4. Put on their favorite show and don’t feel guilty.  So, this is for all of us parents who get desperate to get only a few minutes to ourselves to clean.  Sometimes you have no other option than to turn on the tv and turn to their favorite show.  If they start to sit down or is calm while watching their show, then it is your time to pounce and get to spring cleaning.  DO NOT feel guilty about this mom and dads!  You have to do what you have to do and I am one of those parents.  I have had to put my daughter in front of tv to just unwind and get those few minutes to clean.
  5. Make crafts out of old clothes or play dress up.  If there are certain clothes that you do not want to get rid of or your child, make some crafts like a kite, clothes for baby dolls, cut out some fun shapes from old clothes and make a fun flashlight game, or make some puppets.  Also, if your child likes to dress up, then give them some of your old clothes and shoes.  They will love it!  I know my daughter does and she tries to put on her makeup, do her hair, and put on perfume like mommy! 🙂

Again, I know that I am not the perfect parent and my house will never be perfectly clean, but doing these few tips has helped me tremendously with doing my spring cleaning!  My daughter has liked to help out, but now that she is getting more responsibility such as feeding her cats, picking up her things, and sharing, she loves it and it’s fun for her.

So, cheers to all of our spring cleaning (I have been doing our cleaning for a month and still not done even when our yard sale is soon…eeek! I wish I had superpowers like super cleaning haha!)!  I hope you all enjoyed reading and I hope that I helped some parents out there!  I would love to hear all of you on spring cleaning and your tips.  And, make sure to subscribe and follow me on social media!  *And as a note, I will be taking a two week break for the next two weeks, so there will be no new posts for the next two weeks!  I promise that I will update you all and let you know when I have returned!*  Thank you and as always, I hope you all have a great weekend and I will see you in the next post! 🙂

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Featured In: Mom Life | Tips, Personal | March 22, 2019
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