Organizing Tips for Overwhelmed Mothers

Whether you are the mother of one child or many, your home can become an unorganized mess. Chaos reigns, and you wonder how you ever lost control.

As the stay at home, homeschooling mother of ten children, plus foster children sometimes, I often have to stop, look around, and decide what I need to do to make our home a peaceful place. Here are some tips I have learned that keep home a nice place to live - at least, most of the time.

Our house is small, and the front door opens into the main room. Many times unexpected company has made me embarrassed at the messy appearance of our house. And it's just not relaxing to sit in a messy, cluttered space. So I made a no eating, no toys in the main room rule.

The no eating part was easy since our living room and kitchen are one room and the table is just a few steps away. Not allowing the children to eat or drink while sitting on the couch makes my furniture last longer, too.

Not so easy was the no toys rule. I cleaned out my children's rooms of nonessentials so that they had a large space to play in. I also let them play in the hallway of the upstairs, giving boys and girls a place to play together without having their rooms invaded. The only exception is if they are entertaining the baby while I try to get something else done. Otherwise, toys need to stay in their rooms.

Each child is responsible for keeping their room clean. Not using a flat sheet on their beds, and having a large comforter helps them make up their own bed. They just need to pull up the comforter and make it straight, then place the pillow at the head of the bed.

Laundry can be a daunting task, also. The key is to keep on top of it. With my large family, I have to do at least two loads a day. I make it one of the first things I do in the morning, starting a load as I get breakfast for my family. I bought enough laundry baskets at the dollar store for each member of my family. I had my husband install wire shelves on the wall and I put these baskets on the shelves, but if you do not have enough room, you can line them up in the hallway. As I take each thing out of the dryer, I give it a quick fold and put it in the right basket. Then I either take the baskets into the child's room myself when it's full, or if they are older, then each person is responsible for emptying their basket. It keeps the laundry in the laundry room and not on the couch waiting to be folded.

Another laundry saver is to buy towels in several colors, and assign a color to each person. Then have them use the same towel all week. The towels are not dirty since they are only drying a clean body. Install hooks in the bathroom where they can hang their towel after each use. This saves mom a lot of washing. Be strict about this. Your children will soon learn.

In the kitchen, make older children responsible for washing the dishes. We don't have an automatic dishwasher in our house, and my children take turns doing dishes. I assign this chore by meals and days, and don't let it waver. If we eat out, then that child gets off that turn. They only switch if they make a deal between themselves. To save on the dishwashing, I multiplied three meals a day by how many family members, then by thirty days in a month, and I buy that many paper plates at the dollar store each month. I mark glasses with a dry erase marker so the children don't get a new cup every time they get a drink. The marker comes off when the glass is washed.

If we have a foster baby in the house, I repack the diaper bag after each trip out, before I put it away. I kept a little Tupperware container with three compartments filled with the right amount of powdered formula, and stick in a clean bottle. Then when we need to go somewhere, I grab the bag and go, without worrying about packing it.

A loose schedule is always nice. In my house, early mornings are for baths, getting the house straightened up, and laundry done. Late mornings are school time. Afternoons are my time to write, crochet, or be creative in some way. Anything that needs to be done outside is usually done then, also. Evenings are for relaxing and reading bedtime stories. Once the younger children are in bed, I like to have time to read myself for a while.

Keep breakfast simple. For little children, peanut butter toast, or a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and a banana are a favorite. During the summer months, I make fruit smoothies, using orange juice and/or milk and a bag of frozen fruit. Lunch can be homemade soup or leftovers from last night's dinner.

If you are feeling overwhelmed, step back and take stock of what is dragging you down. Be creative; don't be afraid of trying something out of the ordinary. A calm peaceful mother is worth a lot!