Musing on How to Keep That Ole' Kitchen Clean
10:49 AMFor anyone that has little ones you know just how fast a house can go from clean to...well...not so clean.
Its ok. We have all been there and there is no judgement here! I mean seriously-I will even prove it to you:
The truth is-I struggle with laziness.
Yup, there is is all typed out for the world to see.
L_a_z_i_n_e_s_s_.
However, the Lord has been working with me on trying to bring honor and glory to Him by not being lazy in so many areas of my life (more on that later)!
One of those areas is cleaning.
Ever wake up and your kitchen looked like this?
We are being real here. Last night we had some people over for a movie night so things were rushed then we made popcorn and then 12am came and went and I was too tired to clean it all up last night (although I do try to get it cleaned every night).
So this morning that is what I walked in to.
In fact, this is, at some point of each day, what I walk into everyday. We do not have a dishwasher right now so I do them by hand and sometimes they just need to be caught up on. However, did I mention I have two under two years old? I don't always have time to do a longer cleaning right then and right there!
My secret?
I love to time myself as I clean. 10 minutes here and 10 minutes there and a lot of the time it gets things cleaned to where there is not chaos and it is easier to go about my day.
So this morning I decided to set that ole' timer and get to work.
I like to do an area at a time so right away I tackled the dishes so I could be working on other things while they dried in the drainer. Plus-I love the feeling of an empty sink!
So did 15 quick minutes and this is what I accomplished:
Dishes draining. Stove and counter washed off. Oh yeah, there is a newly 11 month old on the floor but that is ok because he really can't hurt anything and he is content.
Katy walks away to help Gram for about 10 minutes. Jason's Grandmother is now living with us in an in-law apartment that we built for her when we renovated the house. It is SUCH a blessing having her here and I have really enjoyed having another adult to talk to throughout the day!
I hear crashing noises and come back to this:
Oh yeah-there was that large box of plastic silverware in there. Oh look, he has strewn it all over my floor that was ready for me to sweep.
Well, now I need to pick all that up and I feel like I just got set back instead of being able to move forward.
It is a good thing he is so cute. Ok, now for Elijah...
Oh well, at least Elijah isn't into anything to bad. OH look-just cutting an apple but it is with a plastic knife so we are good. It is keeping him busy I will not complain!
Katy runs off to finish helping Gram. Boys come in to say good morning. Micah throws up on her living room floor (he never does that and it had to be HER living room floor!?!?!?). Katy cleans it up. Gram assures Katy it is ok. Finish up there and then come back to the kitchen.
Sigh.
Katy gets a grip and sets that timer!
After about 20ish minutes the floor is swept, counters are clean, most the dishes are put away and I am feeling a lot more accomplished!
No, it is not perfect but that is ok. It is clean and, while I will keep up on it all day, it will be so much nicer throughout the day to have a cleaner kitchen then when I started this morning!
So remember my old kitchen? This is before:
There was a lot of work to be done and I am SO thankful for my husband and so many friends of ours that helped paint and put in cupboards!
After:
Jason put in the flooring himself and we got the countertop from Bargain lots which saved SO much money! He put that in himself too!
One of my favorite features is this little breakfast nook. Eating, coloring, paperwork and eventually school will be/is done here and I love it!
These cupboards were in my in-laws upstairs bedroom for almost four years! I am so thankful that we were not able to sell them!
Jason had gotten these hickory cupboards off craigslist before we were married along with a stove and dishwasher for $1,200 and they were only six years old!
Not only that, but they were a perfect fit for our kitchen with one left over that we were able to use in Gram's apartment! Talk about blessing! God is so good :)
I love my kitchen and I would say that that is probably where we spend the majority of our days!
Yes, it can be frustrating sometimes when something that took be awhile to clean can be destroyed in two minutes but-I know that these moments will not be long because all too soon my precious boys will be grown and gone and I know I will so miss this crazy but beautiful time of my life.
So, I will keep setting small cleaning goals (it is amazing what you can accomplish in even five minutes) and keep on it throughout my day.
I have found if I clean as I go it makes it so much more manageable and my home is more of a haven then a chaotic mess!
What about you? Do you have a cleaning technique that makes it easier to keep your home clean?
9 Thoughts
the thing I have found that helps the most is having a schedule! It helps me so much when I stay on it! ;)
ReplyDeleteKatie G
Oh yes definitely!!! I have been getting into more of a routine and that has def helped!! :)
DeleteYour kitchen is gorgeous! Such a transformation and how lucky you are that your hubby knows how to do that kind of thing (flooring, cabintetry). I would spend my whole day in that room! I know keeping a kitchen clean can be frustrating, but sometimes I just section mine out and hit one section at a time (mine is probably about the same size as yours, just different configuration). Not having a dishwasher must be super challenging so hopefully you can change that -- even a portable would help immensely. Hope you will post more photos of your remodel! I love stuff like that!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much Karen! It is so nice having a husband that knows how to do construction like things! :) The sections is a GREAT idea! and yeah i find if I stay on top of the dishes it is ok but get behind even one meal-UGH! lol :) More pics will be coming soon! Blessings!
DeleteMy dream is to redo my kitchen but the hubby keeps putting it off! Maybe this spring :) love the picture of your little boys!
ReplyDeleteOh that would be so excited!! Messy but worth it lol :) Thank you for sharing!
ReplyDeleteI try to get my guys down for a nap/quiet time at the same time and dive in. If they are up there is NO WAY I get my kitchen cleaned... :) It's a fun idea to time yourself, I hadn't ever thought of that. Race the clock a little. I'll have to try it. :) Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteLol naptime is the BEST for that :p Thanks for commenting! :)
DeleteWow that kitchen looks gorgeous! Jason did a great job!
ReplyDeleteAnd don't stress yourself out too much about the state of your kitchen. You do have toddlers and it is a losing battle for a long time. My mom had an effective method of "clean as you go" and it seemed to help keep the kitchen manageable with little people running around creating disasters all over. As my mom cooked she would wash up the dishes right away. When I got old enough to cook I was also taught to wash up while the food was cooking. It does make things a bit easier.
Oh and take as many photos as you can of their escapades! One of my baby brothers got into EVERYTHING and we took lots of photos and they are always great to pull out and get a good laugh from. Mom says she will make those into a slideshow when he gets married someday lol.
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