Well, if you are organizationally challenged then getting your home organized is a chore all in itself. However, for a wannabe keeping it organized can be the biggest challenge!

I have some good news for the determined…with some work and forced cooperation from the rest of the family, it will be easier. It takes time to get used to new habits, but with nagging gentle reminders, everyone will be on their was to the cleaning zone.

One thing that will help keep things running smoothly is to create some daily routines. Even though in a perfect world everything should have a place, it takes a lot of effort to get it there. So staying on top of things is crucial to your new system working.

Here are some creative ways you can keep the whole family involved:

Charts are Us - Create a chart showing all the rooms in your house and all the family members (even the little ones). Each family member can be responsible for making sure a specific area is clutter free each day at a pre-established time. You can provide a basket for each person. They will go through their area with it and throw anything in it that isn’t supposed to be there. Once they have filled their basket, they can start putting things away…and start again if there is a big mess.

The Gathering Place - If you have more than one story, running up and down stairs all day to put things away can get old pretty fast. One way to help is to keep a box at the top and bottom of the stairs where people can put things they find that belong on another floor. At the end of the day, or when the box is full, the things can all be put back where they belong.

Little People Can Organize Too - Even the youngest members of the family can help. Labeling things, at least at first, will help your little people remember where things go. If they are too young to read, try a picture. You can save it from the original package or find one similar in a magazine. At the younger ages, they actually LIKE to help in most cases, so this should be “fun” for them.

Make a Mole Hill out of a Mountain - Yeah, you read it right. LOL! Clothes pile up real fast no matter how much laundry you do, the pile just keeps growing. It has a mind of its own. One way to help is to designate a place for all the dirty clothes. You can label the laundry baskets for white, darks and colors. Everyone can then put their own clothes in the baskets. When a basket is full, it’s time to wash. This is also a great way to teach the little ones colors and organization skills.

Remember, consistency is the key to successfully keeping your home clean. It also requires team effort! So, think of creative ways to get the whole family involved and then not only will you have less of a load to carry…you will help break the cycle of the wannabes!

Copyright © Thou Shalt Clean

Before I share my pics…LOL…please try and get involved with these challenges. Take before and after pics! Post your progress on your blog with a link back to the challenge so that ALL can benefit from my…er…OUR embarrassment! LOL!

MY LIVINGROOM BEFORE AND AFTER:

ACK! What a MESS!

ROFL! Do you notice the “drapes” hanging on the side?? LOL! Those are couch covers that have been there since BEFORE my vacation! AHHHHHHHHHH!

More messies!

YEAH! The “drapes” are gone and where they belong…ON the couches! LOL!

A little blurry, but you get the point…CLEAN!

WHOO HOO! CLEAN Shelves!! WOW! I can’t believe I DID that!

NO covers…and a MESS!

These are the goodies I found under and in the couch! ICK! I will let you use your imagination for the love seat! ROFL!

Ahhh! No junk INSIDE OR OUTSIDE…just clean and nice smelling! (sorry it’s a little dark…I did not feel like retaking and reloading…LOL…I did enough work for one day! LOL!)

Junk on the End Table…ICK was on it under the mess too…BLECH!

Beautiful!

No covers on the love seat and you don’t want to know what was in it and  under it…

Very Nice….I am SO happy!

You can see the junk wanting to escape from under and behind the love seat! ROFL!

Ah! How nice. All my hard work has paid off!

OK…I also thought you should see an update from the Office Challenge…as you can see below, I have kept it up pretty well!

OK, now it’s that time again…praise me for my hard work and embarrassment! LOL! And PLEASE join in the Wannabe Neat Freak Revolution!

Copyright © Lara Velez, All Rights Reserved

I will post our next challenge Monday…this gives you time to share YOUR pics! ROFL!

Have a SUPER FABULOUS Weekend!!

For more on the weekly challenge and the wonderful reasons WHY you SHOULD join go here: http://thoushaltclean.com/?p=7

This Week’s Challenge:

Clean your Living room or family room. Dig out those toys, remotes, and junk from the couches. Vacuum UNDER and BEHIND things. Dust those many dust bunnies that should be paying rent by now! Do a DEEP clean of your living/family room.

I will post my EMBARRASSING before and after pics at the end of the challenge. LOL!

Make sure that you REPLY to this post with a LINK to YOUR blog post where you are sharing the process of cleaning your family room. Also, show Thou Shalt Clean some love by posting a link on YOUR blog so others can join us in the cleaning extravaganza! LOL!

Happy Cleaning…NOT!

Copyright © Lara Velez, All Rights Reserved

For more on the weekly challenge and the wonderful reasons WHY you SHOULD join go here: http://thoushaltclean.com/?p=7

This Week’s Challenge:

Clean your Living room or family room. Dig out those toys, remotes, and junk from the couches. Vacuum UNDER and BEHIND things. Dust those many dust bunnies that should be paying rent by now! Do a DEEP clean of your living/family room.

I will post my EMBARRASSING before and after pics at the end of the challenge. LOL!

Make sure that you REPLY to this post with a LINK to YOUR blog post where you are sharing the process of cleaning your family room. Also, show Thou Shalt Clean some love by posting a link on YOUR blog so others can join us in the cleaning extravaganza! LOL!

Copyright © Lara Velez, All Rights Reserved