Cleaning Conundrums

More than ever, my house is in constant need of attention. My little guy loves walking around the house exploring and it's fun to watch his blossoming independence. Before he walked, he would mostly stick to the area of the house I was in. If I was in the kitchen, he wanted to be in the kitchen with me. Now for the most part, he's content to walk around our house while I'm cooking or cleaning and entertain himself with whatever his hands find to do (I just have to make sure the bathroom door is shut before I cut him loose!). This is GREAT news. What was my clingy whining child is now a babbling, walking, and curious little student-of-all-things-within-reach. The downside to this is that there are messes everywhere. You can follow his trail pretty easily with the way he can spread toys (and remotes and shoes and mail and laundry) across a room in two seconds flat.

To the point of this post, we are having company tomorrow. My big sis Julie and her husband and daughter are staying with us tomorrow night and I am so excited. I haven't seen my little niece Ellie since my trip to Georgia when she was three weeks old (see those pictures here).

Company always gets me in a cleaning frenzy. We seem to have people in our house relatively frequently which helps me get my act together. But all this to say, I really don't have a schedule or plan for what I clean when. All I really have are a few helpful tips I've gathered on keeping the clutter in check.

•  Every time you leave a room, make it a habit to take something with you that you can put away as you walk to your next destination.
• Do one thing every day that cannot be undone within 24 hours. So for instance, do something every day cleaning-wise other than dishes/countertops and general picking up. Examples are things like cleaning the bathroom, vacuuming, or having a laundry day. Those other things will get done anyway. (This one I just heard today. Thanks, Mom!)
• In the kitchen, try to do more than one thing at a time. Wash a few dishes while sauteing veggies, for example.
• Always get your kitchen in order before you go to bed. Remembering that the dishwasher is full of clean dishes and that there are dirty dishes in the sink does not motivate me to pop out of bed to make breakfast (thereby making more dirty dishes). Intentional time spent the night before helps me keep my grumpiness in check (and helps me make breakfast faster leading to a happier toddler). 

Okay, that's all I've got for now. What is your cleaning routine? Any helpful tips on what keeps your home running smoothly?

Gotta go. My sister will read this so I better make sure the house is clean before she gets here.