Clean Up In 30

I've recently added a new page, Voluntary Simplicity, and, for those of you who are unfamiliar with voluntary simplicity, check it out here  and here . I hope to add my own take on the idea as well as grow and learn more great ways to simply my life.

And on that note, a couple of nights ago I looked around my home and felt swamped by all it's clutter, I then decided each night before tucking the kids in bed, we'd take the last 30 minutes to clean up and get ready for the next day {putting up toys, cleaning up dishes and clothes, and getting clothes and school items together for the next day}. I must say, it's made a HUGE difference in my house as well as my mood. I tend to become stressed when stuff starts falling out of place...which seems to be a constant thing around here.

Anyway, I love the feeling when I wake up in the morning and the house is clean. I love walking into my kitchen and there are no dirty dishes piled up in the sink, waiting for me to load the dishwasher, instead, I now unload the clean dishes and have everything ready for dinner that night. I also feel as if I help my husband out now that he's home with Maddie during the day. By keeping the house picked up, he's able to spend more time exploring and learning with our daughter, rather than sitting her in front of the tv and having to clean all day. Now, don't get me wrong, there was a time when I felt that it was his responsibility to take care of the house now that he was out of work, however, I'm not sure I was being completely fair to him. Like I said, it's a huge responsibility to take care of kids and I'd rather that be his priority than having to keep the house up. And, I feel good about helping out, too.

So, what about You? How do You manage to keep a house clutter free? I'd love to learn some new ways of organizing this ol' home. :)