Stop and Smell the Weeds

I schedule when I'm going to blog now. Not because I'm sooooo busy that I can't keep up otherwise, but because I have more opportunities being thrown on my plate with my blog and with Instagram, so I have found it helpful to write out when everything is happening, and schedule specific days to blog so that I don't get caught up in everything else and leave you guys hanging. My typical blogging days are Monday, Thursday, and Saturday. Last week, I posted Wednesday night because I had somewhere to be on Thursday and was afraid I'd run out of time {hi, my name's Chelsea, I have a toddler + I'm always running late}. I was actually planning to do the same this week because I have to take Emerson to the doctor this morning + thought I'd be too short on time. Well, yesterday was quite possibly one of my longest parenting days to date and I was in bed by 9pm last night because I had the worst toddler hangover {what I call a headache after a particularly long day with my girl} + my muscles were literally aching from the gym earlier in the day. I was just too tired to use my brain to form any coherent type of post on here. So, here we are. It's Thursday morning and I'm the only one awake, for now. I've got coffee in hand, notes I jotted down yesterday for this post, and about 10 more minutes until Emerson starts stirring, so let's get to it.

Yesterday started well, I woke up early, ate a good breakfast + drank my coffee while it was hot. I had planned to go to the gym, so I was all ready once Emerson woke up. I got her dressed + loaded her in the car. I didn't have time to give her breakfast, so she snacked on a the handful, or two, of {most likely} stale strawberry-apple puffs + goldfish crackers that I found beneath the butt pad in her carseat. Don't judge me, she was happy as a clam because she loves her "poooooooofs". So she ate a good hearty breakfast on the way to moms {kidding, my mom actually fed her real food} and I made it to the gym "on time". I worked out hard, probably too hard because I'm paying for it at this  moment. My shoulders are screaming at me. I picked Emerson up from my moms, took her home, fed her lunch + played for a bit, then began the battle. The all out battle of the fittest, quite literally. Every time I tried to lay her down for a nap yesterday {I tired for an hour + a half} she would scream and fight + squirm and yell "dooooooowwwwnnn". So, after I'd exhausted 99% of my tricks, I resorted to loading her in the car in hopes of her snagging even a little catnap {anyone knows that a non-napping kid during the day makes for a CRANKY kid come evening}. This is where I had to make light of the situation to keep from crying myself. It had been the longest hour and a half of my life up to this point. I just wanted her to sleep. Just SLEEP, kid.

The car nap gods were on my side, and she fell asleep about 30 minutes into our drive. So, I drove the back country roads for almost 2 hours yesterday afternoon. Luckily, I was smart enough to make myself a big cup of coffee + a snack {carrots + hummus of all things} for the ride. I don't know why I thought carrots + hummus were the best options because carrots are the loudest snack on the planet when you have a sleeping kid 3 feet from you. Oh well, you live and you learn.

During my drive yesterday, I noticed some things that actually made me laugh, a lot. I thought I would share some of my observations from driving WAY back in the country. Here's my list of 10 ways to know you're in the deep country:

1. You see more houses with Christmas decoration still up in mid-February than you do in your own neighborhood during the actual holidays.

2. You drive down roads that you never even knew existed even though you've lived here for 28 years.

3. You're pretty sure you have found the next 8 houses for the show "Hoarders".

4. There are fields of cotton.

5. All of the houses have tractors parked in the driveway or in the surrounding area.

6. Cotton. Cotton. Cotton. {I REALLY wanted to stop + get some for decor purposes, but was afraid to stop for fear of waking the beast}.

7. You pass the same house 5 times all by turning down a different "back road".

8. In the middle of trailers and itty bitty houses, you see this house {complete with PALM TREES}. That sky was on point though!

And there you have it, 8 things I learned yesterday while driving in the "deep country". I actually had to stop and laugh at one point because even though it kind of sucked driving around in the late afternoon{hello snoozefest}, I actually enjoyed the peace + quiet and the beauty of the Earth {if you didn't notice, check out the sky in the picture above}. I never knew some areas of our "city" existed until yesterday. So even though yesterday was another long day for Emerson and I {probably more for me than her}, God reminded me yet again, that even though the days can be long, these years are fleeting.  I need to quite literally STOP and smell the flowers {or more realistically, the weeds that my daughter picked for me while we played at the park}.

Let me encourage you, as I preach this to myself, that even on the long, arduous days, try to remember to stop and smell the flowers {even if they look like weeds}, whether literally like me, or figuratively. Sometimes that's all it takes to turn the day around. Have a wonderful Thursday, friends! You're almost to Friday; hang in there!

The Days Are Long, But The Years Are Short

There's a popular saying out there related to raising children that goes something like this,"Enjoy them now, for the days may be long, but the years are certainly short." 

I've never really understood that though because for a while the long days were just that, VERY long freaking days. I couldn't picture the "years" because I was consumed with the every days. It's no surprise to my readers when I tell you that I was depressed as a mom for a while, especially in the beginning. If I'm being completely honest with you, I still go through bouts of depression in this role of "mom". This is in no way me saying that I dislike being a mother or that there aren't a million joys for all of the negatives. And, of course, it has nothing to do with my actual daughter or the actual fact that I'm a mother. What a blessing they both are, truly {especially in a day and age where miscarriage + infertility are so common}. I'm referring more to the moments of motherhood that leave me in the trenches of loneliness, boredom, confusion, self-pity. Do you relate to that? Have you ever felt any of those things after a particularly hard day, week, or month? I know it probably seems like my posts tend to revolve around the hardships of motherhood as opposed to the joys, but the thing is, I can share my joys all day long, but what really needs to be discussed are the difficult parts of motherhood. The parts that no one likes to talk about for fear of being seen as ungrateful, fear of rejection, fear of humiliation, fear of "being the only one". I'm here to break down those barriers because they exist and they shouldn't evoke fear. I love sharing in the joys of motherhood, because it most definitely brings more joy than one could possibly imagine, but my heart is to share how even when it's really great, it's also REALLY DANG HARD at the exact same time, and it's okay to talk about it. And talk about it often without regret.

You see, up until recently, I had a hard time picturing what life would be like 2, 3, 5, let alone 10+ years from now. I often forget that Emerson will only be this little for a very short while, despite it feeling like an eternity sometimes. I wish away the time to get me to a "better" place with her. She's my pride and my joy, and the love I have for her is unlike a love I've ever experienced. But, that doesn't mean that I'm devoid of human emotion; emotion that often leads me to wonder what life would be like for ME if she were just a little older, a little more independent, a little more this or that.

This is all coming to the surface now more than ever because Emerson has been on a sleeping strike for over a week now. As any mother {or father} knows, this can lead to some very long days and nights. It can make you feel overwhelmed, under-appreciated, and physically + emotionally drained. Spending an ENTIRE day {with the exception of the 45 minutes that she decides she actually wants to sleep} with a whiny, needy, non-stop toddler is EXHAUSTING on all accounts. I tend to get frustrated and very overwhelmed when days like this occur because, as an introvert who needs time to recharge BY MYSELF, I don't get that when she refuses to sleep.

Which leads me to my next point. Yesterday, Valentines Day, I was in a pretty rotten mood for a variety of reasons {PMS being none of them, by the way}. To top if off, Emerson only slept 45 minutes the entire day {normally she sleeps 2-3 hours} which meant that I didn't get to accomplish much on my list of things to do, one of which included spending time with my husband by ourselves. I think this was intentional on God's part. I have a really hard time balancing my time, not because I'm disorganized, quite the opposite actually, but because I always feel like I {me, me, me} deserve more "alone time" than I do. I get frustrated and overwhelmed when "my time" becomes "Emerson's time". I'm selfish like that, I am fully aware.

This morning I woke up refreshed. It's amazing what acts of service {hubs went grocery shopping, made dinner for me, and cleaned up the kitchen}, a hot shower, and a good night of sleep can do for a mama. The past week has been tough for me, but God reminded me just this morning of why I need not fret about the lack of "me time" because He cares for me and provides opportunities for me to be refreshed. Here's how he reminded me of this; perhaps you've had small moments like this too:

Emerson woke up in a good mood this morning for the first time in over a week. Over the monitor, I heard her playing gleefully in her crib instead of crying. After going in to get her, she very happily said "hi mama, hi mama, hi mama". At breakfast, Emerson asked if we could "pwwwwayah" {pray}. This is something new that we've been trying to teach her at meal time. It was absolutely beyond precious.Then after breakfast, she played independently for like 15 whole minutes. If you know anything about my child, you know that she is NOT independent when it comes to playing. She always wants a playmate {aka me or daddy-usually me because daddy works}, which is going to be addressed in another blog post in the near future {NO! I'm not pregnant}. While watching her play, I was working on this post, and she came to me with 2 books in her hand, and said "buuuuk" {book}. Normally, I may have told her to hold on, or made her wait a little bit until I was done with my post, but for some reason, I just dropped what I was doing, picked her up and we read a couple of books together. In that moment, I was reminded that even though the days have been really, really long this week, she is growing up faster than I can comprehend and she wants ME, her mama to spend time with her. I swear just yesterday I was fretting over the fact that I thought she would never crawl. Now, she's running around like a maniac, having "conversations" with herself and others, saying multiple new words a day, and just acting SO much older in general. I find myself thinking way too frequently now, 'Where did my baby go?' 

"Pwwaaay"ing

I know that she's only a year and a half and this is just the beginning. Time is going to fly by even faster with each new year, of this I'm fully aware. I am learning that even though the days are longer than I would prefer most days right now, the years will be getting shorter and shorter, and before I know it they'll be gone. So, even though it often takes every ounce of me, I'm trying to learn to relinquish my control + my selfishness in order to cherish these tough moments, which will be what get me through the even tougher moments in the future after she's no longer my little baby and she tries to make me think that she doesn't need me. I know that these will be the best days and years of my life, so I'm vowing to myself to make these long days part of the short years that lie ahead.

The Final Countdown

 Just when I think I've got this parenting thing DOWN, my daughter, without fail, springs something on me that makes me question my entire mommy-hood. Today happened to be one of those days. If you've been following me for any decent amount of time, you know by now that I am very schedule and routine oriented.V E R Y. I don't like being thrown off of the usual routine because I'm a control freak. There, now it's out in the open for the forty-thousandth time.

Usually, it starts with a crappy nap or a very early waking, and then will spiral downhill from there. Today started out as any normal day. Trey woke up early for work {inevitably waking me as well} and I got up shortly after he left {about 7}, and managed to squint my way through my bright IG feed a time or two, you know in case I missed anything that was potentially life or death. I barely made it out of bed when I heard a faint "maaaaaaaaaa" followed by "up, up, up, up, BUB-EE" {baby}. So I won't lie, I still went into the kitchen and made a cup of coffee, just in super speed. You see I don't rush into get Emerson first thing in the morning. Her time to get up is 7:30am, per my rule. As long as she's not screaming like a banshee, she stays in her crib until I go in to get her. HELP ME JESUS when she learns to crawl out of her crib. Anyway, what I was able to accomplish this morning, well that's usually just the first little portion of MY morning routine. Normally {you see where this is going}, I wake up, scroll Instagram, pee, make coffee, and make a short list of goals for the day. Today, I skipped the "pee" and went straight to coffee because time was of the essence. I drank about 4 good sips before Emerson started yelling at me. No, literally, she yells from her crib. Not cries, 

y e l l s. She's no dummy. It's really freaking adorable most mornings.

Not this morning. 

This morning I was really exhausted from staying up too late watching Making a Murderer {GAH! dying over here} with Trey. I didn't get to finish my coffee while it was hot, which is incredibly frustrating to me and makes me feel underprepared for the day. The microwave and I are besties on mornings like today. Much to my surprise, Emerson was in a fantastic mood all morning. I even got in a quick gym session and she *WILLINGLY* went into the Kid's Club to play. Like, did not even look back to say 'bye' to me. This is a whole other story for another time. 

Fast forward >>

Nap time is usually between 12:30-1pm and naps have been averaging 2.5-3 hours here lately. I was not so fortunate today because you know I didn't have a lot I wanted to accomplish during that time or anything. She woke up about 1.5 hrs into her nap screaming. Like she went from conked to scream-central in 2 seconds flat. I could not comfort her. Like for the entire rest of the day. She was cranky, whiny, snotty, and apparently very hungry because she ate almost an entire sleeve of graham crackers by herself in one sitting. #Momoftheyear

Needless to say, by approximately 5pm, I was spent. She was showing no signs of relenting to her utter exhaustion and I, in turn, was becoming more and more exhausted. I don't know if I'm alone in this or not, but I would much rather have a day of complete chaos from running a trillion errands with a content child, than a day of complete chaos from doing next to nothing and having a discontent child. It is SO draining mentally, physically, and emotionally. I'm not going to lie to you, I loaded her in the car, turned on her favorite little "tw-ain" cartoon on the iPad and we drove the back country roads for ONE HOUR. I listened to jazz music the entire time. I'm turning into my parents.

After an hour of driving around, I was famished. Driving is exhausting {tack that on to that a pounding headache + an already exhausting afternoon}. I hit up Panera on the way home for a *salad*, thank you. Once home, Emmie continued to act like I have never once fed her in her life and insisted on eating all of the chicken out of my salad. Thanks, kid, I didn't want that or anything. 

FINALLY, it was 6:30. CLOSE ENOUGH to her usual 7:30p bedtime. I ran her bath, plopped her in there {while I reclined on the closed toilet. I know, classy}. She begged me to put on a little puppet show with her finger puppets. By begged, I mean she grunted at me, while holding up her finger puppets, while repeating "dis dis dis dis". I couldn't NOT get down there with her, so I gave into playing and singing a one hit wonder, titled  "We are friends". It goes like this, "We are friends {while pretending to make all the puppets hold hands and dance}, yes we are. We are friends who love Emmie {then they all lean in and give her a kiss on the cheek}". Don't ask, it's a new song every night and she loves it.

Okay, bath was over + butt was diaper creamed {she pees like a machine at night}, fleece jammies were on, and hair was combed. Oh, and fingernails were cut {after much wrestling and many tears + probably a scratch somewhere on my extremities}. All that was left between freedom and myself, was a goodnight story and some kisses. Except, tonight no book was sufficient. We ended up reading the same book 3 times by default. {I know exactly where baby's belly button is in case anyone hasn't read that story.} I turned out the light, sang her her "night night song", and kissed her little lips. "Night night Emmie. I love you", I said. "I wooo yewwwwwww, mama", she said.

Suddenly the countdown to that very moment seemed silly. It was a meaningless countdown because I certainly need time for myself, especially after a long and trying day like today. But, that one little phrase, "I woo yewwwww mama", it put everything into perspective. So even though today SUCKED, majorly and severely, I was reminded in that brief moment that tomorrow is a new day and that God will never give me more than I can handle.

So, when you feel like it's the final countdown and you let out that sign of relief after you close your little one's door, just know that even if it was the crappiest of crappy days, tomorrow is bound to be different. Maybe it won't be great, but it will be different and for me, that's a relief. 

Cheers to you mamas {and daddy's}! Underneath those leggings and that graham cracker, snot + God knows what else-stained shirt, you're one of a kind to that little love bug that calls you "mama". Rest in that.  Oh, and pour yourself some wine {Jesus drank it, He understands!}

XO,

Keep On

This paraphrased verse popped up on my Instagram feed today. How timely it is. As a new-ish mom, and blogger, I have a lot on my mind most days. I have so much I want to say to the world, so much I want to share from a place of complete vulnerability. But I'm often afraid. What am I afraid of? Rejection. Judgement. Envy. If it's a human emotion, I've probably been afraid of it at some point. Even though the response to my blog and my IG feed have been nothing but positive thus far, I am human and I have fears, just like you. My fears within the blogging community are not as legitimate as my fears as a mother, so today I want to shed some light on my fears as a mom. I don't want to be afraid to speak about it. I don't want to be silent about it. I want to keep on speaking about it because in speaking about it comes freedom. Freedom to be who I am. Freedom to say what's on my heart and in my mind. Freedom to let others in to my little portion of the world. Freedom to let others feel that they aren't alone and in return, help me to realize that I'm not alone. With freedom comes life.

My journey into motherhood started roughly 2.5 years ago. {I included pregnancy in that estimate because I became a mother from the moment Emerson was created in my womb, in my opinion}. Pregnancy, for me, was nothing short of amazing. I honestly cannot complain about anything. The only real trouble I ran into, which really doesn't even seem like trouble compared to so many others out there, was that I had Placenta Previa, meaning the baby's placenta partially or totally covers the opening in the mothers cervix, which can cause severe bleeding and often requires cesarean delivery, without option of vaginal delivery. Thankfully, mine healed itself at 38 weeks. Aside from the very normal exhaustion and food aversions {coffee for me- I know, it was sad!}, I was healthy, active, and enjoyed being pregnant very much {well up until I went beyond my due date-ha!}. I had a quick + relatively easy delivery, especially for it being my first baby. Everything was going according to plan, just how I like life...to follow a plan, a schedule, a routine. Thankfully, in the end, God knows me better than I know myself.

The first week with Emerson, overall, was great. I was exhausted and sore, but I loved being a new mom. Then, reality set in. Milk came in {ow}, nursing started going haywire, I didn't know when or how to pump, I wasn't sleeping much, Emerson cried a lot, Trey worked all the time, everything was supposed to be able to be answered with Google {B I G mistake}. When I couldn't figure something out with the baby, I felt like a failure. I wasn't teaching full-time anymore which had brought great routine to my life, so I now felt lazy for wanting to do nothing when the baby did sleep. I was losing my mind. Depression set it fairly early on without me really recognizing it. I was miserable. I withdrew from my friends. I withdrew from my husband. I withdrew from my baby. I had a horrible self-consciousness about my body, which made me extremely uncomfortable because I've never really struggled with that before. My life as I'd known it to that point was completely over. I often regretted the choice to expand our family because I felt like life was over for me. My only role now was 'mom" and I didn't like it one bit. There was no "Chelsea" left, or so I thought.

After several months of MANY, MANY tears and inward struggles, I hit a point where I knew that if I didn't start living life at least a little bit for ME again, it would be over. I think what really did it for me was having a conversation with my husband where he told me that I had turned so negative. He said that I didn't look at life like I used to and I didn't follow through with things like I once did. That was like a dagger to the heart. I did NOT like being told that I didn't follow through on stuff, because well, that just isn't me at all. Also, to be frank, he pissed me off and set a fire under my butt {maybe that was his ultimate goal? haha}. At first, I just wanted to prove him wrong + prove to myself that I still WAS ME, so I took a job {which I referenced in a recent post} and it gave me some motivation. It got me out of the house and away from the baby for a little while a couple times a week, which {new moms} helps clear your head and it really does bring you some sanity. Over time, it ignited passion in me again. I began blogging again, too. On my blog, I began sharing more and more of my struggles, especially as they related to motherhood. I began receiving feedback from others who shared with me that they had fought so many of the same battles. Finally, I felt like I wasn't alone anymore. I felt like my negativity {which was definitely a large breeding ground for resentment + anger for a while} was taking an upward turn. I blogged on and off as an outlet for a while, mostly doing it whenever I felt the urge. Then, I just decided that enough was enough. The only person that could change the direction of my attitude, and ultimately my life was me {with Jesus' help, of course}. I read this quote recently which really hit home, "The very best thing you can do for the world is to make the most of yourself."

I made the choice to pursue blogging more intentionally. I decided to work on house projects, read, work outside, exercise {*shocking*}, etc during free time instead of laying around watching tv or cleaning obsessively. {I clean when I have nothing else to do, it's a blessing and a curse}. The more down time I have, the less productive I feel, though I am trying to learn the art of "resting" without it feeling like pure laziness.

Just a couple of months ago I made the decision to say YES more. Yes to more play dates with Emerson. Yes to opportunities with my blog. Yes to home projects I've been wanting to tackle. Yes to showing love to my husband more. Yes to going to the gym regularly. Yes to playing with Emerson more without distractions {mostly my phone or the tv}. Yes to pursing some opportunities that allow me to use my creative side, while also reaching the "teacher" in me. Saying 'YES' has been freeing for me. It's not easy for me to always say YES because even though I have no problem talking to strangers {or writing to them}, I like being alone. I like solitude and quiet. I don't NEED other people all the time to thrive. Me + God are working on getting me outside of my comfort zone on that one.  Anyway, ultimately I've been working on not being afraid. Saying yes, though often very frightening for me, has changed my attitude dramatically. I am not the same person {as a mother, wife, or individual} that I was even 6 months ago. God is using all of the difficult times throughout the past year to change me and mold me, and ultimately, I think use me. As I mentioned recently, I don't know why I've been burdened {in a good way} with this blog suddenly, but I have and I know God is at work. I have been more excited the past month about MY life and the direction it's heading than I have been in a long time. I'm just so excited that God is using my fears to bring me to a new place. A place where I have the freedom to not be silent. The freedom to not be afraid anymore, and the freedom to keep on speaking. It's giving me life and I'm so, so, so excited about it.

P.S. I am so honored and privileged {and still kind of shocked} that I was asked to be featured today on another blogger's website {Devon Brown}as part one of a series she's doing called "Mommy Bloggers". She's featuring some amazing women, aside from herself, who also happen to be great moms. You can see the post I linked on Instagram or you can click here to check out the feature, which shares how and why I got started in the blogging community. Again, thank you all for your continued support + encouragement!!

P.S.S. I've added a new board on Pinterest called "A Little Thrifty Chic" that links directly to photos, articles, and tutorials on this blog. Would love it if all of you Pinterest lovers you would go follow it to help spread the word! Thanks!

Ten Tips for Keeping a Tidy Home Daily

Do you have clutter that causes you stress? Do you get overwhelmed at the thought of cleaning up your house on a daily or weekly basis? Do you end up neglecting your house because you just can't figure out where to start? Well, I've got some tips that are sure to help you kick clutter stress in the butt!

I, by design, am a naturally tidy person. I love organization and order. I thrive on it, frankly. Teachers and parents used to comment frequently on how orderly my classroom was and how quiet and stress-free it appeared. Well, that was no accident you guys. I created that environment intentionally, not only for my students, but for me. I do the same with our home. An orderly space leads to a {more} orderly, less stressed lifestyle. So, let's dive in for  T E N tips on becoming tidy on a daily basis. Check yo'self before you wreck yo'self!

TEN TIPS FOR KEEPING A TIDY HOME 

O N E: This first one doesn't specifically deal with being "tidy", but it does set the stage for everything I'm about to say. Try to wake up around the same time every morning {those of you with kids, get up 30 minutes-ish before them if you can} and have some YOU time. For me this includes: coffee, Jesus Calling devotional, and a good scroll through Instagram.

T W O: Make your bed {and your kids' beds} AS SOON AS YOU {they} GET OUT OF IT. In fact, once old enough, teach your children to make their beds {not to perfection, but just the routine of it}. Even as a child, it was a requirement that I make my bed before leaving the house. It has always stuck with me. To this day, I cannot leave the house with an unmade bed. Weird? Maybe, but I promise it helps you feel accomplished first thing in the morning. It takes less than 2 minutes, and it really helps things look and feel tidy. Just do it.

T H R E E: After toys {or any other item} is taken out and used, put it away before moving to another location within the house. Two practical examples: 1) Emerson has a basket of blocks in her room. She loves pulling them out and scattering them across her room. NO PROBLEM there, however, I require that SHE HELP me put them back in the basket before we leave her room to go to another room. 2) We don't have a "master bathroom", meaning we all use the same one. So, hair products/styling tools, make up, etc is all stored in containers and/or baskets in the bathroom. Once I used my flat iron, I put it back in it's designated location to eliminate items from stockpiling on the bathroom counter. And for the record, the only thing that permanently stays on the bathroom counter is the soap dispenser. Everything else is stored in baskets/containers under the sink, in the medicine cabinet (behind the mirror), or in the linen closet. This is SO HUGE in eliminating unsightly clutter and unnecessary piles of stuff.

F O U R: To eliminate piles and piles of sky high laundry, start a load first thing in the morning. Do a load a day if necessary. This has been something I've been working on starting myself actually. Usually Trey + I do our own laundry, I think I have trust issues {haha}. But, recently his laundry pile has reach monumental proportions causing me slight anxiety, so I have just been doing his laundry for him. Realistically, this is helpful to him because he isn't here much, so he doesn't always have time to do it and/or he's scrambling to wash his work clothes at 9p in order to have them for the next day. Nevertheless, I now do laundry before Emerson wakes up + it has helped keep piles at a minimum.

F I V E: Straight up, get RID of stuff. Dedicate a month to going through each room in your house {a couple days at a time} and eliminating any and everything that isn't loved, or more importantly, used on a regular basis. This includes TOYS {!!!}, clothing, shoes, pens, paperwork, toiletries, and the like. I'm not a disorganized person, but I was stunned at the amount of STUFF that we had prior to decluttering recently. It is seriously FREEING to just get rid of it. Not only does this increase storage space for what you DO NEED, but it provides you with a cleaner, less cluttered environment. I posted this recently, but less stuff=less cleaning, more stuff=more cleaning.

S I X: I might catch some flack for this, but hang with me. Vacuum and wipe down your counters at least ONCE a day. I say "vacuum" not to mean the entire house every day, that should occur every couple of days. But, I used to vacuum certain spaces in our home like up to 3-4 times a day, which I agree is a little ridiculous. I have since cut down on that to now MAX 2 times daily. I try to only vacuum after dinner {or after meals, because let's be honest, I have a very messy toddler}. I wipe down the counters if there's a spill or something, but usually I do that after dinner, once we're pretty much finished using the counters for the day {for the most part anyway}. But crumbs and dirt on the floor are not pleasant on one's bare feet OR to the eye, so it's beneficial to everyone to get those up on a daily basis. Also, this is totally a personal choice, but we don't typically wear shoes in our house {unless others come over} because SO much bacteria and disgustingness is housed on the bottom of our shoes. Just think about all the places they touch during the day {um, public restrooms...*GROSS*}. I don't want that stuff coming into our home and leaving traces on the floors only to be picked up by my child when she inevitably eats food and other items off of the bare floor. Again, a personal choice, but one you may want to consider.

S E V E N: Give everything a home. It seems overwhelming, and it can be sometimes, but I promise once you  know where everything is and where it goes, it eliminates so much confusion and stress when it's time to clean up and/or find something. This is not to say that sometimes the designated space isn't overrun with items {like my hair styling basket for example-seen below}, but at the least, I know exactly where to look to find any hair styling item I may need without having to search multiple locations. Again, this is where eliminating unnecessary items is helpful. :)

E I G H T: Similar to seven, have a designated spot for everyday items, specifically those that are needed when leaving/entering the house: keys, wallet, purse, shoes, diaper bag, etc. We have hooks + a basket by the front door for all of Trey's daily items. I have more hooks in the mudroom for  jackets, umbrellas, and keys. Then in our hallway we have a hall tree bench, that hangs Trey's hats, the diaper bag and my purse. I know exactly where to look for all of those things, so if we're ever in a hurry, we know exactly where to go to grab what we need. I'm telling you, it saves so much time.

N I N E: Before you call it a night, do a once over of the house to straighten up. That, for me, includes washing the dishes and/or putting them in the dishwasher {An empty sink is HEAVEN in the morning}, and I like to straighten the pillows on the couch, refold any blankets that were used, pick up + put away shoes that were worn that day, etc. Waking up to a tidy house ensures a less stressful morning.

T E N: The least favorite, but equally as important for sanitary reasons: dusting and mopping. I don't do this every day. No, no. I try to do this at least one a week though, but if I'm being really honest, sometimes it's every two. I would say try to keep it at AT LEAST every two weeks to eliminate major dust bunnies {which are linked to allergies in this house} and disgusting stickiness on the floor. :)

So, there you have it. Ten ways to keep your house tidy on a daily {or weekly in some cases} basis. If you averaged the time it takes to do all of them in a day, I would say you are at about 30 minutes {assuming you already have designated spots for everything}, which is not a whole lot of time when it comes to keeping your home stress-free. Hopefully you've found something helpful here, and as always, if you have questions or comments, please let me know. :) Have a wonderful rest of your weekend, friends!