About Leanne Jacobs & her Blog
Leanne is a winner of Top 25 Home Management Moms - 2012
How do you encourage your children to help keep the house organized?
I have a few things that work well with my children. The first thing is to include them in the process. I like them to have input in what containers to use, how to label them, and where things should be stored. By them having a say in how their things are stored, organized and displayed they are more responsible at keeping them that way. They also have small daily chores that help with keeping the house clean and organized. One of the main chores is that their rooms are kept reasonably clean and orderly everyday and their beds are made every morning. And the last thing is that we have a quick pick up around the house before everyone goes to bed at night. They are responsible for putting away their own things or I get to keep them and they have to earn them back by doing a small chore of my choice. I believe children function better in order and feel safer and more at ease in an organized home.
What advice do you have for moms trying to manage their home more effectively?
Don't be afraid to have your kids help with the daily chores. It might not be done perfectly but they will learn and will get better as time goes on. They will be learning responsibility and that if everyone pitches in things get done much quicker. If everything in your home has a place it's much easier for the kids to help in making sure things are returned to where they belong. I think that's especially important in their rooms because things can get out of hand quickly there.
What's the biggest challenge when keeping a home organized?
Managing the things that come into the home everyday. School papers, mail, shopping bags full of things can all add clutter and chaos to your home. Deal with things immediately as they come into the home by having a dropping place for the mail and school papers. Toss and file things as they come in. Empty and put away shopping bag items as soon as they come into the home. Don't put anything in a temporary place. Managing clutter is a big challenge also. I like to use the one in, one out rule. It helps keep excess things under control. Going through your home and purging regularly helps keep things under control and organized. If something hasn't been used, worn or admired for 6 months then it's probably time to toss or donate it.
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