Every week, as the weekend draws near, I look around my house with dismay. Piles of dirty clothes, edging closer to the piles of clean clothes, not yet hung up or put away. Stacks of school papers covering every flat surface. Dishes in the sink, overflowing onto the counters. These images cause anxiety while I sit alone in my home. And then someone calls and says they are stopping by. AGH!!! TIME TO CLEAN!!

Does this sound like you? If so, you are NOT alone. I can say with almost 100% accuracy that my house is almost NEVER 100% clean. There is always some pile of crap waiting to be put away in its place.

As a mom (and a woman), seeing my unclean and unkept home makes me feel like a complete failure. However, as I have met more moms and found myself in other homes just as untidy as mine, I realize I am not alone. I am a part of a large demographic of women who are always feverishly cleaning their house when they know they will have company just to portray the image of having it somewhat together.

This reality brings me comfort in knowing that my chaotic reality is NORMAL! Take that, Marie Kondo!

Now, for the moms that are truly looking for an answer to their headache of a house, I do have some solutions that I have begun to implement.

1. Get Rid of the JUNK

There are times when a large 30 gallon trash bag are in order. Ideally when your children are out of the house or busy elsewhere, you head into that bedroom and start picking and packing! If they are treating it like trash, so should you!! I promise you that if bedroom clutter is an issue for your kids, they will NOT miss any of it!! I have also decided that anything that is purchased just to appease them in one of my more weak moments, is not meant to be kept forever, and gets thrown away as soon as the novelty wears off.

2. Decorative hampers make great stuffed animal homes!

We have more animals in our house than the Bronx Zoo! And many of them hold some sort of sentimental value, making them harder to part with. However, when they start taking over the bed, leaving minimal room for sleep, it is time to contain! Investing in some cute hampers that go with the decor makes it easier on you and the kids when its time to clean up! All they have to do is toss all of the animals in and 40% of the mess is dealt with.

3. Snapfish the Snowmen

How many pictures of snowmen can you really hold onto during the winter months? You have snowmen made from scraps of paper, cotton ball snowmen, and coloring book snowmen – and your child wants you to keep them ALL, along with the leprechaun, unicorn, and spider crafts and hats created while they are at school! Snap a picture and save them in your photos on your phone. When the school year is over, compile all of those photos in a book and now you can save them forever. This was an idea suggested to me two years ago and only now, after filling 3 boxes with all of this paper, have I started to free myself from the guilt of throwing a good chunk of it away. (Note: Keep the really cute stuff)

4. 15 Minutes on the Hour

If you are like me and get distracted by “stuff” while “organizing” your home, you need a schedule. I like to take 15 min on the hour, every hour to power clean every room in my house. 9am: I set the timer on Alexa, turn the music up, and power clean the filthy kitchen. 10am: Timer back on and its on to the bathroom. 11am: Living room 12pm: Bedroom. The in-between time will allow you to do the laundry, while catching up on your book (or Netflix) without feeling like you are losing your Saturday. It is amazing how this method will get my house cleaner than if I worked on it the whole day. It also doesn’t hurt to invite a friend over for a late lunch or some wine time to get you motivated to stick with it! Just know that this schedule is for you, not your children. Make those little dirtballs clean their whole room all at once- or it will NOT get done.

Now listen, I KNOW a clean house limits anxiety and brings a sense of peace to everyone’s life, but let’s still be realistic about it. Do Your Best. That’s it. That is all you can do. But make NO apologies when “your best” is not “perfect.” The truth is, we ALL have that one closet we don’t want anyone to open so give yourself a break! You deserve it!!