Today, I’m speaking at the Replenish Your Soul online marriage conference!
More info here!
Today’s Large Family Organization tip comes from
Christie DeSilva- mom of 4
In the living room, we have a big-ish canvas bin affectionately named
“The Miscellaneous Bin“
We pause a handful of times per day and call a “two minute clean-up.”
Even toddling one year olds can easily help with this. Everyone just moves anything that doesn’t belong in the public rooms quickly into the miscellaneous bin.
No putting it away, jut move it to the bin if it’s in a room where it doesn’t belong.
Then, usually twice per day, but often times just once, it’s Miscellaneous Bin Time. We all work together to re-home the miscellaneous items away appropriately, which only takes a few minutes. Also, as we are walking through the house, we can grab stuff in the wrong spot and just set it in the bin on our way through. Keeps the house ten times tidier!
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Amy here…
I love this idea! It got me thinking, so I looked on Amazon for some Miscellaneous Bin/Tidy Up Tubs (and I also thought of Thirty-One as a place to get some snazzy bins too!) Here are a few ideas:
This one is very classy and would go with just about any decor…
This one comes in a myriad of colors and is very reasonably priced…
This one is not reasonably priced at all, but oh so cute!
You could probably even just use a plastic tote from the discount store, but the canvas does look a lot nicer!
Amy says
I use a laundry basket for when we do this.
Holly says
OK, this is a confirmation for me. I’ve been thinking of adding a couple of ‘quick pick-ups’ before mealtimes. I even have an empty laundry basket! Time to stop thinking and start doing!
Cheryl @Treasures from a Shoebox says
I love the basket idea! With 11 people living in a fairly small house, frequent pick-ups are a necessary part of every day life. Except for the weekends. Blah! We are usually busy on Saturday and then Sunday is…well, Sunday. Monday’s are by far my most difficult day of the week. Still working on that!
Kari says
We have a stairs basket that is used for this purpose, but I tend to be the only one throwing things in it and emptying it. You’ve inspired me to get the kids involved in this too! I also saw an idea on Pinterest to have a basket for each child. They put stuff in it throughout the day and as they go up to bed each night they take their basket and empty it and bring it back the next morning. I love that idea too! Thanks for the ideas! We’re not technically a large family (3 kids and 1 in heaven) but we might have another one in the next year or so it’s nice to see how others do it! Blessings on your week!
Hollie says
Loving the stair basket idea! I have just been placing things on the stairway and reminding the kids to pack things up as they go. The stairway gets VERY crowded on most days. Great Tips Ladies. Thanks for starting this one Christie DeSilva!
Lisa Mather says
You could even snazz up a bin and cover it with fabric! Even using a larger diaper box and covering it with fabric, a neat way to upcyle. 🙂
Amy says
Great idea!
Christi says
I love that last basket. This is a good idea also.
Suanna says
That last basket is cute. You could make your own with a cardboard box covered with fabric.
Amy says
Certainly! You’d want to make sure you had a sturdy cardboard box, but it is definite doable. 🙂
Natalija says
Cool idea. I will have to think about a tote like this. Maybe I can make my own?
Ginger says
I’ve come to realize that my kids clean up when I tell them to, but almost never take initiative to clean up after themselves. They will play with toys and leave them out until I say: Ok, it’s time to clean your rooms. OR they’ll read a bunch of books and leave them on the floor of the den until I say it’s time to tidy up the den.
I’m grateful for obedient kids, but I’m trying to figure out how to solve the initiative problem. 😕
Amy says
When you solve that, please let me know! lol
Ginger says
We’ve been focusing on this this week, and instead of constantly reminding them (they already have ‘tidy up’ times that appear on their homeschool planner twice a day), we wait until their bedtime and then check their rooms and bathroom. If they aren’t clean, they have to stay up late and clean them then.
Then hubby wakes them up early the next day. Day 3 now and so far, so good. I’ve been impressed with how clean they’ve been able to keep their areas.
Jenny says
I will do this often to declutter things the children just “don’t see” in a room cleanup…then I have one or all of them put it away. Works great!
Beth says
This is what we do also and it works very well. I love gathering everything first and then putting it away later. It makes the room “clean” much faster.
Anita says
We do this! But I have a tub for my nearly 3 year old and a tub for my 4 and a half year old and as I find things that need to be put away, I put them in the youngest’s bin if she is capable of putting it away and in the oldest if she’s not. (working on the principle of giving a job needing doing to the youngest capable of learning that job) Then at random times I’ll say “Put away the things in our tubs please!” And they do, very quickly! They often race each other 😉
Kalista says
This is a fabulous idea! I have 3 kids under 4 and it is amazing how much stuff accumulates in the living room in one day!!
Found you on the Hip Homeschool Blog Hop!
Kalista
http://www.whenwereathome.blogspot.com
Jen says
Great idea, so simple, yet I’ve never thought about it before!
Christie DeSilva says
Thanks for sharing my tip! This little bin keeps me from feeling like all I do is re-home misplaced items all day. 🙂 I also love that when surprise company pulls in the driveway, I can say “Two minute clean-up! Quick!” Then, by the time they are at the door, the house is much tidier.
Since we’ve gotten into our “two minute clean-up groove,” I’ve noticed that the kids REALLY notice anything that is out of place. They can scan the carpet, the sofa, under the table and find things that don’t belong really well. It’s like a household game of Where’s Waldo! I’m really glad to see them become very aware of what doesn’t belong where in the home.
It leaves me a few shreds of sanity, especially since daddy works nearly full-time and goes to school nearly full-time. He’s gone from 6 am until after 10 pm, Mon-Fri, and then he’s gone on the weekends for over ten hours a day. We’re 25 miles from town and a one car family, so we are home ALL THE TIME!
That’s a lot of time to make a big mess. 🙂