I'm a total clean freak. If my house is clean, I somehow feel better about life in general (read: when it's dirty and messy I get angry and feel like I'm losing my mind. Clean house = Good mom/wife/person). I spend a LOT of time and exert a LOT of energy tidying, sweeping, wiping, wiping and wiping. 

What's that saying? About how cleaning when there are growing kids in the house is like...what? Yeah, I don't even know the saying because I don't listen. I futilely clean anyway. 

Obviously having 3 kids under 3 has made me a little less anal about having a clean house. I have to be, or else I will go insane.  So because I don't always have time to clean things as thoroughly as I'd like to, here are some "short-cuts" I have used in the last 10 months.  Feel free to implement these cleaning tips in your own home:



1) Too much cat hair to clean up constantly? Give your poor cat a very badly done lion shave. He'll hate you, but also secretly love you because he'll have less work to do too. 

He's usually very fluffy.

2) You stepped on one of the Cheerios that your kids left lying on the floor? Lick your hand, and use your wet hand to pick up the Cheerio dust. Best. Ever. 

3) Get leather couches. That way, when liquids are spilled, all you have to do is sit on the spill. Also? Wear sweat pants. Very absorbent. 

My new leather couches. Aren't they pretty?

4) Make sure your rugs are shag. No one notices that they need vacuuming, so everyone who comes over thinks you're an amazing house keeper. 

Cute babies on our living room shag rug.  Is it dirty?  Probably.  Can you tell?  Nope!

5) And one serious one- clean up as you go. Don't let everything pile up until the kids are all in bed, because then you will spend 90 minutes of what was supposed to be your 120 minute "me" time cleaning and tidying and washing dishes. Be a bad mom and do most of it while the kids are awake and sucking on your ankles. You'll thank yourself later, and you'll have some beautiful ankle hickies to look at while you relax. 

Happy cleaning!

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