Many moms think, ‘My house is messy and where do I start?’ That was my question, unanswered question for years.

When I started out as a mom I had very little possessions but also very little apprehension about life.

My husband and I thought it’d be great to move to a different city without any employment, while I was pregnant!   Not only that but in order to move on our tight budget, we had to leave many of our possessions behind.

Not the biggest hurdle at the time (because of other factors) but it soon came to be.

(Did You Know I’VE MOVED? Focusing on Printables to Get You Organized.)

By the Lord’s FULL mercy upon our foolishness, we did receive a great number of items from a baby shower at my church.  It was such an amazing amount of needed items that quickly the thought came to my mind, ‘Where do I put all of this?’

Christmas, birthdays, sharing baby clothes and toys, the Lord allowed more to pour in. My question became, why does my house get so messy?  Is this normal?

We all think, “MORE”, but do we really want more? I mean when I think of tiny toys all over the floor, do I really want more?  No!  I only wanted LESS (and I still do).

Feelings of being buried alive with dishes, toys, and clothes. It’s not just those items, it’s those items scattered all over. Is that you?  Probably, because I feel the average house with children has mess.

Children forgetting to put dishes away, even though I know I’ve instructed them in it (right?).   Clothes left on the floor.  Toys NOT in the playroom.

Even though I’ve figured out some ways to Get Kids to Help at Home  I remember the mess is enough to make type A girl cry. Let’s not even talk about boys’ bedrooms!

I’ve thought about my progress from little to much, and mess to masterful mom. And I know keeping up is still a problem.

I thought I needed principles to guide me.  Learning things like “everything has a home” did give me some space.  But it wasn’t enough.

Then I realized it was the abundance of stuff that was creating the mess, so I looked to minimalism.  I literally tell my kids that if it’s on the floor, it’s trash.  No, that’s not exactly minimalism but mad mommyism.  I was scattered and seeking answers.

Even with less stuff there’s still stuff and it ends up everywhere it shouldn’t be.  My attempts at minimalism doesn’t answer why my house gets so messy. You may find minimalism to be helpful but there is something going on deeper.  You and I still need to know, how do I change my messy home?

Here’s How to Change Your Messy Home

We have to change.

We have to change how we look at our priorities and our mindsets about the things around us.

First

Stop buying all the things that look like they’d be great in your home or for your kids.  Unless it’s for a school project or your kids have worn right through their shoes, don’t buy anything new.  Not until you’ve gone through all the steps and have gotten a hold of your messy house.

Second

Create good habits of housekeeping.  There are lots of methods to do this and I’ve talked about How to Create Good Habits and 10 Habits of Successful Moms so I won’t go into details here.  But find your groove and then…

Third

Follow through on those habits.  Now that you know what to do, you really need to stop procrastinating and get yourself going.  Once you are in motion it’s easier to keep going than it is to stop.

Fourth

Be willing to let go of things (they are just things after all), in order to enjoy what’s most important – our sanity. As you declutter as apart of your regular routine, you’ll have less chaos in your visual sight, leaving less chaos for your mind.

However, with all that said, you must realize that none of that will happen if you don’t change your mind about what’s going on. Stop making excuses for the state of your home and of your life.

Your motherhood journey may have left you feeling unprepared and discontent, but you can change that outlook.  Instead, you could have a changed mind and heart, one of strength and purpose.

It’s the life lessons that God allows in day-to-day motherhood that slowly remake our minds and hearts.  It’s not until habits are formed, over time, while you are allowing God to mature you, along with your children.  It’s not until then that our minds and homes will be renewed.

Now, don’t get me wrong, there are some methods to getting organized that even when I apply them they work. But, let’s be honest, they don’t work consistently from the point you begin your motherhood journey until your kids are grown.

Don’t allow these times of Pinterest perfection lies whisk you away, with thoughts of doing this one thing or buying this one organizing tool being the solution. I wish every new mom knew that our homes will NOT be neat and tidy all the time.

Not if you live there

Not if you live life.

If you have two or more children, your home will be messy sometimes.

If you homeschool, it’s normal that your home will be messy sometimes.

Work from home? Work outside the home? The average home with children IS messy sometimes.

Do you deal with ongoing health issues and have certain tasks attached to them? Don’t be overwhelmed with anxiety about your home.

Even if you are a stay at home mom with no special circumstances to prevent you from keeping a cleaning routine, there are seasons within the seasons of motherhood where your home will be messy. Newborn care, sick kids, busy weeks, unplanned overnight guests. These periods are short-lived, nonetheless, they are enough to throw you off your game.

Many moms at this point default to throwing up her hands.

Giving up is not an option

Those little messies still see you as their hope, their beautiful security in life.

Don’t let the messiness of motherhood crowd out the reason you are going down this journey.  Start creating good habits, start seeing your day-to-day life as not an obstacle but as a mind & soul training school, embrace your littles and embrace what God is doing in you through all of it.

Seek Him to direct you and over time you will see the change you desire.

Take control of your messy home right now