*All opinions are 100% my own. Pine-Sol provided me with payment and product for this review.

A popular blogger and reality show star made a comment the other day on her snap chat that really resonated with me. She said that they gave up on sleep training with their son and the upside is that letting him sleep whenever and wherever he wants is “much less stressful.” That got me thinking, sometimes as moms, its okay to pick the lazy route if it makes life less stressful. I think we all feel so much pressure to live up to everyone else’s standard that we stress ourselves out trying to keep up.

Sleep training wasn’t an issue for me, in fact, it made life less stressful to kick the kids out of our bed and make them learn to self sooth and sleep on a schedule. I am fully aware though, that this is something a lot of parents struggle with. What I struggle with is keeping up with my house work. Unlike most women, moms, maybe even humans, it is more stressful for me to try and keep the house clean, than to just leave a mess for a few days. I know a lot of moms feel like they can’t relax if the toy room isn’t picked up or the dishes are all done, but that is so not me . It is way more stressful for me to think about doing dishes after dinner, when all I really want to do is get in my PJs and watch Netflix, than it is to just leave the dishes for the morning.

Moms, its okay to choose the easy way out sometimes. Its okay to forget about the “perfect mother” standard and let a few things in your life slide, cleaning or sleep training, or whatever your stressors might be.

So, for you mamas that are like me and you just can’t seem to keep up with the mess that is constantly overtaking your home, this one is for you. This is my  Messy Mom’s Guide to Making Cleaning Easier.

1. Encourage your kids to help you . – Like I have said before, I don’t allow much screen time in our home. So, instead of putting on a show for the kids while I tackle the kitchen, I have always encouraged them to join me. I also pay the kids for chores that they do that are above and beyond their normal duties.

For example, they have to unload the dishwasher, so they don’t get paid for that. They don’t have to mop the floor so if they choose to mop, they make a few dollars. They have to help me put their laundry away, so they don’t get paid for that, but if they chose to help me sort and fold it, they get a few bucks. They love the feeling of adding to their piggy banks and seeing it add up because of their hard work.

Its important to remember that kids don’t do anything perfectly, or as good as you can do it, but I just accept the help. It is good for their self esteem and to help relax a mom’s need for perfection.

2. Stay organized. – It is so, so much easier to clean if your home is also organized. It is also a lot easier to get your kids and your husband to help you clean if everyone in your house knows clearly where things are supposed to be put away. My house isn’t always the cleanest, as I’ve made pretty clear so far, but everything we own has place that it belongs. We have a three piece plastic draw in our closet for beanies, gloves, and scarves. We have baskets for blankets and bins for outgrown clothes. Everything has its place.

For an example of how I keep my toy room crazy (and obsessively) organized, click here.

3. Procrastinate if you want. – Procrastination never killed anyone. Okay, maybe it has, I can’t be sure. What I do know, is that putting off the laundry for another day or leaving dirty dishes in the sink, is definitely not going to kill anyone. If your kids ask you to have a dance party or your husband wants to snuggle on the couch, just leave the mess for another time and go dance or snuggle. Keeping your house clean is not as important has having a happy family and making memories.

4. Ask for help. – My husband travels a lot from March to November and as hard as I try to keep it up, by the end of his travel season the house has completely gotten away from me. I used to stress out and have a mental break down about it, but now, I just tell him. I tell him that I can’t do it anymore on my own, that his first free weekend is going to be spent helping me catch up and I tell him that the house isn’t going to be fully back together until his travel season is over.

I have also have had friends come over and fold laundry with me while we chat or friends that sweep the floor while I wipe down the counters. There is nothing wrong with admitting that you can’t do it all on your own. Asking for help and being honest about your own abilities is so much better than living with the constant feeling that you must keep your home spotless.

Bonus! You can also ask for help by hiring help. I, being a stay at home mom in a crazy expensive city, cannot afford a regular house keeper. What I can do though, is budget for someone to come deep clean our home every 2 or 3 months. It really helps keep things under control and it is so worth the splurge.

5. Choose products that make cleaning easier (or more enjoyable). – Our home has a three stories and our first story is half black hard wood floor, and half, white tile. When I say black and white, I mean black and white. This means that every single spec of dust can be seen on the black floor and every tiny drip of coffee can be seen on our white floor. This means my floor doesn’t stay looking cleaning for longer than 5 mins and it’s enough to drive even the un-tidiest person mad. To make my attempts at making our floors look decent much easier, I invested in a decent mop (instead of my usual cheapest one available), and of course, I couldn’t survive without Pine-Sol multi-surface.

Did you know that you can use Pine-Sol to clean your entire home, not just to mop your floors? Take Pine-Sol from your kitchen to your bathroom to cut grime, grease and even stains from all of the surfaces in your home. And, everyone is familiar with the original sent of Pine-Sol but did you know that Pine-Sol multi surface also comes in lavender, lemon, mandarin, and sparkling wave. Plus, you can purchase Pine-Sol starting at just 2.99 so its easy on your budget.

So there it is, my Messy Mom’s Guide to Making Cleaning Easier.  You can really apply these principles to anything any your life that makes “mom-ing” stressful. The point is, stop stressing about the small stuff. Let your not so important  responsibilities slip a little, stop trying to meet everyone else’s standard, and just enjoy the life going on around you.

Clear eyes, full hearts, can’t lose.

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