Ok first off, who ever said that this was a possible way of living lied. I remember being pregnant and all of my friends and family (LITERALLY ALL) kept joking how soon ill have to box up my pottery and frames and dismantle all of of table scapes. I quickly replied with "Yeah right." The first few months of baby was fine but as I'm sure you've guessed, I soon had to box up my stuff. At this time I became a huge fan of shelves. High enough to present my pretty things but out of reach from the little tornado walking around in diapers.
I found that as little one started walking and running and playing with his toys, messes became a lot more inevitable. This is when I became a bigger fan of baskets. Specifically. Baskets with lids to hide the colorful plastic mess that was inside. I designated a basket for balls, one for random toys and a small one for his magnetic tiles/legos. I found that three baskets of toys was more than enough for a baby and even two. Occasionally I will go in and donate toys he isn't using regularly or he has outgrown. (See below for a few basket recommendations)
Michael is an accountant so he works most of the week including some Saturdays. While he doesn't have a ton of time to help around the house, we manage to schedule out our Sunday to include catching up on cleaning and finishing a couple small projects around the house. This includes getting all the laundry done, fresh sheets on the bed, not just a sweep but a mop of the floor, and occasionally things like clearing out the whole refrigerator and organizing a part of the house. This makes it fun and a lot easier to maintain throughout the week. Using clear organizing trays make this so much easier to stay on track but an occasional deep clean helps.
And of course, I probably don't even need to spell this one out but when we clean, our baby cleans too. We even got him the play cleaning set so when we mop the floors, he gets right in their with his own mop. It’s literally one of the cutest things i’ve seen that involved a mop. The goal is to teach that this is a regular thing of living in a home and taking care of your things. And did I mention how motivating it is when he gets all excited when the broom and dust pan come out! That's called multitasking.
Anyways, long story short, it’s not impossible to have a home that is pretty and Pinterest ready at least half of the time while having a toddler. It just takes love, planning, and a lot of organizing. Check out these products below to help you get organized.
The only storage containers I have on my counter top to let me stay on top of what I have in stock.
Some cute storage bins for high shelves.
Cute baskets with lids are decor AND storage.