One of the top 3 questions we get all the time is how do we keep our home so clean with dogs, Jon, our toddler running around? It helps that Jon and I are both clean freaks. But the truth is, it’s not as bad as I thought it would be. Here’s why. 

We delegated a section of each living space for kid stuff. In the kitchen, Grey has a drawer and a cupboard that are just his, for whatever he’d like to store in there. Sometimes it’s pots and pans for his cooking show, other days it’s filled with peanut butter covered trains. I try not to stress about keeping them clean, and allow him free reign over those spaces when I’m trying to cook. It keeps me sane, and allows him the freedom to explore.

In the living room, we have a gorgeous (and large!) African basket with a top on it. All of his little tchotchke odds and ends go there. It makes for incredibly easy clean-up and everything can be swooped in by the time it takes us to answer the doorbell. Plus when the top is on, you’d never know there were toys in there. In the space behind the couch, he keeps his larger toys, like the power riding Thomas Train, and his lawnmower. Out of sight when necessary.  Having those two spots on the main floor give him enough of his things to enjoy, and also helps to keep our home adult enough for us to enjoy, too.

Upstairs, he has a playroom that has all of his books, cars, playhouses, puzzles…the list goes on. Am I the crazy, type-A mom who alphabetized his bookshelves? Yes. But knowing everything has a place makes me feel less frazzled when it’s out of place. At least once a week I make an effort to put it back to normal, and he’s getting really good at putting toys away when he’s done with them.

We didn’t “baby-proof”. A friend recently commented on one of our posts and said she could never have a bar cart because her kid would be all over it. She asked how the heck we made it to two without baby-proofing. Funny you should mention. I made a conscious effort not to fill our home with plastic handles, locks, etc. Jon and I disagreed on this one big time. He’d much rather it be inaccessible, out of the house, or for us to live in a big empty room with no breakables or anything that could possibly be ruined. He’s probably right (though I’d never admit that), but for the time being, I won this battle. As homebodies, I didn’t want to live in a place that looked like Disneyland, nor did I want our kiddo to not have the tools to grow his imagination and stretch his muscles. So, I think for now, we’ve found a good balance. And in the meantime, he’s learning boundaries, like how not to play Jingle Bells on the wine glasses (shoot, maybe that lady was right about the bar cart ;)).

Bottom line – if you’re in the camp of, I don’t care if my kid has more things than we do and they’re out in all their bright colored glory, great. If you’re a little more like me and you enjoy the look of an adult home, that’s great too. There are so many ways you can cleverly hide them for times when you need a break. Never underestimate the power of a vintage chest, open shelves with wicker baskets tucked in, cool poufs that open for storage. Your house is your sanctuary and as we always say with our design mantra, no one else has to love it but you.

Follow along on our stories as I give you a sneak peek at our hiding places and I’d love to hear your ideas too!