Jan and Melissa's tips to an organized household -Our home isn't dirty, it's lived in. -Motherhood is closer to Godliness than Cleanliness is -The house can wait to be cleaned, the kids can't wait to be hugged -If it doesn't pile up, it doesn't cause stress -We have kids, labor comes cheap -Dressers are a waste of time, space, and money. We store our kids' clothes in plastic bins in the laundry room -Bedrooms are for beds, playrooms are for play -We don't pay our kids to be a member of the family. Family members have responsibility. -Yes, our kids may have a lot of responsibility, but we were told to raise them as responsible adults, and that's just what we're doing! Our kids know how to cook, clean, and change diapers, they'll need to know this stuff some day! -Jan says, "Plan ahead, and allow for the unplanned." Melissa believes in "going with the flow." -Kids didn't wash their clothes? It's not mom's fault! -Don't do for a child what a child can do for himself -A little bit of love goes a long way We've been asked what kind of chores our kids do. Our younger kids help sort wash, take care of animals, dust, put utensils away, organize the bathrooms, clear the table, and "help" with meals, our older kids do the wash, take care of animals, load and empty the dishwasher, clean bathrooms, vaccume, clean kitchen, and straighen common areas. In addition most of our kids do their wash from the age of five (with assistance from the older children for the younger children), and older children also help with one meal a week. Outside chores are done as a family, and occasionally we'll offer extra outside chores as a way to make some pocket money.