3 Tips for Keeping House when you're Overwhelmed

I am in the midst of the hardest thing I have ever done and I am quite overwhelmed. 5 days ago, I brought home our 6 year old son from Ethiopia. Here we are at the airport.

There has hardly been time to unpack and wash clothes with 5 kids longing for my attention. A shower did not happen until day 3 because I have craved sleep more than clean hair and body. I am physically and emotionally exhausted.

I cry out hourly for strength and energy and wisdom and the control to not yell when my 4 year old throws a tantrum or when my newest son makes a huge mess. If interested, you can click here to read all about how we are adjusting and how our son is reacting.

When times like this hit. . .when it all is a little too much. . .when you are overwhelmed, exhausted, and on overload. . .when life throws you a curve ball, when you are pregnant or just had a baby or chasing after little ones. . .when your kiddos are sick or worse, you are sick. . . when you are in survival mode. . .here are my 3 tips for keeping house:


1. Focus on the kitchen. . because everyone has to eat and usually this is the hub of the house. Crockpot meals are an easy way to get supper on the table. Here is a good one. And commit to washing all dirty dishes and keeping the counters clean. This is my goal before my hubby comes home.

2. Focus on the Laundry. . .because everyone needs clean underwear and socks. I commit to doing at least one load a day. . and that means from start to finish! Which means you take the laundry out of the dryer, fold it. . .and here is the big one for me, put it away (or at least get the kids to do it!!)

3. Everything else can wait and can easily be put back in place. My goal in times like this is peace and positive relationship (as in me not yelling). I know you probably know all this, but I often lose focus on these basics in the battle of emotions, exhaustion, and confusion.


For more on this topic, check out my older post titled A Housekeeping Zinger. . .the points made in this post, still zing me.

And make sure you come back tomorrow for my 2 tips to move beyond survival mode, to move beyond the 3 tips above. . .my 2 tips to implement when a little more energy is regained.