Cleaning Chaos

Is it possible to have a clean house with a toddler? For more than 15 minutes? We used to clean the whole house every Sunday--laundry, sweeping, vacuuming, sheets, surfaces. We were so efficient, we could do everything in a couple of hours and the sparkle lasted at least a few days.

Now, we do a lot more cleaning and have a lot less to show for it. Wipe, sweep, sponge. Turn around, and there are crumbs on the cabinets, a xylophone in the dining room, and a half-finished bottle on the bookshelf. Wipe, sweep, sponge. Turn around, and there is a little chick in one of my shoes, a puzzle piece in the laundry, and half a banana on the floor. We are living the myth of Sisyphus. 

Except for Sundays when we still do a little cleaning flurry, I don't dedicate a lot of time cleaning beyond the basic necessities of having a functional home and walls without yogurt on them. This means that sometimes the crumb that got tracked into the living room may stay there for a few days or that a pot that needs to be scrubbed may soak in the sink until it is needed again. Our best defenses against mess--try to not have too much stuff, have a place for each thing, and tidy on the go as we move from one room to the next.