We have a new cat patrol officer in our house!

We’ve actually started a new routine this past week that I’m REALLY liking that I’m calling House Patrol.  At 9:00 every night, when we’re usually all home, I have an event on my calendar with an alarm that pops up on my phone that tells me it’s House Patrol time.  It pops up at 8:50 pm, which is a good 10 minute warning to share with everyone that in ten minutes we’re all gonna stop what we’re doing and gather for 10 minutes and pick up all the clutter that has fallen throughout the day.   My husband takes the lead and guides the kids as to what has to be done, as they usually don’t see clutter the way we see it. I love that it’s his voice getting everyone on board and sharing commands instead of mine.

We usually have a couple pairs of shoes, several pens and pencils and papers lying on the table, dishes not in the sink or dishwasher and laundry on the floor. We all pitch in and pick up and get the house ready for the next day. The kids also do the cat chores and finish any chores they haven’t had time for like taking out the trash or putting away their laundry. We grind the coffee and set the automatic timer on the clock to have the coffee ready for the next morning. This has to be my favorite part of the House Patrol process, besides Jeff’s voice leading the kids.  I also love the result. Everything feels orderly and I’m not the only one seeing the clutter and doing all the 5 minute chores by myself, not that I’m the only one who picks up of course, but it sometimes feels like it.  Everyone is good at helping and everyone is really busy and having this little call to action helps us all share the clutter workload.

This 10 minute sweep is also a good way for us to transition and start getting ready for our individual night routines. This makes me happy.

So for this new house patrol process, I am thankful and hope it lasts!!  For now, I’ll enjoy the clean moments and the magic of tidying up.

What little things do you do to keep up with clutter?