Organize and Organize again...and again...and....

I've always been a mess, a big hot mess. My house was always the house with clothes and toys EVERYWHERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I really do mean everywhere. When Uptown and I bought our house and moved in, a dear friend of mine made a funny comment that has stuck in my head. She said "Your house is beautiful, DO NOT let it get as messy as your apartment!" of course she was joking. It has eaten away at me ever since we moved in. So in the last month my friend Pres and I started an organization challenge. Every day we pick a trouble spot in our respective houses and we organize. We have gotten a lot done, but (and this is a big but) BUT we both found that we can't just organize a spot and move on and forget about it. We had to come up with a schedule to maintain as well. So Today is Tuesday and on my schedule is Kitchen and Dining room/Classroom (I use my dining room as a classroom) So every Tuesday I go through and pick up, wipe down, sweep and mop. Now keep in mind I have 4 kids so this is a daily struggle. I am still trying to balance living in our space and keeping it clean and organized. I've been reading blogs, pinning pins, reading magazines, but it really comes down to what works best for our family, and I've yet to discover that. If anyone has any suggestions, I'd love to hear them.