We pick up a lot. It’s a never-ending cycle of picking up. Pick up babies, pick up toys, pick up dishes, pick up more toys.

I have a former roommate from college who will confirm that I was never a neat freak (you can stop laughing, Angie, seriously). But I won’t bore you with how reformed I am, though I do pick up quite often now. No, I’ve come to realize that I’m kind of weird when I’m picking up the kids toys. I can’t just put them all in a box. Well, I can, eventually. But I have a tendency to want to solve all of the puzzles, put all the colorful cups in descending order and stack the rings properly.

Spring has sprung and now that it’s May, the cold weather will soon be behind us. With the warm weather on the horizon, we all look forward to heading outdoors and enjoying nature. But before we can go out and play, the warmer temps will likely throw many of us into cleaning mode.

I don't want to clean. I don't like to clean. However, the last thing I want to see when the weather warms up and the windows open to sunshine is those little dust particles flying around in the sunlight. I know I can’t get rid of them all, but it doesn’t hurt to try and have a nice clean home to start off the summer.

Now I could write a book on cleaning and organizing, but I only have a 30-minute attention span. Instead, I’m going to condense my thoughts into a short list of tips to help you get started: