Outside of your home: The drive and yard

Pulling into or up your driveway, you might notice that the children have lots of stuff in the yard. You do not have to have all the toys through the front yard. You can have the children play in the backyard and keep their toys out of the driveway or you can put a big container of some type for the toys to be put into.

Cleaning up the yard will be an ongoing battle as the children are young, but it will also teach them responsibility while helping you keep your home cleaner looking.

You might have just a little yard or a large yard that covers acres, but keeping the grass cut will be a task that you have to face to keep the exterior of your home looking nice. Keeping the grass cut keeps pests and bugs somewhat away from your home as well.

If you do not have the time to cut and trim the grass yourself because you are too busy running the children around or maybe you work long hours – consider hiring someone! It really won’t cost that much, maybe ten or twenty dollars a month when the grass needs done but well worth it so you can spend your time doing something else!

What else are you going to see and have to tackle on the outside of your home? Your driveway, your walkway and the deck or porch will need yearly maintenance. Sealing, painting or just sweeping these things off once in a while is something the children can do to save you time, your spouse can do, or you can do when you have a free moment. Your guests will walk over and on these items when entering your home so you will want them to look nice and be clean for a good first impression. 

Keep boots, skates, bikes and boards out of the walkway, they should be kept in the mud room, playroom, basement or in the container that you have set up for the children’s ‘stuff’ to be put into outside.

Shovels, mops and brooms that you use outside should not be kept by the front door or on the deck but you should have them put away in the garage, in the shed or in the basement. Simply putting tools away makes your entire yard and home exterior look that much better!