As a stay at home mom, it's likely you spend a great deal of time cleaning up, organizing, reorganizing, once your kids have wrecked the house yet again. Luckily there are a few tips and products that will go far in lightening your load. First, let's talk about prevention. I'm a mother of two girls, aged three and six, and so I know what it's like to see a spotless room reduced to utter chaos. One thing I do to prevent this from happening is encourage the girls to play outside. A fold up table is a good investment for this purpose.

On warm days, you can set up a table in the shade and allow your kids to do various crafts. If it's too windy out, or a patch of shade is not to be found, the garage is a good alternative, but that's assuming no dangerous tools or chemicals are stored in there.  If outdoor space is not available or other factors make outdoor play unsuitable, try turning to the local rec (recreational) center. Is that not an open invitation to wreck their place instead of your own? Well, no, not exactly, but you can certainly take your kids there for a few hours to socialize and participate in the various activities. You can bring your own toys, so long as you keep track of them, or have your children play with the toys provided.

Even following these suggestions, there will still be inevitable splatters and spills. Like a force of nature, this cannot be controlled, but you can certainly prepare for it. I'm guessing that many of you have seen the popular Shamwow commercials, and if you haven't purchased any of their products yet, now would be a good time. No household with children should be without them. In case you haven't seen the commercials, I'll tell you a little about what they offer. Shamwow towels are a multi-use, reusable (machine washable), no drip solution to your everyday spills and messes. They come in two sizes, mini and large, and absorb over twelve times their weight in liquid. They also come with an unheard of ten year guarantee. I use them for spills in the living room and at the table, and also to wipe up the aftermath of frequent bath time wars. My girls can't be in the tub together without an argument brewing. It never ends in bloodshed, though a puddle is invariably left on the floor.

Now available at retailers such as K-mart, Target, Walgreens, various drug stores and even a few pet supply shops, Shamwow is gradually replacing the use of paper towels, saving consumers hundreds, potentially thousands of dollars in the long run. When purchased direct from the company, the towels can be ordered with another must have product, the Shamwow mop. Boasting the same long life and superior absorbency as the towels, the Shamwow mop makes cleaning your floors a cinch. Armed with these products, you'll be ready for the everyday minor disasters that all parents experience.

Another aid in the art of the quick clean up is overdoor storage: racks and pouches made of various materials that can be hung on the inside of any door, using hooks placed along the top. I generally go to www.organize.com for this kind of thing, although you can check with local retailers to see what they carry. I wager that most of you have heard of this type of product in connection with the storage of shoes, but with ever emerging new designs, it's capable of storing so much more. Naturally, I have one on each door in the children's room for organized storage of markers, crayons, construction paper; all the makings of their favorite crafts, not to mention their toys. I have one in the bathroom for body, beauty and dental supplies. The ones downstairs are used for shoes, magazines and, no surprise, more toys. It's reassuring to see each door as a potential cleaning aid. Having a place to stash things in a hurry is half the battle when you have people drop in unannounced. Using these tips and products, you are sure to see a noticeable drop in the demands of cleaning on your time.