Aaahhh summer.

Sleeping in late, moving at a snail’s pace, enjoying the great outdoors and … an eternally messy house. If someone dropped in on us at 3 o’clock on a summer afternoon they’d think we lived like pigs.

The teddy bear parades and tents made out of blankets and sheets have already begun popping up around our house and so have the endless piles of dirty dishes from the constant feeding frenzy we experience each summer.

Yes, I love summer. And I love my kids. But the mess is another story. Since you can’t get rid of the mess without getting rid of the kids (and they’re really just too loveable to sell on e-Bay.) Here are five tips for restoring order to your abode in just 10 minutes.

1.      Ignore the mess. Let them make a mess. It helps their creative minds work and keeps them occupied. However, friendly reminders to the tune of, “Whatever you get out you’ll have to put away,” prevent end-of-the-day meltdowns.

2.      Find 10 minutes. In our house 5 p.m. is the appointed hour at which playtime is officially over for the day. All messes must be cleaned up and we get ready for dinner and pre-bedtime activities. All Barbie village and abandoned stacks of blocks or books are returned to their home in 10 minutes or less. You’d be surprised how fast kids can clean even the biggest of messes.

3.      Give them a heads-up. Even though clean-up time always comes at basically the same time at our house, I always issue a 15-minute warning that the clean-up call will be sounding shortly. Again this helps keep major meltdowns from occurring during the witching hour.

4.      Bribe them. Lest you think that those 10 minutes are blissful at our house, think again. Kids are still kids. They whine and complain just like all kids do. However, for those who can work hard without making misery for the rest, they’re rewarded with TV privileges while I finish up dinner. Sounds too good to be true? The power of TV is still stronger than most other kid currency regardless of age.

5.      Make it fun. Cinderella taught us to whistle while we work. Throwing on some tunes that everyone enjoys always seems to vanquish the cries and whines from the young ones. In three or four songs all of the work is done and no one would believe that the living room went from family fort to fabulous again in about the same time it takes to find your cell phone at the bottom of your purse.