I also think a schedule is important. For us, it is vital that the boys go to bed at the same time every day. A set sleeping schedule does wonders for ds1's temperment (he just turned 4). It iliminates a lot of tantrums, stubborness and bad moods. So I worked backwards from there. For instance, his bedtime is best at 7:30, as in I want him to be going to sleep at 7:30, so our storytime needs to start at 7:00 which means our bathtime needs to be at 6:30 which means our cleanup time needs to start at 6:00 which means we need to eat dinner no later than 5:30 which means I need to have a dinner plan no later than 4:00 (so I can bake a lasagna or something for instance. I don't have to start cooking at 4, just have a plan). And hey, that is half the day! lol

It's also important to feed them regularly. I know that sounds ridiculous (how could you forget to feed your kids?!) but scheduled feeding (for the older one anyway especially if the younger one is still nursing) is important so they don't end up with a blood sugar drop and then have negative behavior. My boys get too distracted playing to realize they are hungry. Also, if you aren't good with scheduling, you may find you are giving them a lot of snacks instead of a meal. This works just fine as long as you can always give them snacks (a small bowl of crackers and cheese is not sustaining if you end up running errands for 3 hours) and you are careful to give them a variety of food groups. When we had one car for our whole family the kids and I were snackers. We'd have cheese, then some popcorn, then a piece of fruit, etc. Stuff like that. And it worked for us. But it doesn't now.

Initially, my house was a chronic mess. I've been home for 5 years now and only in the last 6 months is my house cleaned every day. Thing is, after a while it was depressing to wake up to a mess. I live in a small apt, the bathroom is at the end of the hall and if I walk from the living room to the bedroom we use as a den, I walk right past the door. So now I put the kids in the bath and clean up. Sometimes they want to help me, sometimes they don't. I encourage the help but they aren't so old yet that I demand it. Anyway, I have the toys highly organized (matchbox cars in a basket, building blocks in a bucket, play kitchen food in a tub, etc it is only difficult the first time you have to separate everything out. But they are more likely to play with their toys and not with things they aren't supposed to if they can FIND their toys. And it is actually a lot easier to clean, it doesn't take long for muscle memory to set in and my hands can fly through a pile of toys very quickly). I clean the boys' room, the living room and the den, then vacuum quickly. If there is time, I do the kitchen, if not I do it after they are in bed. There is nothing more annoying than having to wash dishes before you can make breakfast.

The deeper cleaning stuff I do as I can, like today I want to try to move the couch and clean under it. I don't fly lady because I just don't care that much about dusting and flipping mattresses and I'd rather have a half hour of intense work than be picking up the house in little fits all day. Personal preference, that's all, as I know many people who swear by the fly lady.

Oh and when you get up in the morning, make sure to brush your teeth and hair and get dressed! It's amazing a) how much more awake I feel when I am dressed and ready to go and b) how much less victimized by the children I feel when I am "put together". I generally get up, get them breakfast, then go to the bathroom to get ready for the day while they eat. Before I made that part of our schedule, at bedtime I would often find myself in the same clothes I had slept in the night before. Visions of the sereotypical "housewife" would flash through my head-eating ice cream, wearing sweats and watching soaps. *Shudder*. I will NEVER be that woman.

Like others said, a lot of this will fall in place for you, specific to your family. It took me 4 years to get here but honestly, I would consider myself a lazy person if I don't have a deadline.

There is an incredible sense of pride for me in dh coming home to a clean, organized house. He always tells me I am not his maid or servant and that it is okay if things don't always get done. But he works 10 hour days (at least). He is working hard for our family and I'd like to think of this as my job, my way of contributing, and I always take pride in my work.