So, Kim and I are both cleaning house, trying to make our homes sparkle in the eyes of prospective buyers. I am fortunate to be living out of our sale house. I know people manage to keep their houses clean and well-staged with kids underfoot, but it seems like an impossible task to me.

For example, my friend, Vanessa Druckman, relocated from New Jersey to Ohio last summer after her husband accepted a new job. He moved first, leaving the task of getting and keeping the house clean, not to mention comforting her three children who were traumatized over the thought of the move, largely to her.

Vanessa recalls, “The biggest challenge was decluttering. Neighborhood kids preferred going to our house over Toys R Us. We had toys in every room, overflowing from the cabinets. We dealt with it by packing most of the toys and books and storing them in the garage. We had a two car garage and we filled up half from floor to ceiling. We set up two small shelves in the basement with neat looking clear plastic boxes and told the kids they could keep whatever would fit there. Everything else got packed away.”

She adds, “Once we explained to the kids that nothing was getting thrown out, they were excited by the project. And of course, once all the extra toys were gone, they had a better time, easily able to find their favorite toys.”

Having a house on the market changed her housekeeping habits. “I’m normally pretty relaxed about keeping the house neat,” admits Vanessa. “But for those three months, I became a tyrant, picking up anything that wasn’t in somebody’s hand. The minute I relaxed, the mess would creep back in to our home, so I just didn’t relax until we signed the contract. Realtors would call when they drove through the neighborhood and saw the lawn sign to see if they could pop in unexpectedly. With the lousy real estate market, I certainly wasn’t going to turn them away. More than once I threw the kids in the car at 6:30PM with five minutes’ notice to drive around the neighborhood for fifteen minutes while prospective buyers walked through.”

Blerg. What stress!

Vanessa tried to keep things light. She advises prospective sellers with young children to, “Keep things fun, even amidst all the stress and upheaval, by making a bucket list of things you’ve never done in the area. This applies even if you’re moving down the street as it’s always a good idea to have a bucket list. You’ll then have activities to keep you out of the house during open houses and busy showing weekends and it will keep your kids entertained and happy.”

Vanessa’s diligence paid off and they found a buyer. She celebrated by leaving socks and dirty clothes everywhere. Her new home in Ohio has a happy lived-in vibe (okay, she said messy and cluttered) and she’s much more relaxed. Until the next time they move.

Vanessa Druckman is a French foodie mom, freelance writer and blogger. She blogs about cooking and parenting at www.Chefdruck.com, recently launched the Ohio Moms Blog, and is an editor of the Silicon Valley Moms Group blogs.