Clean house

How does one keep a house clean when there are kids without making that the only thing done? I like doing other things that cleaning. I like talking to my friends, watching movies with my kids, baking pies, etc. I HATE cleaning up. Seriously, despise it. I do it because I don't want my house to look like a total pigsty, but at the same time it still always looks lived in. I long for a house that is just open and empty of clutter, but I don't know how to get there. Any suggestions? Maybe I should just toss everything I haven't used in the last 3 months. Still, that gets rid of a lot of memories. I don't know. It's overwhelming and it's not something I was ever really trained to do growing up. I never had to clean up, cook, do laundry, etc. My only responsibility was to get good grades. I did that. Am I doomed to have a messy house until Geoffrey and Bronte are older? Even just managing to keep all their papers and stuff picked up feels like a major task. How do people with more than 2 kids do it? I guess just dig in and do it. That is the only way. *sigh*