Well, I have sure dropped the ball on this blog. I am not sure what’s happened. I guess the holidays were pretty overwhelming for me. When you have five kids and a HUGE extended family, Christmas is A LOT of work! But we had a great Christmas and a fun New Year.
Lately, I have been working hard on being a better homemaker/housekeeper. I kind of had an epiphany of sorts one day a couple months ago. I decided that taking care of this house is my JOB and that I needed to devote more time and energy and effort to doing a better job so that my poor husband didn’t have to pick up the slack anymore.
I am not a fan of housework. It is not something I really enjoy. I know most people don’t either but I think there are a few people in the world that actually like doing it. Not me!
So I came up with a cleaning schedule for myself that has really been helping me stay on top of things. I decided that I need to complete at least two loads of laundry a day. Then each day, I have different chores that I do. I have found that if I do them every week they do not take long at all!
Monday: Mop the downstairs floor and wipe down some part of the kitchen. I rotate between chairs, cabinets, appliances, blinds, etc..
Tuesday: This is my day for doing projects, particularly for re-finishing furniture. So, no housecleaning other than laundry.
Wednesday: Bathrooms. I only have 2.5 baths, luckily! I have been amazed at how quickly I can get them done now that I am doing them every week. I usually end up with a lot of extra time for picking up and putting things away.
Thursday: Vacuum, and organize something. I kept this day light because I have playgroup in the mornings.
Friday: Dust, change sheets, clean mirrors/glass. I rotate doing half the beds one week and half the next. And I don’t dust the whole house each week, just part. Same with the glass and mirrors.
Saturday: Wash sheets and towels. Yard work. Or any other project that needs doing.
I try to get the laundry started before I go downstairs (I have an upstairs laundry). Then I told myself I will work for about 2 or 2.5 hours each morning after I take the kids to school. When 11:30 rolls around I am done and whatever I didn’t get done can wait until next time.
For picking up I have noticed when I am doing my chores regularly the kids seem to do a better job of putting things away. But I will often get the boys to “Sparkle the House” before bedtime so we can start the day fresh. My husband is also a sweetheart and picks up behind the kids too. He has also been doing the dishes for me almost every night. I don’t really do dishes during the day. We mostly use paper products and everything else goes into the sink and my sweet husband does them all after dinner. It is a HUGE help to me, especially because by the end of the day the last thing I want to do is wash dishes. My husband is AMAZINGLY helpful around the house! Thanks honey!
Anyway, that’s what’s been going on around here. Right now I am sick and have fallen behind. But, that has given me a chance to do a bit of blogging! But I feel a lot better about myself when I am accomplishing these things. If keeping this house in good order is what I am supposed to be doing then I want to do a good job at it! Unfortunately, I haven’t quite figured out how to mix in the things I WANT to do, like blogging. But I am working on it. Its all about finding the right balance, I believe. I’m getting there.
Oh, and I just have to say I am a HUGE Norwex fan! Cleaning is soooo much faster and easier with their cloths and mop! I love them!! I don’t ever want to use cleaners again!
What tips and tricks do you have for keeping up with your household chores??
What a great idea! I actually used to do something similar a long time ago. And you've now inspired me to start again. Thanks! And my husband, house and kids thank you too. ;)
ReplyDeleteAwesome ideas! And thanks for stumbling onto our blog and Zeke's story. Funny timing that today is the 31st. Our hospital tornado actually started one year ago on Jan 31st. So if you found his story today I can see why it would seem to have started today. We are through the thick of it and finding balance again. Zeke is doing exceptionally well. He had multiple caths, two open heart surgeries, 3 hospitalizations, feeding tubes, and oxygen. He has come down from 4 meds to 1, and just last week has come off oxygen all together. His pulmonary hypertension has healed significantly and his heart is slowly returning to a normal size. He is growing and smiling. I'm glad your little guy was rescued and able to recover in the NICU. Good thing for modern medicine. I've come to appreciate it as I was one who never needed to visit the doctor before. 2 of my 3 babies were not even born in the hospital. I'm learning to appreciate both the simple and complex things in life. Thanks for your encouraging words. I still need them and very much appreciate them. :)
ReplyDeleteSuch a good idea! I will try that!
ReplyDeleteYou wouldn't happen to have any good idea on how to fight static electricity?
Have a great week :)