I was "surfing" the internet and I came across this picture and it was vaguely familiar....WHY?Because its me!
There isn't enough hours in the day to get it all done or maybe I should say there isn't enough energy in the day to WANT to get it all done. Now that summer break is around the corner I can see it going down hill from here. Yet I am super excited to not have to catch a bus in the morning. I want to know what you guys do to make it through the day with a clean house, laundry and a meal on the table. Do you have a daily/weekly routine? For example one of my friends does Laundry on Mondays. So share when do you clean? scrapbook? cook? index? play? I am not really a schedule kind of girl. But really I have got to figure this laundry thing out because if you have ever been to my house there is very rarely not a pile of laundry on my couch. And Please don't make me have to beg for ideas. :)
PS what are you doing for the summer with the kids---let them run free from morning to sundown?
or do they have a schedule with chores and then play?
14 comments:
Amen Sister!!!
To answer the question, we'll do chores first and then play. I will try to rest as long as possible though.
I know I don't have kids but I do have a cleaning routine schedule. My house gets deep cleaned on Thursday nights. I love doing it right before the weekend so I feel like we can just play on the weekend. But like I said I don't have kiddos so my opinion probably doesn't help much!
This too has been my life lately. I'm not a schedule kind of person either. In fact not at all. But, I do need santity. I just found Daryl Hoole with "The art of Homemaking" I've been reading her free articles online at http://www.theartofhomemaking.com/ and trying to take to heart some of the things she suggests. It has helped. I too am looking for suggestions, so share any ideas you get.
Here are few saying from Daryl that have motivated me. "An ounce of morning equals a pound of afternoon." and "Do today's work today."
Sorry to attack you blog with tons of comments, but I just remembered some advice my mom has told me that she says is your mom's advice. So I will pass it along, something like, If you do two loads of laundry everyday, you will always be on top of it.
I read somewhere where a girl does one load a day, for me two loads too overwhelming (I know, really.) So the last two weeks I've done one load a day, wash, fold and put away. It has been working awesome. I've wash so many more things more reguarly - sheets, towels, comforters, rugs. Plus I only have two kids, maybe when I get more little ones, one a day won't be enough. Hope this helps. Like I said, share any good ideas you get. I'm always looking.
I do laundry every Monday - all day long. I try to get it completely washed, dried, folded and put away by the end of the day. If I were you I would try to do it at least twice a week. Usually on Monday's I don't go anywhere it's my day to stay home. Last week I waited to fold the laundry until the end of the day and sat down and watched a movie while I folded 5 loads of laundry. Tuesdays, I try to recover and do general clean up. Wednesdays I try to clean bathrooms and mop floors. Thursdays I clean upstairs and Fridays I try to clean the down stairs our main level. Unfortunately, I don't always stay on schedule and of course I end up cleaning the living areas more frequently. My new goal is to try to be better about having things picked up when everyone goes to bed. I have also recently tried cleaning the kids bathroom while I'm waiting for them to finish playing in the tub. So I don't have school age kids but I have been trying to have fun in the mornings (while its cooler here) and then do cleaning in the afternoon when I have at least one napping. (since I have to be home). I have a friend that has a pretty cool yearly schedule that includes things like organizing the pantry in June, washing walls in july etc... I need to try and get my hands on that.. I look forward to hearing other suggestions as well. I am still trying to figure out what works best.
As for dinner the only time that goes smoothly is if I have a menu planned for at least a week at a time.
I would recommend trying out sometype of schedule for your kids, just because they are used to that during that day from school. I have another friend who has a set reading/quiet time, and a certain day they do crafts etc..She says it really helps her.
I thrive on a schedule...i broke my house out into daily manageable chores
I totally love my crock pot!
I finally realized that making time for myself really is important, so I scheduled myself a day once a month. It is on the calender, and paid for. I decided that if I don't pay for it, I will probably back out and not take the "me time"
I love hearing what everyone else does... Well you've seen my house on Mondays, so you know I have no place to give advice, but some things that help me are,
-Getting up before my kids... even a half hour to get ahead makes the whole day go better.
-Everyone has to pick up their room and make their bed before we go outside to play. I don't put a flat sheet on my kids beds, and they are so much easier for them to make on their own.
-Making dinner at lunch time, any prep work I can do for dinner I do while we are having lunch. Its so nice to be able to just stick it in the oven and not make another mess before dinner.
Of course some days those things happen some days they don't... I think we all just do our best.
you have some really organized, on top of it friends!
I do laundry when my basket gets full, usually twice weekly, then the girls bring their hampers down and sort (darks, mediums, whites). I wash it all and fold it and they put it away. I recently started a "What You Give is What You Get" rule - (it makes me feel mean and petty, but we're trying it out) if it's inside out, I fold it and return it - inside out. Check out these tips at this website on laundry: (where I got that idea): http://www.meckmom.com/category/home-organization/laundry/
I love having a clean house, but I also like it feeling like a home and not a show house... so I try to feel that balance. I make my kids clean their rooms, the upstairs bathroom, hall and stairs daily-- also include family room and play room. The rooms THEY mess up, THEY clean up. I know Sam and Syd could do that.
Meals - um, my girls eat hot dogs and chicken nuggets. Poor Mike gets "meals" only a couple times a week. LOL!
Summer - we are going to have the kids chores done by 10 am, then they can do whatever. I'm limiting screen time to 1 hour a day (TV, computer, mom's ipod). If they save their tokens (half hour tokens given when chores are done) they can have a big TV day if they want....
We still have a reasonable bedtime in summers because after they are in bed is when I can guilt-free relax-- tv, computer.
What is that word you used? Scrapbooking? What's that?!!!! Ha ha! I wish I still scrapbooked!
one more link for you on laundry:
http://memoriesoncloverlane.blogspot.com/2008/07/laundry-for-seven.html
Here's a few of the things we do at our house...
Monday - bathroom day...each of the kids clean part of their bathroom, I clean mine too.
Wednesday's - kitchen day...each of the kids clean part (fridge, sinks, microwave--I get stove)
and so on...we break it up, they work and I clean with them so that I can make sure it's done "right".
Laundry is always on wednesday and one weekend day. I wash all day and then fold after they go to bed (while watching a movie or something). They have to put their own clothes away the next morning.
Meals--I have to make a menu--I hate deciding what to have for dinner (that's the hardest part for me) so I plan it out, buy what I need for the month/three weeks or so (plus a few extra trips added in - y'know, milk & produce) and then I can eat what sounds good on the menu, crossing each one off til the menu is gone and we start over.
I'm thinking we might have to quiet time this year. When the little girls nap is when I get to do what I want. How will I do that if the others are telling me how bored they are?
Oh -you don't get to play outside/with friends until all your daily chores are done. I feel awful telling them no - but they usually only let it happen once and they learn. Sounds like the 10AM idea might be good too.
I do have some ideas for summer but haven't set it all out yet. I thought we would have a park day once a week - picnic and visit a new park every week. Also a few ideas for day trips and such. And the library reading is the best!! Last year I promised myself to actually use the coupons that we got from the library and it was a really great motivator! Plus they have to work to earn it!
Good luck!!
You are a great mom!! sometimes we have to remember that houses will wait while we are growing kids!
You have 5 little excuses for getting anything done. I think you should join a pool. Straighten the house the night before and then go swimming all day so they're not home to mess it all up. Also sun exhaustion is a beautiful thing. My kids eat their dinner and fall right to sleep at bedtime. Even better is getting a housekeeper to clean it all while you're out!
Who is this Adrianne? She is brilliant! ;)
Let me know when you get it all figured out!
Seriously I know my sister-in-law Adrianne is brillant. Too bad that in Idaho we get to use a pool for about hmmmm 20 mins and then it is cold again. HAHA.
Thanks to everyone for the great advice.
Jillian I feel the same way. Trying to stay on top of the everyday cleaning makes the extras like cleaning the car, dejunking, and projects get pushed back. And I knew it would get worse when school was out too. I'm trying to tell myself to ENJOY summer!!!
I'm also a schedule person...Kids laundry on Monday, Fold on Tuesday and Dust, Wednesday Kitchen, Vacuum/Mop Thursday, Our Laundry
and the checkbook on Friday. It is hard to get it all done and keep track of kids when they want to be outside. And then by evening we are tired :)
I'm trying really hard to be on a schedule for summer with jobs for the kids to help and they are going to earn game time by reading. I also like my quiet time when my toddler takes a nap. No friends. We will be reading and doing homework. Maybe I will get my scrapbooking in then. Actually my friend and I are going to schedule nights out for that to stay sane.
Good luck, just know you are not alone. That's what I'm learning and I like my house cleaner, but it's just not possible at this stage!!
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