Growing up, we had "Saturday chores" - things like mopping, scrubbing bathrooms, dusting, etc. that we did with a chore partner on Saturday. When we first got married, I tried to continue the tradition of cleaning house top to bottom on Saturday. But reality quickly set in. It was a lot different trying to do the whole thing by myself when Dave was working. And if Dave was home, the last thing we wanted to do on our one day together was clean house. A new system was needed.
Over the last few years, including times of morning sickness and fatigue, and going to school full time, I've struggled to sink into a really good house cleaning routine. Consequently, my house is not always the cleanest. The move from Rexburg was a stark realization of how not clean I kept house.
I've learned a thing or two since we were married, and I finally feel like I'm in a routine that works for me. Here are some things I've learned:
1. Assign a day to each chore. Monday=bathroom, Tuesday=laundry, Wednesday=dusting, etc. Do your assigned chore first each day. Don't get overwhelmed by all the things that need to get done. Just do one chore a day. (Or course there are daily chores too, like picking up the living room and doing dishes.)
2. Its OKAY to mop the kitchen floor with a sink full of dishes. In our old apartment, whenever I set out to mop the floor, I felt like I had to do the dishes first, and by the time the dishes were done, Ana would need me and I'd never get around to mopping the floor. But its really okay to mop, even if the dishes aren't done. If the floor needs mopped and I have 10 minutes while Jack in napping and Ana is playing, I can just mop the floor.
3. A dishwasher is a necessity. After not having a dishwasher for over a year and now having one, I do not ever want to go back. It does make a difference. For one thing, it takes 5 minutes to load the dishwasher and then all the dirty dishes are hiding. For another thing, I feel like the dishes get so much cleaner in the dishwasher.
4. Its okay to leave dishes until the morning. After an hour of making dinner, then eating it, then getting Ana and Jack ready for bed and in bed and all of the evening things, I do not want to do the dishes. I want to put my feet up and enjoy some time with my husband. So, I take 5 minutes to load the dishes and turn on the dishwasher, and leave the rest. In the morning I have the energy and motivation to get it done. Right after I make breakfast, I just take a few minutes to unload the dishes, put the breakfast dishes in, and wash the hand dishes. It makes such a difference.
My home is by no means always perfect. But I feel a lot better about it, and it works for me.
7 comments:
I can get really overwhelmed by housework. I have a friend that taught me to do 1 room a day. Dust, clean and vacuum that room (or scour the bathroom or kitchen). When I get into that routine, it works for me. I'm kinda in a house mess right now because I have been SO busy, but I look forward to getting back into the room-a-day thing. That way your house gets completely gone through at least every week or week and 1/2.
There was a book once that talked about the'creation plan' for cleaning. It sounds a lot like what you do. I have absolutely no advice about cleaning house, it isn't my talent. I always figured that I would do the next thing that was most important and that often wasn't the house so I just learned to be okay with clutter and to be able to step over a pile of something on my way out the door to spend time with the kids.. Of course there are people seem to do it all, but I have learned that is often an illusion. No one can do it all. So don't ever set that goal! I think you do such a great job as a mom and wife, and I think it's neat that you set goals and keep striving to improve. That's such a good quality to have.
Hi Erin!
Thanks for commenting!
Your blog & your family are adorable!
To answer your question, I shoot with a Nikon 300 & I have several lenses. I use a 24-70 2.8 the most, & then I have a 70-200 2.8 that I use quite a bit, but it's so big & heavy.
I think all digital pix straight out of the camera need some tweaks in Photoshop: boosting the color & contrast, etc.
It's SOOOO fun & rewarding!!
I take on clients whenever I feel like it, so that I can keep pictures of my own family the top priority.
Good luck! You're doing a great job!!
Nicole
Yay! Thank you so much for giving me this idea...I had yet to figure out how to do ANYTHING and not do it all at the same time! Thank you for sharing your routine!
John tries to do this... it doesn't work for us! lol. I grew up with Saturday cleaning too, and someday when the kids are old enough to helkp, that's what we'll be doing!
I love your system! That's the way I like to do it, too. You've inspired me to get back on track with working my system. And I feel better about the constant stream of dirty dishes on my counter after reading about the difference a dishwasher makes. It's been well over a year since our dishwasher broke, and now I realize that this constant mess of dirty dishes will improve vastly when we finally get a new one. Yay!! There's hope out there on the housekeeping horizon!!!
Your family is darling. come visit sometime.
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