Okay guys so in the interest of full disclosure my house hasn't been the cleanest place on earth lately. I always used to pride myself on having a really clean and tidy house. Once the kids were born I was still happy to say my house was tidy - relatively clutter free - but not so clean.
Things that would have grossed you out about my house in recent years:
-bathrooms that were only cleaned once a month... or less... or only when they started to smell...
-dust bunnies that could talk
-cobwebs in the corners that had whole villages of spiders living in them
-sticky stuff on the kitchen and dining room floors that may or may not have been so caked on I just gave up
And that's just naming a few icky spots in the house. My cleaning mantra before the girls were born was "clean it when it's dirty" or at least "clean once a week, top to bottom"... and then it became "clean only what's necessary"... and that somehow morphed into "CLEAN WHEN COMPANY IS COMING OVER OHMYGOSH THIS HOUSE IS GROSS!"
Now, as you may or may not have noticed, I've had a lot of company this Spring/Summer. Which in turn means my house has been relatively clean. BUT it was still stressful each time I had to clean, because I was so far behind on the normal chores that a deep down clean took FOREVER! Cleaning schedule to the rescue.
In the interest of even more full disclosure, it was Jesse's idea. And at first I was mad that *gasp* he'd even THINK to suggest I am not a domestic goddess ;o) he was right in the end. The idea is pretty simple and smart housewives all through the ages have thought of it before me... but I just took my white chalkboard marker and wrote the main things down next to the days of the week:
Sunday - tidy
Monday - floors
Tuesday - laundry
Wednesday - bathrooms
Thursday - laundry
Friday - dust
Saturday - laundry
Now I don't always need to do laundry every other day like that. Nor do I really need to do a deep down scrub of the bathrooms every single week. But it still helps me stay on top of things when I write it down for a weekly once over. The other thing that really REALLY helps (me) is to make sure I do the daily chore before lunchtime. Otherwise, I almost never get around to it and it has to be rolled over to the next day. I actually find it most helpful when I do it right after breakfast and before I a) open up the laptop or b) go off on our morning adventure. The early [cleaning] bird gets the [clean house] worm ;o)
I've only been following this schedule since Brother left, but can I just say that it works? Because Mom and Dad and Steph will be here in a few days and instead of feeling bummed that I have to block out an entire day for cleaning, I really don't feel like I need to do much at all! It's a miracle! All I have to do is a few wipe-down or quick-sweep kind of chores. AMAZING!
It's crazy how much easier it is to do quick chores on a regular basis than procrastinating (indefinitely!) on all the chores (until company comes!) In fact, because of this simple cleaning schedule, I feel much happier with how home life is going. When things are clean and fresh and tidy, my brain and my heart smile. Cleaning schedules RULE!
And that's my random tidbit of housewifely advice for the day.
I tried the schedule thing, never stuck to it :/. It's a bit easier now that there is a separate play room and we made a rule to keep toys in there. But I clean maybe once a week Lol. Things I started doing daily is wiping down chairs( they get so nasty with toddlers),laundry, sweeping, and putting dishes straight to the dishwasher instead of the sink. If I could get my husband to help my life would be soo much easier but he seriously makes a bigger mess than the girls!
ReplyDeleteYeah we'll see if I can stick to it. But it seriously makes my life easier in the long run so I imagine it won't be that hard to keep to. I wish we had a separate play room... maybe in our next house ;o) And agreed, toddlers' sticky messes are so gross if you don't clean them up right away!
DeleteI tried that sort of a schedule when you guys were little (and I was working) . . . unfortunately as you probably remember, I usually ended up CLEANING THE WHOLE HOUSE on my day off (Saturday) every week. In this empty-er nest season of life, it's easier to choose a chunk for every day and not have to do it all at once (but not always successful) I CAN'T BELIEVE WE GET ON A PLANE ON MONDAY TO COME SEE YOU!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteYeah I always remember Saturday mornings to be "clean the house day" but I can totally understand that because who wants to dust when you get home from work at 5pm? Also many hands made light(er) work, right? Even if we usually complained ;o) XOXO see you soon!
Deletesomeday I will find and do a cross-stitch with the old "Monday wash day, Tuesday dust" thing and frame it for my kitchen. I might have to replace "iron" with something a bit more realistic though, ha. I have heard a TON of people like the flylady website....looked overwhelming to me but I bet my house would thank me...
ReplyDeleteI haven't ever heard of that website I'll have to check it out!
DeleteI got thinking...and internet searching... and thought this was interesting history:
ReplyDelete"This is what my grandmother told me:
Wash on Monday was because it was the most labor-intensive of the jobs. Being rested up from Sunday would help you have the energy for such a big chore and to wash the Sunday best before stains set.
Iron on Tuesday just made sense, being right after wash day. Ironing was really important to kill bugs' eggs and other things we don't really have to worry about these days.
Mending made sense on Wednesday because you've already looked over the clothing during washing and ironing, so you can take note of what needs mending and do it while everything is out and ready.
Churn on Thursday-- not sure! [I'm guessing it's because they were going to need butter for baking and cooking the big weekend meals.]
Clean on Friday to get ready for the Sabbath.
Bake on Saturday so you could have fresh rolls, etc, for the Sabbath day. [They took resting seriously so there wasn't much cooking or cleaning going on Sundays.]"
I've been thinking about schedules and routines too. I'd like to get a glimpse into your daily routine sometime ;)...especially since you talked about adding some pre-k into it. I need to bring a little more structure to our days and I'd like some insight!
I miss you and love you and the family!! So glad you're having a blast with your family! - Cassie
Thanks for the history! I'm sure they did so much more work each day than I do haha I read the Little House books to the girls and I'm tired just from thinking about all the daily chores they had! We should skype sometime soon. Or you can visit and get a real glimpse into my schedule ;o)
DeleteYou should come by yourself! Tell Mike you need a momcation!!
DeleteI definitely need to get something like this working around here! Right now I'm stuck in the "ahhhh company is coming quick throw everything in the closet" mode. I think I will give scheduling a little try and see if it works! :)
ReplyDeleteI'm still getting into the swing of it but I'm telling you it's way easier than the "ahhhhh company is coming" method!
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