Today is an around the house day for me....I know, such a glamorous life I lead! Its a home day to get the house cleaned up, all those random things floating around back in their designated spots, get the bathrooms sparking and fold a few piles of clothes.
We've also been working on getting some window quotes for our home, so I have quotes to review and energy rebate paperwork to fill out....all this while keeping Little Boy Baker from prying off any more trim work with his screwdriver and before school ends and the girls are home.
Now, I know we all have our own way to keeping on top of our homes and all the things that go along with that...but, it never hurts to learn from others. So, taking a tip from my class discussion yesterday I want to open up a "How You Keep Your Home" discussion so we can learn and get tips from those around us who do things well.
Instead of doing what us women are known to do: "compare" - lets learn from each other and find out what works best for keeping up with our homes.
I'd like to hear what yo do to keep up with your home? Do you have the same routine each week? Do you do things randomly as they come up? And do you have any FAVOURITE products that help you get the job done.
Share ladies....and let's learn from each other.
9 comments:
I do follow a weekly schedule of cleaning/laundry -- however I find that things that are supposed to be done on Monday sometimes get rolled over to Tuesday and that's just life! It's a constant rotating schedule that constantly changes.
I use Norwex where I can and I like it for the daily cleaning, but sometimes you need a good pinesol soak on the counters and little bit of bleach for the toilets ;)
I enjoy having a weekly schedule cause I know it will all get done, and if it doesn't get done this week, it will for sure not get missed next week.
My daily items that have to get done are: beds made/laundry away{clean&dirty}/dishes cleared/shoes&backpacks away/mail sorted -- I think that's it. Then I just tack on one other bigger thing, vacuum lower floor, laundry, bathrooms etc. Friday is my big clean day, I spend most of the afternoon doing a light clean through the whole house. Saturday we'll do a project if we don't have family events and Sunday is the day I plan for the rest of the week.
What's your schedule?
Love this post!! Every tuesday is my home day for a big clean of our house. A rule I try and keep for myself otherwise, is to be home in the afternoon, I try and do all my errands in the morning. That way I cam sparkle up the house and have dinner made before my hubby gets home!!! Favorite products tend to me the "method" product!!!0
I think women need to do what works for them but I found the idea of having certain days for certain tasks did not work for me. Too tight of a schedule leaves no room for spontaneity for opportunities that can't always be scheduled. I.E. Meeting a friend for coffee if they called... Rather than say, sorry today is laundry day. Keeping up every day worked for me. I did one load of laundry every day. I cleaned the bathroom while the kids were in the tub. I did a quick kitchen floor sweep and wash every day when they were crawling. And a quick dust and vacuum almost every day. A key to keeping up is getting rid of stuff. The kids don't need a room full of toys, for instance. Spend the money on educational activities ... Small workbooks, puzzles, etc. ... Anything that stimulates the brain. I always made each morning just like a work day. Got up at a regular time, showered, did my hair and make up. It made the rest of the day go well. I always made time for coffee out even with the kids - in my day it was muffin break, now it would be Tim's. It helped get them used to behaving in a restaurant and to know that this was mommy time and they learned how to sit still and behave in an adult environment. Limit extra curricular activities to one thing a season. IE girls don't need to be in ballet at 3 yrs old or play violin by the time they are 5. Focus on what will keep your family growing together, bring your kids closer to Jesus and strengthen your own spiritual relationship and marriage. Weekly time out with your husband and lots of family days out and about, and if possible family vacations. Family vacations take you away from the grind and give more face time with the kids...say nothing about creating great memories. Even just a weekend away if its not possible or financially feasible will do so much for the family. Because before you know it the kids are gone and the 2 of you are vacationing alone. Bottom line: keep life simple! Scale down the stuff and spend money on making memories rather than collecting stuff that will eventually be gone. Above all focus on the things of God, church and ministry and bring your kids along .... When they grow up they will automatically transition to their own place of leadership in the church!
Sorry for the long post - I have a passion for young families today and feel that they are often pressured into keeping up with the Jones and are off balance spending time and money on material things with nothing left for their walk with God. It will have an affect on future generations if we don't change this. Relax and enjoy your time as a young family and treasure each day!
@Lois: well said! Good tips!
I was looking for the follow-up post from yesterdays class and saw this....Great Topic!
I guess I have a loose schedule that I follow during the week which has evolved over the years. There are some things I do each day: a quick clean of the bathroom (I keep paper towel under the sink with cleaner and clean the mirror, counters, sink, toilet all which takes only about 2 minutes), make our bed and Beth makes her own, dishes, and check to make sure I have taken whatever I need for dinner out of the freezer. I also try and do a quick dust and vaccuum of the upstairs floors each day and I put in a load of laundry each morning (clothes during the week and bedding on the weekend).
Since the baby belly is getting in the way a bit I've asked my family to do some extra tasks and they've picked the day of the week that they want to do it...for example my daughter will vaccuum the stairs on Wednesday and my wonderful husband will do it on Saturday.
Each day I try to tackle an additional task for 15-20 minutes...something like washing the cabinet doors or dusting light fixtures. Sunday evening or Monday morning I do menu and appointment planning for the rest of the week.
Overall though, I just try and settle for livable, not meticulous....I don't want my daughter to remember how much time I spent cleaning, rather how much time we spent together as a family. We definitely don't have a spotless house and thats okay with me.
I have had to change the way I do life around these parts over the last year. With having the two little guys being only 13 months apart it has made finding large blocks of time to cook, clean & keep house a little challenging. So, now I take ten minutes out of every hour during the day to tidy or clean something. I can always find ten minutes & it's amazing how much you can done in ten minutes! I have found this to be super helpful & at the end of my day I usually feel pretty good about what I have been able to accomplish. I ask the boys take ten minutes before dinner to tidy their room & pick up any toys around the house so after dinner we can just hang out together for stories, puzzles, or anything else we need to do before they are off to bed. Also, I absolutely do 2 loads of laundry everyday! The pile with four little ones & two adults will quickly take over the house if I don't! :)
Thank-you all for you awesome comments and input. Its so great to hear what other women (and moms) do & how they do it!
@Lois: sounds to me like you should be hosting a young moms coffee talk and preach it up.
@Amanda: I'll be back later with my weekly recap of yesterdays class...so stay tuned!
Love Carrie's "10 minutes of every hour"...that seems achievable and not-overwhelming-with-the-hugeness-of-it! Being a "mom of little ones" for such a long stretch has shown me that Lois is spot-on, time passes quickly, and you have to find what works best for you! Thanks for the brainstorming and sharing session, Lisa, it's always great to get thinking on the current routine and take time to tweak it as the ideas arrive. :-)
I've had a few cleaning routines over the years and they have all changed as the season of my life has changed. I, oddly enough and much to my mother's surprise, love to clean. I don't watch TV so I find myself always in cleaning mode. With 3 boys in the house, it tends to get messy! I tend to just juggle laundry, dishes and tidying as the week goes on and I have time. Fridays have now become laundry night. Saturday mornings usually include dishes being washed before breakfast. The vacuuming gets done as the vacuuming is needed. And if I can smell it, it gets a scrub down in the moment it hits my nose!
I would definitely say my routine is an "as needed" one. As I am back to work full time, things are getting left a little longer but nonetheless, are cleaned regularly. No special products, no fancy cloths. Just a passion for my home and creating a clean place for us to live life in. Just how I like it!
In saying that, I share a house with 4 other humans who all have their own idea of how they would like their home to be kept. Some days I would say we have a good balance of that. (meaning some days, the house is very messy and it stays messy until I clean it!) :)
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