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Starting the new year, I really needed an organizational system for cleaning my house. Over the past few years, I have worked hard to create some systems. I started doing laundry on the same day each week (which has changed several times because I haven't always kept it together), I tried to do dishes daily, I started changing the sheets weekly, and I got my meal planning and grocery shopping together. But I knew there were still a lot of chores slipping through my fingers. Stuff I should really do every week or so that I was remembering every month or so....
Enter a chore chart.
I sat down and wrote out all the things that I needed to do. Some were daily (dishes, picking up toys, etc.) and some were weekly (laundry, vacuuming, etc.). Then I assigned each to their own day, with the daily chores at the top.
One of my big problems has always been that I LOVE having things done in advance so that when it comes time to do something (especially if I have to go somewhere), I can just do it. No preparation. But I've never been good at keeping the system running. I thought about this when I was creating my chore chart, too.
I also thought about my organizational system. I needed to make sure I had everything organized in such a way that doing my chore chart would be easy. After all, I wanted to keep my house clean and neat but I didn't have ALL DAY to do it. Not with two busy, demanding kids.
So here is my chore chart information:
Daily Chores
*All toys picked up in playroom
*Kitchen table cleared off
*Dishes done
*All diapers put in their dirty bags (or washed and stacked on the changing table)
*All mail sorted through and put away (or shredded, thrown out, etc.)
*Kids' rooms picked up
Monday
*Clean out and pack the diaper bag (dry snacks, one clean outfit per kid, two clean diapers per kid, extra wipes and solution, blanket, small wet bag)
*Clean bathrooms (wipe down counters and mirrors, sinks, clean toilets; showers if necessary)
Tuesday
*Sweep and mop kitchen floor
*Take out all trash (including all bedrooms and bathrooms)
Wednesday
*All laundry (washed, dried, folded, put away.... It says this because I had a habit of washing and drying but not folding or putting away!)
Thursday
*Change all sheets on beds and towels in bathrooms
*Write meal plan/grocery list (every other week)
Friday
*Grocery shopping (on the weeks I don't shop, my parents visit, so I didn't put any other chores this day)
Saturday
*Vacuum all rooms
*Dust as necessary
Sunday
*Prepare for the week (cook breakfasts, lunches, prepare snacks)
This chore list is posted on my fridge so I can refer to it often. I take it seriously and make sure to get it done everyday. If my chores aren't done by dinner time, I'll stop whatever else I'm doing to make sure that I do finish them. The "weekly" chores only take up about 30 minutes of my time per day (except laundry), and the daily chores are just kind of part of my routine. Most of my time is free to play with my kids or work on other projects.
But, and this is very important, here is my priority list:
1) Take care of my kids and husband
2) Prepare healthy meals for my family
3) Complete my daily and weekly chores
4) Anything else I would like to do
And that's in order. If I only get through 1, 2 and 3...my day is successful and I feel good. If we're having a bad day (someone's sick, etc.) and I only get through 1, my day is still successful. I won't feel guilty or behind if I don't get to any of the extra stuff.
Usually though, I do my chores with Bekah's help while Daniel takes his morning nap. Or I'll do some after Ben gets home and he's playing with the kids. Then I'll spend time during their naps working on FUN things like this blog (yes, they're napping as I write :) ). I also am working on sewing diapers for a friend and doing some research for a major project right now, and I do those when they're napping or in bed, or if I've played with them and they've decided to go play quietly on their own.
I'll give you a few more notes on my organizational system:
*My diaper bag is stored either in my car, or in my front hall closet. It's out of the way but within easy reach of both front and garage doors.
*I keep a sponge in each bathroom, as well as a box of baking soda to clean with
*I have one bottle of toilet cleaner and one brush (really should have 3), and I go through the house, putting cleaner in each toilet. Then I go back to the first one and brush it, then the second, etc.
*I keep a laundry basket in each of my kids' rooms, my upstairs bathroom, my kitchen, and three in my room (white, colored - warm, colored - cold). Each basket gets washed as is, so no sorting is necessary on laundry day, and laundry automatically makes it back to the correct room, where it's folded and put away.
*I keep a wet bag in each of my kids' rooms as well, and diapers get washed every 3 - 4 days as needed.
*I do other little chores (like making more chicken stock, soaking beans, etc.) as necessary through out the week. My meal plan is also on my fridge, for this reason.
*I have a large wall calendar where we write all our appointments (including fun things, like mom's night out). If they're not written there, they don't get done.
Can you tell I like to have my stuff right out in front of me? Everything I'll need to refer to frequently -- weekly appointments, meal plan, and chore chart -- are right in the kitchen where I can easily look at it. Some people like to keep appointment books or computer-based lists, but not me. I need it RIGHT THERE when I don't remember what needs done next. It's pretty simple to glance at the meal plan when I'm getting a glass of water and say "Oh, I need to take meat out to thaw for tonight's dinner."
What is your organizational system? How do you make sure your chores get done (or do you)? (If you don't, don't feel bad, I didn't for years. This is a new system!)
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Wednesday, January 27, 2010
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Hmm, I like your laundry organization! We used to use large bags, one for whites, one for darks, one for reds...but we never brought the bags back up from the basement, and that was back when I wasn't doing laundry in good time so the piles were just overwhelmingly huge. Now we have one large basket that we fill and carry up and down the stairs. My chore chart is as follows:
ReplyDeleteMonday: vacuum downstairs (living room carpet, playroom rug); sweep & mop kitchen floor; parents' laundry (rarely, all of it...but usually only 2 loads)
Tuesday: dust; diaper laundry; and every other week EITHER water plants OR wash towels
Wednesday: vacuum upstairs; clean upstairs baths; wash Cam's laundry
Thursday: vacuum downstairs again; clean downstairs bath; every other week EITHER vacuum stairs OR wash sheets
Friday: diaper laundry; clean stovetop
Obviously kitchen cleaning is done as needed...loading and unloading the dishwasher, wiping down the counter, etc. This chart has been a HUGE help to me, before I didn't get done what needed done and just got overwhelmed with all of the work.
And still, weekly, I fail to complete *every* task, but some days I get it all done and feel great. Other days...well, life with a toddler (sometimes 2) gets a bit busy. ;) I made Tues/Thurs lighter days because Owen is here, and Fridays are light because they are Fridays! I do nothing but keep up with the kitchen on the weekends, and occasionally a load of laundry if I feel like it.
There's still room for improvement (as always)...I am bad about putting the laundry away, for example. And the chart is constantly changing, like I had to add in the extra vacuum day because we have pets and Cam drops crumbs and I leave sewing scraps on the floor, that sort of thing. And sometimes I only mop every other week, since we aren't tracking in a bunch of dirt like we would be in spring/summer.
Kate-
ReplyDeleteWhat a great system you have! You sound very organized. I, too, try to be organized, but have a different lifestyle than you. I work full time, and my kids are teenagers, so some of my strategies have changed since I was a stay-at-home mom with young kids.
Laundry: As kids get older, their clothes get bigger! Thus, there is more laundry to be done. I do a load of colors and a load of towels, work-out clothes, dishtowels etc. EVERY DAY. I wash sheets on weekends, so I do three or four loads every Saturday and Sunday (two regular plus two sheets). I also do a "fine washables" load every Friday night of my husband's dress shirts, my dress pants, and my good sweaters and tops. This allows me to let these clothes hang dry or dry on the drying rack all weekend. All ironing is completed on Sunday. I do all of the laundry for everyone in my family. I know some think that children should do their own laundry, but it is a job I don't really mind doing. I also have an old washing machine that I am nursing along and don't want the kids to break!
Cleaning: In the past we have divided our house into "sectors." We rotated the sectors each week so no one got stuck with one they didn't like week after week. Some of the kids have jobs now, so that system isn't working well. We also have a dog, so vacuuming needs to be done two or three times a week not once a week. I've tried some other systems and hope to find a workable solution soon. I'm surprised you can only vacuum every week with a baby in the house. I vacuumed every day when my kids were younger, mopped every other day, and cleaned the hard-surface floors on my hands and knees weekly. Don't your kids pick up random twisty-ties and other debris? Maybe you use a broom several times a day? As for cleaning toilets, Target has toilet brushes for $1.00 in the summer whenever they promote their "College" stuff. You are right, having a toilet brush in every bathroom makes life a whole lot easier!
Groceries: My husband took over all grocery shopping when I went back to work! It's not a perfect system, but I'm not complaining!
Cooking: This falls mostly on me. I ALWAYS cook enough for at least two meals for all five of us. I also cook extra stuff on Sundays like bread or chicken breasts to eat in my lunch salads.
Daily chores: Everyone does something (pick up a room, feed the dog and cat, unload the dishwasher, put out or get the trashcans, etc. I ask and they do it - usually with no complaints! (I have great kids!) I try to limit weeknight chores as the kids already have a job - being diligent students!
As I said, I really like your organizational system. Mine is much looser because I don't mind "flying by the seat of my pants" and because the comings and goings of three teenages demands some flexibility. I agree with you that, if I take care of my children and husband, my day is successful. The other stuff can and does wait!
Very cool Kate! I've been thinking that I need to do something like this. My husband usually does the vacuuming on weekends, but I've been trying to at least vacuum the living room every other day since I'm babysitting a 6 month old now (and our dogs are super hairy.) I could see if you didn't have pets that vacuuming once a week would be sufficient if you also don't wear your shoes around the house. Do you have pets?
ReplyDeleteRight now we do everything "as needed" but things like changing sheets and washing towels seem to get done well after they should be! I'll be working on a chores list soon I think.
Darren and I have discussed that we don't want our kids to grow up thinking that "only Mommy (a girl) does laundry" or "only Daddy (a boy) mow the lawn." We want our kids to learn how to do everything to prepare them for life beyond our home. There are very few chores that only Darren or I do exclusively, but mowing the lawn is one of them! We've talked about having a chores list eventually that would rotate jobs so everyone has to attempt each job occasionally. I don't know... have you thought about that?
I also have a friend that does not do ANY chores after her husband gets home. The family cleans up after dinner together and then they spend time together before bed. Consequently, after the kids are in bed, they have quality time together as a couple. Darren and I have talked about this as well and I would like to get to this point eventually. We do try to spend time together in the evenings... but then I'm here typing this and he's playing video games! Ah well... I also have laundry going :)
Liesel
Vacuuming/pets -- I have cats, but they don't shed in the winter really, so that's not an issue. We often don't wear shoes in the house. Now...SHOULD I vacuum more often than I do? Yeah, probably. But it's the one thing I feel like I can't do when the kids are around (even though I know I can). I feel like I'm pretty good at everything else but not that. Then again I grew up in a house where the vacuum only came out if company was coming...so 2 - 3 times per year. :) For that reason, among others, vacuuming just escapes me. But now that I am setting up a new, bigger playroom for my kids, I will try to at least keep that room vacuumed more often.
ReplyDeleteThis is an inspiring post! My chores have suffered this past year b/c we've begun homeschooling our oldest. It feels like all the leftover cracks in my life are filled and overflowing. We tend to only vacuum once every two weeks, but the hour between 8 and 9 in the morning every day is set aside to create peace (clean kitchen, do laundry, etc.) in order to do school work. The 30 min. or so after lunch is for cleaning up the school messes and the 30 or so min. after dinner is for picking up/cleaning up as well. This seems to keep us pretty sane!
ReplyDeleteOlivia-
ReplyDeleteIt sounds as if your home schooling schedule is 9-lunch (12?). Is your child a kindergartener? Is three hours of schooling enough time to delve into all of the core subjects comepletely?
Love your priority list. You totally have that order down. I started using Motivated Moms chose list this year and have absolutely loved it. I feel really organized and on top of things. Somehow chores are easier for me to do when someone else is telling me to do it :)
ReplyDelete