Now that we're back in the full swing of things and school is back in session, I'm having to make sure I plan and schedule my time much better than I did over the summer. Over the summer I sort of let the housework get behind, didn't keep on top of the girls picking up their toys throughout the day, and often left my meals unplanned so I was having to make quick dinners that were thrown together at the last minute. We had great, fun, lazy days... but it lacked the structure which led to the motivation I needed to get tasks completed.
Maybe it's just becuase it's still rather new, but I'm really loving having more structure and what feels like set times to get things accomplished. I'm doing well keeping on top of my bible study/quiet time, the girls clean up, our school day/lesson plans, lunches, our extra-curricular activities, and even my photography/work schedule. I haven't yet found the place or time to keep on top of the household cleaning. I deep cleaned the week before starting school and I've been great about keeping everything neat and picked up, but I have yet to work the continual weekly deep cleaning into my routine. Partially becuase I hate cleaning, but partially becuase my day is so full of staying on top of everything else that I don't really know where to put it. I'm thinking it's time to pay a little visit to Fly Lady and work to get my house cleaning schedule back in order.
My goal for this next week is to work on a regular cleaning schedule for my week as well as make myself get back to monthly or at least weekly planning our meals. If I can get those two things under control (and keep up with what I'm already doing) I think we'll be in for a great and organized year!
What are your tips and tricks for keeping your house clean? Are there areas that you feel you fall short trying to balance being a wife, mother, and teacher?
I am SO Type A so this might be extreme, but I sit down on Saturday and make a to do list for each day (work, school, what time we have to eat dinner by, extra activites) and list out each meal next to that list. I just pick one job that usually goes undone and add it to each day. I know sheets need to get washed, bathrooms need to be cleaned, the kitchen really wiped down, and vacuuming have to be done so I make sure they each get a day. I do minor clean ups during the day but knowing one bigger thing gets done makes me feel like I'm on top of the house!
ReplyDeleteThank you Nicole! That's a great suggestion! I definitely think it would help to know I had 1 main chore each day that I needed to do so I was spending 10-20 minutes a day on the big things rather than a few hours once a week... thus dreading it, putting it off, and never getting it accomplished. I'm excited to make my schedule for next week and feel like I'm on top of things!
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