Learning to Juggle
I have been making an effort to get my ducks in a row, so to speak, this fall. I want to get my house in order and try to be a little more up to date on my household chores. Now before I go any further let me say that the condition of my house, for good or bad, has very little to do with having friends over. I will always welcome my friends into my house, if they are willing, because people are more important than things. Honestly, if you are really my friend then you won't care that I have drips on my kitchen floor and there are more toys out than there is space to walk.
That being said, I am trying to make my house a little more organized and stay up to date on the cleaning so that my husband and I can enjoy a more peaceful and comfortable home. I took some inspiration from All Thing For Mom and made a list of daily and weekly chores. I printed it out and then had it laminated. It is hanging on my fridge and I use a wipe off marker to cross off the items I did that day and also write on additional things I need to do/remember that week. Lets be honest. The best part of any task is the satisfaction of crossing it off.
This has sort of been like learning to juggle. I went through the first week and did a little of each thing, even skipped some, but did a fantastic deep clean on others. The ones I did the deep clean on I have to maintain while I move on to another area the next week. Each area that has been deep cleaned is now a ball that I am trying to juggle as I maintain that area and tackle new ones.
I would say I am successfully juggling a few balls now and I'm motivated to continue. It is really nice to tackle a few tasks each day and not let them build up to one monumental task. I feel I can enjoy my relaxation time, if I get any, because I did all I had to do. Even though there is more to do, I know I will get to it on its scheduled day.
So after 9 years of marriage and 3 children, I think I am finally learning to take care of my house. Lets hope I can keep it up...
That being said, I am trying to make my house a little more organized and stay up to date on the cleaning so that my husband and I can enjoy a more peaceful and comfortable home. I took some inspiration from All Thing For Mom and made a list of daily and weekly chores. I printed it out and then had it laminated. It is hanging on my fridge and I use a wipe off marker to cross off the items I did that day and also write on additional things I need to do/remember that week. Lets be honest. The best part of any task is the satisfaction of crossing it off.
This has sort of been like learning to juggle. I went through the first week and did a little of each thing, even skipped some, but did a fantastic deep clean on others. The ones I did the deep clean on I have to maintain while I move on to another area the next week. Each area that has been deep cleaned is now a ball that I am trying to juggle as I maintain that area and tackle new ones.
I would say I am successfully juggling a few balls now and I'm motivated to continue. It is really nice to tackle a few tasks each day and not let them build up to one monumental task. I feel I can enjoy my relaxation time, if I get any, because I did all I had to do. Even though there is more to do, I know I will get to it on its scheduled day.
So after 9 years of marriage and 3 children, I think I am finally learning to take care of my house. Lets hope I can keep it up...
September 29, 2010 at 11:36 AM
I swear you are describing my life! I have been a stay at home mom for 4 years and it just hit me 2 weeks ago that I still do not act like it is actually a full time job. Once I realized this IS my job, I did the same thing as you. I made myself a schedule of what I needed to do each day, since previously I either did everything everyday and still accomplished nothing just to keep myself busy or did nothing. Literally last week I made a schedule of what I do each day so that I am concentrating on just one or two things a day, and doing a good job with it, rather than attempt to do everything quickly everyday.
I just completely sorted and organized our toys too. I mean really, how many toys do my kids need . . . there's only 3 of them! I went onto the WalMart website and ordered totes (which made me realize that you can purchase them in sets for much cheaper than purchasing them in store and they are in better shape too - not covered with the dust of the store) and organized every toy into a tote. Once I organized the toys, I felt like I had my house "back." The toys and kids had taken over, though I think I am slowly reclaiming the house!
I have to say that I am so happy to read that I am not the only one going through this! :-)