I NEED YOUR SUGGESTIONS...Okay, I am really behind on housework! If you came to my house, you would think it looks very organized and "clean", but it hasn't had a deep cleaning in 3 weeks! Sure, I've wiped down potty lids and scoured sinks, vacumed messes, but no DEEP clean. (i.e. the dust is REALLY bad, the bathroom floors...well you get the picture!)
I used to have what I considered the perfect system for our family. We did morning chores on a daily basis which consisted of making beds, laundry, cleaning and putting away dishes, sweeping food off of kitchen floor, opening curtains and blinds for the day, and making sure the house was in order. Then every Saturday, or at least 2 a month, my husband took the kids out for "Daddy and Donuts" and then to a park or creek or wherever. I would stay home and clean the house from top to bottom. Our house was always well organized and really clean. Now that I am pregnant, I don't have the energy to spend 5 hours on Saturday cleaning! And I can not squeeze it in during the week! Between homeschool, cooking, helping the kids clean up their messes, and being a mama, friend, church volunteer, daughter, etc. the day is gone!
My homeschool friend recommended "help" with the house when I told her we were going to homeschool. She said I could not survive without it. I feel more certain that I could not survive without the $300+ it would cost a month for "help". Not that I am opposed to a cleaning service, for those of you who have one. But I am stubborn and determined that this should and can be done by me! (Just my personal conviction...and subject to change!:))So how do you ladies do it, particularly you mamas with children at home all day? I am in a rut and need a new system!
12 comments:
I am so with you on being stubborn and doing it myself. After #4 was born, my man got me a house cleaner for a few months (every two weeks). First of all, I had a very hard time in my head paying them 80 bucks! And, I was never "satisfied" with their work. (I could do it better - the stubborn part of me!) Even if I had all the money in the world, I don't think I could ever be satisified by someone else's cleaning job! Call it stubborness, call it conviction, call is obsessive compulsive - although I'm far from it now! I've learned to let a lot slide and deep clean when I can. It's hard with homeschooling and life, but it eventually gets done and I've finally accpeted it - years later!
I want to link to this to see if anyone else has good suggestions. I'd be interested to read them too!
Nice to see you back in blog land.
Sorry, no help on the house work issue!
Have a great day.
My daily do's:
-garden (means pull weeds or whatever; get the outside cleaned up)
-make bed (my kids make their own)
-dust (loose interpretation; I can actually dust, or clean a spot off the floor)
-rid (I get rid of something. Throw it out, give it away, whatever)
-dishes (get all the dishes done at least once a day)
-laundry (if you do a load a day you can keep up- my older kids do their own)
-iron (if there is any)
-mend (if there's anything to mend)
-file (if there's anything to file, or I clean out a file)
weekly:
-grocery list
-clean fridge
-clean bathrooms (I clean one thing in a bathroom every time I'm in it, and scrub a section of the shower every time I'm in the shower)
-water lawns/garden
-grocery shop
-vacuum
-pay bills
-put out/bring in trash
errands
I schedule them and do them all together.
Hope this helps.
Have you ever tried flylady.net? There are some good tips on that site. I don't do everything she suggests, but I have gotten a few good tips from there. One thing I try to do is one room at a time (less overwhelming) and do that one room really well, if I can't get anything else done, at least that one room will be done well. And, for me it helps to start the day with a list of what I want to get done and check it off as I go. That makes me feel like I accomplished something that day too.
I feel the same way about help with cleaning, even if we had the extra money.
You sound like you need a little Flylady. Go to flylady.com (sorry I don't know how to link in comments). This system really helped me out during a difficult and busy time in my life. She emails you things to do each day, so about once a month everything in the house gets a really good scrubbing without taking more than 15 -30 minutes out of your day. And only "week" days, no weekend work. It sounds like you have already battled the perfectionism, so flylady is perfect for you.
P.s. while I no longer receive the emails, I continue to follow the system pretty well on my own. Good luck and God Bless.
One thing that has helped me a ton is Don Aslett's book, "Is There Life After HOusework?" He is a self-taught professional housecleaner, and against schedules (which never worked for me, anyway). He says clean it when it is dirty, not when it's scheduled. He has a LOT of tips for cleaning efficiently and without extra effort.
(Not that my house is spotless or anything. Most of the time I'm just barely keeping up.)
Good luck, and don't get discouraged. You'll be fine!
homeschooling mother of 8 here:
you need Flylady.
Meet her at www.flylady.net
she has changed my life.
The key for me is reducing clutter and getting rid of 'too much stuff' which allows for very fast and easy house cleaning.
I highly recommend books by Don Aslett. THe funniest one in my opinion is, "Clutter Free: Finally and Forever".
By the way on the top of your blog you misspelled Jesus Christ, you may want to correct the spelling of his name.
Doesn't sound like you need any more tips, but just in case.... I have 4 boys under 5. The only way I can keep the house halfway clean is to have them all pitch in except for the baby ~ picking up toys, folding laundry, setting the table, clearing the table, cleaning rooms, etc... All of their little help allows more time for the big cleaning. They also take naps or rest in their rooms for a couple of hours in the afternoon which is an added bonus for me to get some things done. One thing that has really made a difference since #4 came along was when I started doing the boy's laundry only once a week. Yes, it takes the better part of the day, but I get it all done and don't have to worry about it any more until the next Monday.
Hi..
I can't help much except to say that I hear ya...I am trying so hard to make my house a home, homeschool 6 children and do errands, and all the mom things all day..
I found this great site and yahoo group that really helps...but I fell of the wagon and am trying again.
http://www.xanga.com/MrsCatherine
check it out
Linda
homeschoolblogger.com/sillysiller
not sure if my first comment was posted.
I am in the same boat..won't say more..since I don't know if my first comment was posted.
but try
http://www.xanga.com/MrsCatherine
its great....
Linda
homeschoolblogger.com/sillysiller
I loved reading these. I have a friend who loves flylady, though I've not ever enjoyed meeting a fly...so I've put that off.
I'm not pleased with any "system" per se...I make lists and put the things that are royally getting on my nerves on there. If it's not on my list, I figure God knows I will not need to deal with it just yet. He's proven pretty reliable. I don't call myself a great housekeeper, but I'd really rather manage my time and energy with His to do list...sometimes that means my house isn't the top thing.
I try to create a sense of order for when my husband comes home to honor him. When my feet stick to the floor...I mop it. I read "Speed Cleaning" once and loved it...it said, if it doesn't look dirty, it's not dirty. You don't eat off the bathroom floor anyway! With boys, I used a lot of Clorox wipes to spot cleaning high need areas, even on the floor.
Post a Comment