Good afternoon. I'm feeling pretty great today – hope you are too.
This weekend I came to the realization that I don't function well when there is chaos around me. OK – I really knew this about myself before this weekend. I just didn't know what to do about it. And as I said last week, I'd like my house to be clean for more than 15 minutes at a time. Here's the realization: I am the biggest obstacle to keeping this house picked up. All this time I have been looking for a solution, but not getting to the heart of the problem. It's not the myriad coats and shoes thrown on the mudroom floor or the fact that my children leave papers scattered on any available flat surface that is driving me crazy. It's that when it gets messy, I don't deal with it right away. In fact, I don't deal with it because it is messy and then it even gets messier. Follow? I decided to focus on the problem and to do that, I am going to have to change my behavior. Instead of waiting until it's overwhelming and then tackling it all in one full swoop, I am dealing with bits of the cleaning each day. So on Saturday, I cleaned the front part of our house – living room, sun room, dining room, front hall and stairs, powder room. And then I stopped. Yesterday, I finished the laundry and made the girls and myself put it all away as soon as it was folded. This morning, I got up and picked up the family room and the laundry room. I'll probably tackle the kitchen and the mud room this afternoon. Breaking it up into these little tasks is more manageable for me. It's amazing how much I can get done in 20 minutes! And once something is clean, it's that much easier to keep it that way. I'm sure this is not revolutionary for some of you, but for me, it is.
So yes, I am feeling pretty good today. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. And once I get this house sorted out, I am going to have to enlist the girls' help to keeping it that way. I'm pretty good about making them help out, but other than clearing the table after dinner, they don't have any specific chores. I'd like to change that. I know some of you have kids the same ages (almost 8 and 10) and I am curious what chores your children have. If you feel like sharing, I'd love to get some feedback on that.
All right, back here soon (probably tomorrow). The sun is finally out and I can take photos of some things I have finished up over the last week or so. See you then.
Man. I totally could have written that post. I have one remaining room to do. The craft room. I have to tackle it on Wednesday after the guests leave.
this realy helps me in keeping the chaos away. It’s in English, so maybe it can help you or other readers as well ?
http://www.flylady.net/
My 10 year old son does the dishwasher every day, takes the dirty laundry downstairs every other day, picks up the mudroom on Fridays, cleans out the van on Saturdays, takes the trash/recycling to the curb on Sundays. He’s a good boy — though most of the time we have to argue through the entire chore which almost makes it seem like more of a chore for me. He’s getting better at getting the job done though.
A. God bless you for using “myriad” correctly in a sentence. Major, major bonus points for you, today. (It’s one of my biggest pet peeves…the misuse of myrid.)
B. I have 8 and almost 10 year old boys and they have daily morning and evening chores. In the morning, between them, they put the breakfast dishes in the dishwasher and wipe down the countertops, wipe the breakfast table clean and swiffer the dining room and kitchen. They also make sure their sink is free of toothpaste spittle, and they wipe down the toilet seat in their bathroom (they are boys, after all…)
In the evenings, they are responsible for swiffering the stairs and living room,and for making sure all their toys and personal belongings are back in the places where they belong.
They also help me fold clothes and put them away, on an as-needed basis.
And you know what? They are awesome at all of it…my almost 10 year old has told me, recently, that he wants to take over cooking supper 2 or 3 nights a week, but I’m not sure I’m ready to give that up, yet ;).
So true here too. After we have people over and everything was picked up, it’s amazing how easy it is to keep it that way for a few days. Then everything goes back to the way it was…
I have the same problem, and also trying to change habits. It is tough sometimes, but I think it will be worth it in the end! Good luck to us!
My 7 year old cleans his room and then vacuums it once a week. He also cleans the bathroom him and his younger siblings share. We all fold laundry together, well me and the 7 yo and my 5 yo, and they put their own clothes away. My 5 yo cleans windows and dusts.
I don’t have any tips on kids and chores; mine are 2 and 9 months. But I am going to check back on the comments for future planning. My husband is always saying things like: Before we know it, the little guy will be mowing the lawn and I will just sit back, drink beer and watch.” (hmmm. sounds nice, but a little too easy, right?)
i love this picture, erin. hi, cat. hi, red shoes.
i’m trying to figure things out, too, as far as the girls’ helping goes. i’m going to read your comments here with interest.
one really likes vacuuming (who knew?), but it’s not a regular job for her. one likes to cook, but that sometimes isn’t exactly a help.
i don’t know. i’m going to think about it, though, you can bet.
Your shoes are divine!
oh yes, this is my daily challenge, sometimes dealt with well and somethings…well NOT! I tend to want to be able to have the whole house be spotless, or I just won’t tackle it at all. Thankfully, I’ve somewhat overcome this tendancy. It is amazing what you can get done in just small bunches of time. My oldest is 7. It has been so nice having someone to really help with the work. I’m trying to train my littles to help to, but of course that is more work than help. My seven year old (not all in one week…they get different chores every so often) sweeps, does laundry, dusts, unloads the dishwasher, sometimes washes or dries dishes, weeds, rakes up the leaves, wipes down walls, that’s all I can think of. Some are just occasional (like the wall cleaning….that is mostly a punishment for complaining too much. š I think an eight year old could vacume too, but we have a heavy upright and I think it is more than he can man-handle, not to mention I’m a little afraid of him vacuming the cord!
My little helper is only 3, but I know that when I was growing up, my sister and I each had specific chores that we did each week – I was dishwasher duty, and Kerri folded towels, socks, and underwear. The other chores like vacuum and dusting were done as needed, but those “nuisance” chores were assigned!
Meant to say, we also have “room rescues”. Might have got this idea from Fly Lady..I’m not sure. Basically, in my best mommy-enthusiastic voice, I say, “15 Minute room rescue!!!” and we pick up frantically for 15 minutes. My boys usually love to try and beat the clock and it’s also a nice short time, so you know you’ll be done soon. š
Erin, we could be twins…I’ve had exactly the same thoughts at different times. Well said.
I am actually reading online to AVOID cleaning/picking up my messy house. After reading this, I’m going to have to shut down the computer and get to picking up. It feels so much better after, but I’m such a procrastinator…Thanks for reminding me that it isn’t insurmountable. Enjoy your Monday š
Welcome to my life and brain. Now through homeschooling on top of it and swirl it all together. I run in place a lot because I don’t know how or where to begin. Take heart you are not the only one!!!! And crocheting always looks like the better choice for me š
oh man Erin, this could SO be me this week. A room starts to get messy and I will just avoid it, which makes it get worse. I can’t even deal with my studio right now. ugh. I think I’m going to go work on it right now, so thanks!
Come up with a chart. Daily and weekly. If they can see what’s expected every week, it won’t come as a shock when you ask them to do it. Those two are perfectly capable of dusting/vacuuming, not to mention loading/unloading the dishwasher.
I’ve decided I’m buying a roomba.
My mum trained us to look around a room before leaving it to see if there was anything that didn’t belong that we could drop off on our way to some other room.
And the ten minute tidy. Tidy for ten minutes every day and then you were allowed to go back to your regularly schedule fun. There might even have been a race to see who could tidy more in ten minutes. It gets dangerous with Lego… š
Good for you! I get totally overwhelmed by a messy house as well. If it’s too messy I can’t even deal with it, and of course it just gets worse. I try to do four 15 minute sessions of cleaning every day. Every day I pick what looks the worst and do the 15 minutes there. I can spread it out throughout the day so it doesn’t feel like too much cleaning. It’s all a mindgame I play on myself! ha ha
I have a 2 year old and a 6 year old so I don’t expect too much of them. The 6 year old is expected to keep her room clean. For the playroom, I tell her occasionally that anything left on the floor by (whatever time) will be going to Goodwill. Works everytime, but follow through is vital. Have only had to take toys to goodwill once and I actually just hid them in the garage for a few weeks to get my point across. Good luck!
Wow, you just read my mind! I will get the whole house clean (usually before company comes) and then relish in a clean home. I tend to take too long of a break and it is back to the usual state of mess! I will join you in a quest of a clean house. I will start today. Thanks for being so honest. Have a great week.
I could put everything in its place if I had a place for everything. My problem is so much the mess (oh, yes, the house is a disaster!), it’s that there’s nowhere to put it all away. I try and try to get rid of stuff, but I DO want to knit and I DO want to sew and cook, and I don’t have any storage space at all. The chaos gets to me in a big way.
On the other topic, my kiddos have been responsible for their own laundry since about 8 or 9 years old. They also alternate emptying out the dishwasher, and always always are responsible for putting their own dishes in the dishwasher after meals.
Good luck with the cleaning plan. And the staying clean plan too!
I’m like that. If you let it go, it just becomes Too Big A Job and it gets all too hard.
I should take a leaf from your book.
Ugh. I hate cleaning and picking up. And I’m not good at it. I seem to make it take way longer than it should. My solution was a weekly housekeeper. We were forced into having the house “picked up” by Friday evenings, so that the housekeeper could “clean” on Saturday mornings. But no more. Now we have to do it ourselves.
Our biggest struggle is getting the 5 yo to actually participate and pick up and keeping the 9 yo from tattling on the little one every 5 seconds. They both love the cleaning parts- dusting, sweeping, etc, but not the picking up.
A very dear friend of mine taught her boys their cleaning skills by having the whole family work in one room together. That way you get to actually teach them how to load the dishwasher properly or how to put the clothes in the drawer the right way.
This summer we were really good about the boys having chores and an allowance, too. And there was some whining at first, but then they got into the hang of it. Once my oldest actually heard the bell on the washer go off as he was walking by and stopped what he was doing and put the clothes in the dryer! It was amazing!
Glad you are feeling great! Especially on a Monday. Mondays have a way of droning on and on and on and on.
Your shoes are totally cute too. Where did you get them? Red flats are awesome.
i highly recommend the book “Chores Without wars” It really helped us negotiate- as a family- what was a fair and equitable way to split up the work of the household.
I have only one clean room at the moment. In my next life, I’m going to be really good at housework. but the mess stresses me out too.
Welcome to my club… we are many members strong! I too have a “do it in bits” theory and it works! I have gone so far as to assign certain tasks to certain days! Vacuuming/ dusting – Tuesday & Friday; Bathrooms – Monday & Thursday; Laundry – 1 load of dark every day, bleach and lights only as needed.
My kids (10, 9, 7) are responsible for cleaning their own rooms, putting away all laundry except mom and dads, setting and cleaning up the table, loading the dishwasher, taking out trash and wiping down bathroom sinks and toilets daily. I don’t thinks it’s too much and it keeps them busy! Next they would like to start helping with dinner… I’m terrified! It took weeks for them to load the dishwasher correctly! š
I don’t know how I’d do it without my kid’s help (13 and 10). They are both in charge of keeping their rooms picked up which includes doing their own laundry. The laundry thing was a right of passage when they turned 10. (Your kids may hate me for even mentioning that!) My oldest vaccums half the house, the youngest dusts and cleans the toilets (He likes it – whatever!)
A really good tool that we use at our house is http://chorebuster.net. It is perfect for a family and I’ve turned many friends with kids onto it as well. It keeps us on task and it easy to use.
I don’t mean to sound like a commercial;), but it has made it much easier for me, who is in school full-time, and my partner, who works FT.
Boy, do I identify with this post. I just get so buried, I hardly know where to start. Putting away the laundry immediately would be a good place. Sometimes we live out of the baskets of clean clothes for days. Tomorrow morning those baskets get emptied – and I will enlist my 5-year-old to help. The thing I find with chores and young kids is that they do best when you work together. The key there is that mom needs to get to work! Thanks for inspiring us a little.
Amen to that! I too could have written this post. I had a pretty good system going with everything marked on my calendar so that I had a few tasks every day to spread it all out. Once you get through it all once it is pretty easy to stay on top of. Only problem is when something in the schedule changes. Kids home sick, holidays, vacation. Then the chaos returns. Both kids and I were all sick last week so I am sorting through the chaos as we speak! : )
Oh, yeah. I’m on flylady too. Helps me cope, because I can’t with the house in a mess. I try to throw/give away/recycle 20 things a day. Today I vacuumed the walls in my bedroom. Really. Dog hair eradication day in the bedroom. That and some light vacuuming was it for cleaning. More tomorrow in another room.
Anyone wearing those cute red shoes should be feeling fine.
Sounds like most of us are in the same boat. One of things that works for me and my family is to do a ten-minute pick up a couple times a day. It’s amazing how much can get done in ten minutes. I find if I try to do any sort of pick up/clean up for longer than 10 minutes I get easily distracted – putting books away on the shelves can lead to thinking I have to completely reorganize every shelf. I really have to focus at staying on task.
Good Luck!
I love tthis post! I struggle with the same thing. If I don’t clean something up right away I fell anxious. When I suck it up and keep on in daily I can actually relax. I have an 8 month old (not ready for chores yet) and a 5 year old (could do a little more than she does) and an 8 year old (who does a little daily). I remember my parents had daily chores that I had to do. I didn’t get paid for them. They said that it’s just part of being in a family. If I wanted some money/allowence, they had a list of jobs that I could choose from and how much they would pay me for each. I think it was brilliant! When I was older and I wanted money I would ask them for work and not just cash.
my kids have very few chores that they do on a regular basis.
sure, they make their beds… but that is probably the only thing they do regularly. i started a table setting/cleaning table chart. then it got all messed up with activities. i am back to doing it all by myself.
i should try to change that.
I can completely identify…
My teenager does almost all the dishes, he has for years. Though he still needs reminders to do so quite often, he does so without any complaints.
My 10 yr old son does almost all of the laundry, and in our house that’s 3 loads a day, and I’m not even kidding…
My 8 yr old daughter helps (the 10 yr old) with folding and putting away. She also works with the 6 & 4 yr olds to clean the entry every day (with 9 people coats, boots, shoes, hats, etc… can get out of control VERY quickly!) and to clean the 2 bathrooms.
The kids have daily clean room competitions and everyone works together on a “main floor tidy” a couple times a day- whenever it starts to get a bit too chaotic & right before lunch and supper.
If my children did not pitch in and help around here, I would get nothing else done, I would be cleaning and tidying all day every day- but the reality is that I’m not the one making most of the mess, I shouldn’t have to clean it all up just because I’m Mom! The more we work together, the better it stays around here, the more relaxed I am, the happier everyone is!!
I’m glad you had a good Monday!
I always liked making the chore chart more than actually getting the kids to follow through with regular chores. Setting a timer and working for 15 or 30 minutes always worked well for us – and still does for me!
Congratulations on your great Monday! Looks like a lot of us are experiencing the same thing. I follow http://www.flylady.net, too. But, I totally fall off the bandwagon time after time. Here’s to more motivation to keeping up with the house!!
What a cute kitty walking around š I am definitely the same way about keeping it clean, so I totally understand… š
My 8-year-old just got promoted from dishwasher emptier to dishwasher loader. My 10-year-old was just made the “laundry helper” – because I REALLY need one. They both free up a little time for me, so I can do more than “routine matinence” jobs.
But would you like to know how I really get them to clean? Peek at my blog tomorrow. I’ll do a post just for you.
Hi Erin,
I’m not sure if it’s just me, but I am having problems with your blog in Explorer… it doesn’t open up properly with the blog header etc…it’s fine in firefox but not in explorer? it could be just me… but i thought i would let you know in case…
Amy
I do a bit of cleaning everyday, but I still struggle to keep up with the dusting. I hate dusting.
I’ve found that doing a little bit of housework everyday, means that you need to do very little to make your home look clean and tidy. Little spurts of cleaning (in between other things) are so much more easier, and less stressful, than a big session.
First comment – I enjoy reading your blog so much!
Well, you just summed up my issue with keeping the house clean. The messier it gets the more I don’t clean. I’ve been trying to change that too. My kids are younger but I will say that we’ve just implemented “end of day jobs” – my son’s term. The 2 yr old doesn’t get it, but the 5 yr old does and is very proud to have his own end of day job. It’s basically that they have to pick up all their toys & dirty laundry before getting books for bed. I’ve also been trying to catch them at other things and correct bad habits now. Like when you take your shoes off at the door they should go on the shoe tray. Not one in front of the door to the other room and one on the couch on the other side of the room. Now with that one my 2 yr old is better.
I’m very similar. I have such a hard time picking up little messes here and there, despite knowing that clutter breeds clutter. And then I can’t function in the mess.
One thing that has helped me get organized is to computerize my task list. I put everything on there, from the painfully mundane to the super important, and I have the tasks that recur on a daily, weekly, monthly, yearly basis automatically regenerate so I don’t have to remember them. (i.e. When I check off that I’ve packed the kids’ lunch boxes, a new “pack lunch boxes” task scheduled for tomorrow pops up.)
For some reason, I handle cleaning a lot better, if I know that it’s only a 15-minute bullet on my task list.
I use http://rememberthemilk.com but you can get the same functionality out of Outlook and other time management packages. The key is to have the tasks automatically regenerate. The brain space you free up trying to remember these things can be put to more creative use then.
BTW, I am going to see if anyone has any good comments RE: chores, since I currently don’t expect a whole lot from my 9 and year olds and I really want that to change! Thanks for bringing it up.
Excellent observation. I’ve found this to be true for myself as well. But at the end of a long day of work relaxing sounds so much better than cleaning and the downward spiral ensues.
Chores – I always had the job of bringing my laundry out to be washed and filling/emptying the dishwasher (or being the dishwasher).
I do know a family where after a meal everyone but the people who cooked (often just the mother) does dishes and cleans up the dining room and kitchen. A sweet little thank you to the mother who had just spent time cooking for everyone else.
Love the red shoes! Chores and kids, hmmm let’s see. My girls help with dishes, they like to dust, sweep the floors after supper, they help fold laundry, feed the cat and fish, sort the recycling and most importantly keep their bedrooms and playroom tidy. I think every little chore they can do to help out makes an impact. Sweeping after supper makes a world of difference for me!
I’m much the same way, and I know that breaking it up like that makes it easier. And it’s definitly easier to keep that way once you’re done. But I always tend to FORGET these things, for some reason. Piles bug me. š Good for you for making a change!
We use this chore chart from Momagenda:
http://www.momagenda.com/products.cfm?cID=2&pID=60
I think it’s cute- and there is enough room to include DAD too š My girls are 6 and 8 and they do the following each day:
tidy up the main room of the house
wipe down their bathroom
take dirty clothes to laundry
take out trash and recycling
feed the kitty
clean their rooms
sweep the kitchen floor
Make sure that you take a day or two explaing to them what your expectations are for each chore. Be specific. For example: when you ask them to clean the bathroom, what is included? (Toilet? Mirror? Floors?) Show them how to do it. There is nothing more frustrating for everyone involved than Mom going behind them and re-doing their work becuase they weren’t clear on what was expected.
Be encouraged Erin, you are on the right track. It is all a process.
We have 11 and 8 year old boys, a 5 year old girl and an unknown due next week. The boys have a rotating (weekly) chore list since no one person likes getting stuck unloading the dishes. Dish boy handles all loading/ unloading, handwash and table clearning for the week. Laundry boy handles delivering dirties to the laundry room, vacuuming halls and den, and emptying all trash and recycling. The 5 year old is in charge of sorting dirty laundry (learning colors, of course!), folding napkins (shapes lesson, of course!) and putting away laundry (with help). They are often asked to just “step up to the plate” by doing an extra thing here or there while I am pregnant. I’d love for beds to be made neatly each day, but am settling for mostly straightened and no dirty clothes on the floor! Most days this works well, but usually needs reminders. Some days, it all falls apart and I just do it, knowing there’s a meltdown coming. They’ll rally for the next day.
Fly Lady, Fly Lady, Fly Lady.
š Liz
A really interesting post. Keeping on top of it is definitely the trick – but also the hard part!
My nearly 7 year old and nearly 10 year old don’t have specific chores that they must do, but instead I expect them to give me a hand with whatever chore I need help with. And they do so willingly. So they do things like take the rubbish out, feed the chickens, lay the table, cook tea or breakfast, tidy their rooms, strip the old sheets off their beds, clean shoes, load the dishwasher, vacuuming, emptying out the lunch boxes. Almost anything really, except cleaning (because there will be smears, and too much cleaning fluid, and not enough wiping and I’ll end up having to re-do it!). I think they really like the variety. It stops the chores seeiming like chores – they are more like interesting jobs to do.
I take this approach because I think keeping the whole house clean and tidy is the responsibility of the whole family, rather than each person doing their own little bit. It works for us, which is the main thing.
First do what is necessary, then what is possible, and before long you will be doing the impossible. St Francis of Assisi –
: )
Hello Erin,
I agree with some of the people who’ve commented already – it’s a process. I tend to have a meltdown every once and a while and everyone feels my wrath! (my wrath includes yelling and a garbage bag! – not always the best solution!)
– I often tell my children “we all live together in this house, we all need to work together to help keep it clean!”
– My boys are now 8 and 5 but When my youngest was a baby adn I was homeschooling, I bought a book called “Managers of Their Homes” by Steven and Teri Maxwell. It revolutionized my need to feel accomplished. It is well worth the effort and everyone will feel rewarded. Here is the link:
http://www.titus2.com/ecommerce/products/prod_listing.php/1100
– I was just telling my husband that I feel like I ran in circles yesterday and didn’t feel like I accomplished anything. I think I will pull it out of the drawer and use it again!
Let me know if you use it, I’d love to hear how things go!
– live life in every breath!
Audrey
Everything seems to be working just fine now Erin. Thanks for the granny square link.
First of all, this DOES sound revolutionary to me.
Second of all, my house is smaller than yours and I still have a great deal of trouble keeping it tidy.
Clearly *I* am the biggest problem.
Third of all, my kids don’t really have chores, either. They pitch in (usually willingly, though sometimes not!) when asked, but they don’t have assigned duties. I’ve been reading in a lot of Waldorf materials lately that second grade is really the age to get on it about assigned chores, so I’m interested to see what others are doing, as well.
My kids are nine and six. We’re trying something I saw on Soule Mama: http://www.soulemama.com/soulemama/2009/03/keeping-it-all-together.html
I made cards for things they do because they’re part of the family (e.g., make bed, clear table, set table, take out compost, pick up floor in bedroom, put lunchbox on counter after school) and things they can earn money for (e.g., feed chickens, feed dogs, clean chicken coop [that earns a lot!], help in garden, help clean playroom, help with laundry).
It doesn’t work perfectly, but I’ve found that they’re more willing to do these things when they feel they have some control over them. I also like that the extras change each week, so it’s not the same thing all the time. Good luck!
The kitty seems to be perfectly happy with the rooms picked up. (or maybe he is just admiring your snazzy red shoes)
Someone has already mentioned it, but Flylady is a really good source.
I can totally relate! I try and blame others, which, they really are partially to blame, BUT I procrastinate! Its hard because I come home from work and dont feel like spending half the night cleaning & cooking.
Ah, chores! I’m hoping that my adult daughter will have a cleaner house than her adult mother does, so she does do chores. She’s in charge of feeding and scooping up after the cats. She also sweeps the stairs because they’re hard to vacuum. For more seasonal cleaning, she does the squatty things like wiping down the baseboards. She used to think that cleaning the toilet was fun, but alas, those days are gone.
I used to have the same problem: the house was a mess, so I was too frustrated and depressed to pick up, so the house got messier, so I got more depressed. My other problem was that when I did start picking up, I’d get distracted. I’d pick up a toy in the living room that belonged in the bedroom, so I’d carry it upstairs and see a mess up there and start cleaning the bedroom. I never started-and-finished one room. So here is my solution: you need two things, a kitchen timer and a big laundry basket. You start in one room, set the timer for 5 minutes and start picking up. Anything that belongs in another room gets tossed in the laundry basket, and you do not leave the room you are working in until the timer goes off. (That was the key for me, because I apparently have the attention span of a fruit fly.) When the timer goes off, you carry the laundry basket to the next room and put what belongs in that room away, set your timer and do it all over again. I’ve found that 5 minutes is enough in each room (this is just for picking up/tidying, not cleaning).
I hear you girl. I love a neat and tidy house, but it seems like if I turn my back for a minute. If I relax just one weekend, it all goes to hell in a handbasket.
My guys don’t have any set chores really, but they know they are part of the team when we have “family cleans.” They line up for their marching orders, and then we move out! They can clean bathrooms, unload the dishwasher, vacuum, wipe down surfaces and windows, we even have a child sized mop and broom!
They do each have a laundry basket, which they bring to me every few days to dump the dirties and pick up the cleans, which they return to their drawers themselves. They are, of course, expected to have their rooms clean before school begins and then again before lights out at night. We have “inspections.” Daddy makes it lots of fun… he puts on his tough face and goes around mock-hollaring like a drill sergeant. They think it’s hilarious.
I would love to have set “jobs”, but we have never been able to stick to any kind of list or chart, so I taught ’em all to do what needs to be done and then I let them know that they could be called upon at any time to lend a hand.
My children, 5 and 3, have to: set and clear the table, hand up their coats, put their hats and mittens in the basket, put away their shoes, and put away the toys. They also need to get their dirty clothes into the hamper in the bathroom. We are working on adding more things as they are able to do them. Like yesterday my husband and son picked up the sticks that had fallen into the yard after a windy night.
why do my kids not have regular chores? what have i been thinking!? must fix that. but i won’t tell them it was your idea. xo.
I so relate to this!
I am so with you…the messiness drives me nuts…or used to. I had so much trouble when my boys were around 10 and 13…they were too big for some chores and not big enough for others…we live on a farm so many of their jobs were outside with their daddy, which left the house for me. My biggest issue with them was leaving junk out. I began putting things in “jail”. When toys, games, tools etc. were left out, they went to jail and to get them back they had to be “bailed” out…yes, paid for. This worked extremely well because it hit them in the pocket. Choose your own amount, but I kept it in a jar so they could see what a waste not picking up was…then if something was not important enough to be bailed out and I got tired of it cluttering up my closet, I gave it to someone in need…worked like a charm…later, my son said he paid for his gameboy twice!
well good for you! I understand completely. I just walked in to my kitchen then IMEDIATELY turned around and walked right back out. Think i’m gonna play sick today ;0)
I spy Scout!
I live in constant chaos and it is only me, my spouse and 3 cats in 1,000 sf. The only thing that ever worked for me is flylady which is rather disappointing as I find her tone really irritating. She’s like a chipper sunday school teacher that is talking to a group of religious stay-at home women with children (she reminds me too much of various family members). The site could stand a few less LOLs too.
I’ll just have to try to ignore that side of things and remember that the important part is the end result and her method is rather good. You’ve inspired me to give it another go. : )
Good luck!
I justed added this to the wrong post, so I am doing it again here.
One thing that I find helps with the laundry at least, is that I have rid our house of laundry baskets.
Instead, I have a stool next to the dryer and a clean floor in front of it (because there is no other room in the laundry room). When the dryer finishes, I sit on the stool and fold things as I pull them out of the dryer. I put them in separate piles for each family member. When the load is folded, I take the piles and put each on a separate stair going upstairs. When someone goes up the stairs, they take pile of laundry and bring it up and put it away immediately (at least that is the plan).
There are other things that I do that have helped with keeping my house a bit better than it used to be:
– try to tidy the kitchen every evening, before going to bed.
– have DH pack his knapsack in the evening
– wipe toilets daily
– wipe bathroom sinks every day
– do a few moments of tidying every night
– try to put things away when done with them (that is a tough one)
this is exactly my problem. but i prefer to blame it on the kids.
I guess I don’t deal, I just go sew. I did manage the bathroom yesterday, but it was scary.
yes, yes. 20 minute speed cleans do wonders. trying to chart out chores and cleaning throughout the week so weekends aren’t a mess, but we’ll see what happens.
i am my own worst enemy too, regardless of what I say about the kids š
cute shoes š
i think i’m a lot like you with your old cleaning habits. š around the start of the school year we gave the boys a bunch of chores. and also allowance. they are 6 & 9. they have to fix their beds every day. upon setting out, i was not confident in their abilities, but they do a great job! they suprised me. they also sweep (and or vacuum), unload the dishwasher (my 3 year old helps with that too). one is the garbage taker outer. š and then they also have to put their clothes away. and set the table. boy, i sound like a task master. but having the expectations clearly layed out was the biggest hurdle. once they knew what was expected of them, it made life much easier. not that we don’t have our days of stuggle…
I could have written the post too! But it’s just me..single with no kids..yet I know I am the problem. When life gets a teensy bit hectic, I let little things go. Then when the counters are cluttered up again (or “hotspots” as flylady calls them), I feel overwhelmed and try not to see all that needs to be put to rights again.
This weekend, inspired by your post, I’ll do some cleaning in each room…mostly the public rooms of my apartment (you know.the ones people will see: entryway/dining area, kitchen, living room and bathroom.). My bedroom and closet will be for another time.
the thing is, I’m AMAZING with the day-to-day items needed. Those items get put away neatly every time. It’s the “stuff” (mail, files, papers, coupons, notes to myself, etc.) that I have difficulty with.