Mom's Gonna Love This

Things are so shook up around here, i think i heard Moose refer to me as Elvis this evening. And yes, Mom, i am starting to clean again, so when you and Dad come visit next time, you won't recognise the place. Well, the inside anyway. :)

I've been filled with angst and guilt because we haven't had any friends over to our house in a long, long time. I'm talking like last summer. And we are needing to have dinner dates with friends, playdates with compadres, and suffice it to say, i need a little peace from the nagging feeling that i can't get anything done because we're homeschooling. Arrrrgh!

So, i was going to try to the old Flylady routine again, a system i believe works, if you have that kind of time and devotion to your email program. The other thing i am finding hard is the focus on decluttering before cleaning. I can't handle it, because our house is always cluttered. I have an 8 year old, a hubbie that bless his heart doesn't have enough time at home to attend things and put them away in the same day, and i have a crafting habit. Granted, we all are a sorry lot of procrastinators to boot when it comes to deep cleaning our house. And i am a little overwhelmed with all the emails from the program, because i like to read helpful hints, but truely, when does the 3,000+ emails from Flylady that i've saved to read over the last couple years become a hinderance rather than a help. So, i think it's save to say that while the actual execution of the Flylady program doesn't work for me, there are parts of it that i totally dig.

You can imagine my delight when i read the home organising posts from Little House in the Suburbs (psst, see it over there in the list of cool blogs to read on the right!!) They've done an amazing job with their well thought out plan, which made me raise my hand to my forehead, strike it, then searched out a pen and pad of paper. Of course, like i do with recipes or Cookie Monster's math lessons, why didn't i think to take the things that worked for me and say no thanks to the things that didn't. Everyone knows that making a system work for you means digesting it and making it your own!!

The ladies at LH in the S will no doubtedly be of much more inspiration than i will be here. If you are looking for ideas on how to start organising your life and your home, please head over and read Ivory's Home Management posts. Lots of really great forms and sites to get you started...or even to get your gears squeaking. However, i wanted to share what i have done so far to construct my little binder of sunshine that will repair my much damaged housewifely ego. :)

The first thing i did, as Ivory said, was make a list of daily chores. Things that would be nice if i could accomplish everyday (don't think "have to" or else they won't get done--too much--it's all word games with me!) :) This is what it looks like:


Morning

1. Make bed
2. Straighten Bathroom; Swish & Swipe
3. Brush teeth & get dressed
4. Tidy Kitchen/Dining tables
5. Rescue laundry
6. What’s for dinner?
7. Are you baking today?

Afternoon

1. Feed & water animals; collect eggs
2. Zone tasks
3. Start dinner
4. Rescue laundry
5. Put recycle & trash out
6. Collect mail

Nighty Nighty

1. Put away dinner
2. Boot the dishwasher
3. Clean counters & stove
4. Tidy the hand washables
5. Sweep kitchen
6. Scrub kitchen sink
7. Any overnight cooking?
8. Clean clothes for tomorrow?


It's still not perfect. I need to figure out where to fit exercise in there, but maybe it's a good thing that it's flexible right now, because then i am thinking about where to fit it in. Even if it's just 10 minutes at a time.

I hang it on the front of the cabinet where the coffee mugs reside, because chance are, i'll be going to that cabinet at least 2 or 3 times a day--it's where the coffee bean grinder is. :)