Keeping Your House in {some semblance} of Order
Yeah right...I hear you say.
I am not, nor will I pretend to be a wonderful,
organized
housekeeper.
I do clean the kitchen after every meal.
I love cleaning the bathrooms.
The shark (vacuum thingy) is my friend for kitchen floors and
highly trafficked areas.
But I am a MESSY.
I operate on the pile system.
I have more than one junk drawer.
I always have clothes hanging out of my drawers.
Here are some things I do and will do this summer to try and
maintain a livable home.
Yeah right...I hear you say.
I am not, nor will I pretend to be a wonderful,
organized
housekeeper.
I do clean the kitchen after every meal.
I love cleaning the bathrooms.
The shark (vacuum thingy) is my friend for kitchen floors and
highly trafficked areas.
But I am a MESSY.
I operate on the pile system.
I have more than one junk drawer.
I always have clothes hanging out of my drawers.
Here are some things I do and will do this summer to try and
maintain a livable home.
Inspector MOM. This is something I did last summer and plan on doing it again, beginning next week. Regular old mom tells the kids that Inspector Mom is coming to visit in a set amount of time. (Like 15 minutes) Everyone scrambles to pick up. Then the Inspector Gadget theme song begins to play. Regular Mom puts on a funny hat and uses a funny voice and has a cup full of quarters. As Inspector Mom walks thru the house, she rewards the kids who have picked up, made up beds, closed drawers, helped a younger sibling...etc.
{Side note: Hattie told me yesterday that she was trying to keep her drawers closed in practice for when Inspector Mom visits. Poor girl, she takes after regular mom in the messy department!}
Sharing the Load. Its pretty much impossible for me to set aside A DAY to clean the house. So I break it up the big jobs over a few days, of course there are tons of daily jobs too. Bathrooms, vacuuming, mopping, laundry...let the kids do what they can. If they are little, let them "help" by standing on a step stool and wipe the sinks, or shorten the handle and use the swiffer. If they are bigger, let them pick a job. Like, "Would you like to vacuum the living room or clean the toilets?" My mom used to do that for us. She got help, and we {thought we} got off light.
The Mad Dash. This is when dad is expected to be home at a certain time. You set the timer, make a game of it, and every one does a FAST clean up job. I like to focus on the main living area so when Daddy comes home, he gets a good first impression and doesn't say things like, "Ooooh, what have you guys done all day?"
{Side note: Hattie told me yesterday that she was trying to keep her drawers closed in practice for when Inspector Mom visits. Poor girl, she takes after regular mom in the messy department!}
Sharing the Load. Its pretty much impossible for me to set aside A DAY to clean the house. So I break it up the big jobs over a few days, of course there are tons of daily jobs too. Bathrooms, vacuuming, mopping, laundry...let the kids do what they can. If they are little, let them "help" by standing on a step stool and wipe the sinks, or shorten the handle and use the swiffer. If they are bigger, let them pick a job. Like, "Would you like to vacuum the living room or clean the toilets?" My mom used to do that for us. She got help, and we {thought we} got off light.
The Mad Dash. This is when dad is expected to be home at a certain time. You set the timer, make a game of it, and every one does a FAST clean up job. I like to focus on the main living area so when Daddy comes home, he gets a good first impression and doesn't say things like, "Ooooh, what have you guys done all day?"
I'm sure there will be {many} days
it will look like a
TORNADO
hit the inside of our house.
But, hopefully, we can maintain
a little order...
Got any other ideas???
it will look like a
TORNADO
hit the inside of our house.
But, hopefully, we can maintain
a little order...
Got any other ideas???
6 comments:
i love your honesty. i'm a messy, too, always have been! in my mind i'd love to be this organized, simple living person, but in my heart, i'm just not that person. i might have to use some of your ideas to make the semblance of clean at our house fun.
I really enjoy reading your blog. I am definitely going to try the inspector gadget themes song! I am always looking for new ideas on how to get my kids to clean up after themselves!
Fly Lady is awesome. It only takes 15 min. a day and you've covered most of your main areas in just a few weeks!
I am totally with you and enjoyed reading about some of your ideas and games. I think with kids it is easier to break up the jobs over several days,although I would LOVE to be able to get it all done in one day too!
I'm with Tasha! I love the Fly Lady. These are great ideas that I plan to use, too. Thanks for sharing your brilliance! :)
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