Questions like..
"Is my house ever going to look normal?"
"Which is more important: clean clothes or clean toilets?"
"Should we have a family day or clean the house?"
would cross my mind daily.
When I went back to work after Kasen was born, I was stressed about continuing some of the "Mommy time things" that I had become accustomed to that I knew were beneficial, working out being one of those. So I put together this daily schedule to keep me sane. I still follow this schedule pretty closely except my day does start at 5:00 AM now, giving me plenty of time to workout and get ready for the day at the gym (let's be honest...if I don't get ready there it ain't happening at all!)
Since returning to work, my house has fallen apart. I barely seem to keep the main level of the house acceptable for anyone who may show up at my house; the bedrooms have been classified a danger zone. Now, I have come to realize that I get really stressed out when my house isn't clean, laundry is piled up, dishes are in the sink and there are crumbs on the floor, but I don't have the time, or the desire, to be a crazy cleaning lady all hours of the day. Not to mention that, though a clean house is inviting, an unused house is a turn off. I have three children who I want to enjoy and actually LIVE in our house, so things cannot and will not be perfect.
As I processed through how to keep everything up, I continued coming back to the schedule I grew up with: work/school during the week, chores on Saturday, rest on Sunday. Though I love the concept of this schedule, it leaves very limited time for family activities (especially since the weekends are all we have with Casey working nights.) After scouring blogs, talking to other struggling mommys and finding unique ideas on Pinterest, I came up with this cleaning/home schedule for myself.
Some people have said "as easy as 15 minutes a day..." however, I don't know how they manage that little of time. I do know though, that I have found that no more than an hour a day makes all this possible. Usually that time is broken up throughout the day - kitchen clean up doesn't happen until after dinner; the dishes get in the dishwasher, the counters all cleaned off, spot cleaning on appliances, and the floor swept under the table (I do have 3 kids under 5!) If I'm working at home that day, I will do the laundry and cleaning early in the morning - that leaves the rest of the day for family time and work. Similarly, if I'm in the office that day, I do my "chores" in the evening after the kiddos are in bed. It's just a matter of manipulating it around, and with a small list like this doesn't make it feel overwhelming ultimately causing me to just sit on the couch and eat ice cream and watch TV.
A few rules I've set for myself:
- This schedule is only to maintain cleanliness; it is not meant for deep cleaning
- If for some reason I don't get one day done, I do not try to do two days in one. This causes the schedule to feel daunting and it probably won't get done. Instead, I move on to what is on the schedule and pick up the missed activity the next week.
- It doesn't have to be perfect!! Life happens...you will still find dust balls on the baseboards, crumbs on the floor and fingerprints on the glass but we live here and I'm proud of that!
- Even though I'm mom, I am not responsible for all the mess. My children must clean up their messes before creating new ones and their toys must be completely cleaned twice a day: before nap and before bedtime.
I have high hopes that, as this continues, any part of my house will be welcomed to guests and that my feeling of stress at the end of the day will be non-existent on the home front end.
My final suggestion: find yourself an awesome husband like I have! My hubby helps me out whenever he knows a clean house = happy wife! It makes it so much easier when you can tag team on it. :)
If you have any creative ideas about how to make life work smoothly, I'd love to hear them!!
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