Get BACK to Work, Woman: Re-Vamping My Weekly Chore Chart

Ever since Bennett started school, I've kind of fallen off the bandwagon with my weekly chore chart. That wagon o' melodies just keeps on keeping on, and I'm left in the dust holding a rusty Banjo.

I think the main reason is that our schedule has changed so much this fall, and the old chore chart didn't really fit with our new schedule.

So here is the new chore chart in all it's organized glory. I've kept all the elements the same. Basically I just moved things around to different days that make more sense for our family now. For instance, grocery shopping got moved to Tuesday because that's the day that I drive the school carpool. (oh my gosh, I sound so matronly when I say things like that) Anyway, it's the prefect day to run this errand because I only have one child with me, and I'm out anyway with time to kill.

Laundry got moved to Thursday because this is the day my friend drives the carpool, and I'm home with just Mallie Gal for a huge chunk of time, which is perfect for washing, sorting and playing sock basketball (more on this family favorite later).

Sunday:

Day for God and Family. No work!

Monday:

• Plan Meals for the Week and Make Grocery List
• Clean Out Fridge (making room for new groceries tomorrow)

Tuesday:

• Grocery Shopping
• Dust

Wednesday:

• Clean Bathrooms

Thursday:

• Wash and Put Away Laundry

Friday:

• Vacuum
• Mop Floors

Saturday:

• One Monthly Chore (see below)
• Catch Up on Any Missed Chores or 30 Minute Organizing Session

Monthly Chores:

• Clean Out Kids' Closets/Store Clothes That Don't Fit
• Clean Out Pantry
• Spot Clean Carpet
• Clean Windows/French Doors

Obviously not every week will look exactly like this. Knowing me, most weeks will not.

But at least I have a plan in place, and that allows me to be flexible and still accomplish some key tasks around here.

And the best part is, once my daily chores are done, that's it for the day... no need to stress out over all that needs to be done. And I can be one step closer to my goal of being fully present with my kids when we are playing, instead of running though a mental list of tasks.

By golly, I feel back on the old Bandwagon already!

Weekly Chore Schedule: Get to Work, Woman!

I recently decided that our family needed a little more structure to run more efficiently. Up until now, I've been kind of a easy-going-do-it-when-ya-need-to kinda Mama. But since Mallory was born, it seems like I need a little more of a daily routine so that our home can be a restful, peaceful haven for my husband and kids (and me!)

A while ago I read this post over at simple mom, and it inspired me to develop a flexible daily routine and weekly chore schedule. I've been implementing it for a few weeks now, and I LOVE it!!! I feel like I am accomplishing more, but amazingly I have WAY more time to spend with my kids during the day! Here's what I'm doing:

• Cocka-Doodle Doo! -- The biggest change to my daily life is implementing a morning routine, which starts before my kids wake up... as in waking up EARLY. For those of you who know me well (which is really ALL of you since only 5 people even read this blog), you know how much I HATE waking up early. I think it's downright unchristian. But I've got to say, after I actually get up and get going, I really love the result of being up an hour before my kids wake up. It starts the day on my terms, not theirs and allows me to read my Bible, exercise, and of course make and consume large quantities of coffee, all before Bennett comes clumping downstairs. It has definitely taken some getting used to and some adjustment of my usually-late bedtime. But overall, I feel that starting the day off this way makes for a much more productive and happy day.
  
• Breakfast as a family -- This has been another things we've started doing almost daily, and it has been great. As soon as the kids get up, we all eat together and Neil leads the family in a little devotional. It really seems to start Bennett's day off better.
  
• Weekly Cleaning and Chore Schedule -- I don't know about you other Mamas, but keeping the house clean AND balancing household responsibilities with making sure I'm spending enough time playing with my kids is hard for me. So I decided to make a schedule for household chores. Each day I do only what's on the list, not worrying about other things around the house. If it doesn't get done, then it will have to wait till next week. This keeps me from having things pile up and allows me to clean more often in smaller increments, which is much easier with kids! The best thing is, once I'm done with the day's job, I'm done for the day, and I can enjoy playing with my kids!

My schedule is:

Sundays: plan meals and make schedule with hubby for the upcoming week

Mondays: clean out fridge, grocery shop

Tuesdays: laundry, change bed linens and towels

Wednesdays: dust, vacuum

Thursdays: 30 minute organizing session (For instance, this week I spent 30 minutes going through our toys, throwing away broken pieces, putting games back together and pulling out choking hazards that have weaseled their way into the playroom. Other items on this agenda are: my desk, hall closet, kitchen junk drawer, etc.)

Fridays: clean bathrooms

Saturdays: swiffer and mop floors, do one monthly chore (see below)

Every Day: clean kitchen (wipe counters, do dishes, etc), make beds

Monthly: clean out kids clothes and closets, clean/organize pantry, deep-clean kitchen (burners, oven, wipe down cupboards, etc.), spot clean carpet... I'm still adding to this list, so I'm sure other things will end up on here.

Anyway, this has really been good for me as a homemaker and has helped me to accomplish small, realistic goals each day. The McPreacher has even noticed that things seem to be more peaceful and running more efficiently around the house!

Hopefully this will help out any of you stressed out Mamas as much as it has helped me!

Play Room Cleanup: Mary Poppins Style, Yo!

You know what our girl Mary always says: "Just a spoonful of sugar makes the medicine go down."

Well true dat, Mary P.

Teaching Bennett to clean up his toys has been a struggle. He just hates to clean up. I've tried everything from time-outs, to losing toys, to sticker charts, but we always end up with the same result: a whiny boy, a messy playroom and a frustrated Mama.

So a few weeks ago I decided to take a page from Mary's book and turn clean-up time into a game. And amazingly, it really works!

Here is the bizarre, unorthodox, slightly disturbing game I invented. For some reason, my quirky, funny, creative boy just loves it.

When it's cleanup time, I run into to the play room with a scared look on my face.

Me: "Bennett, Oh No!"

Bennett: "Whatsa matter, Mama?"

Me: "Captain Hook is on his way here to steal all our toys! The only way we can keep him from getting our toys is by putting them away where they go. Come on!"

Bennett: "Hurry! Hurry! Don't let him get my dinosaurs!"

At this point, Bennett starts manically putting away toys while I go set a timer, telling him that Captain Hook should be here in 10 minutes and we need to get all the toys away before the timer dings. We keep telling each other, "Hurry! Hurry!" or "I've got the cars, you get the books!" or my personal-favorite Bennett quote, "Captain Hook's not getting this toy... No Way, Jose!"

Okay, at this point you are probably saying to yourself, "What kind of mother scares her child into cleaning up toys, telling him that an evil villain will steal them all away if he doesn't comply?"

My reply to you nay-sayers is simple: "The kind of mother that wants a clean playroom, that's who!"

Seriously, though, Bennett isn't scared at all. He knows we are just playing pretend, and he thinks Captain Hook is funny, not scary.

Anyway, we are usually just finishing up putting the last few toys away when the timer dings. At this point, I go call out the front door:

"Captain Hook, you can just turn around and go home. All our toys are put away
and you can't have them. You might as well just get back on your ship and sail
home."

Bennett is usually standing behind me with his pirate sword ready to defend our newly clean playroom if need be. But amazingly, Captain Hook usually just goes home without a word. And we go back to our nice, clean playroom with smiles on our faces.

So thank you, Mary Poppins, for the reminder that work doesn't feel like work when you make it fun.