So, I'm sitting here with my ideas list, because I need to write myself a plan for getting jobs done around the house. But I keep getting distracted with other things... like what all of you said about TT on that other thread, and if it's right for my kids... probably should surf the net some more and look at other curriculum too... Anyone with me?!? So, back to the list!! It has to be manageable enough that I won't completely drop it when the baby comes, but through enough that I'll still be able to see my desk top, (correction, that I will once again be able to see my desk top) and get laundry done. Have you ever tried the days of the week plan? Monday - Laundry (try to do 3 or 4 loads that day, all folded before dinner - on other days you would do only 1) Tuesday - Kitchen (special focus on floors, counters, de-clutter one cupboard ...) Wednesday - Office day (homeschool planning, bill paying, organizing papers, menu planning) Thursday - Town Day - (try to arrange all your big outings on this day, and don't expect to get too much housework done today) Friday - Deep Cleaning day -(All those big jobs like bathrooms, living room floors etc) Saturday - Gardening and Family time This is taken from "Large Family Logistics". I think I'm going to try some form of it. I really hope it helps!! I don't want to live like I can't keep up just because I homeschool. I'm going to have to find a way to get the kids more on board and myself more organized. Here goes!! (I'm going to do it now - really!)
It looks great, but you need a time of day that you will do this. I have 4pm until 5pm each day when I do things like you've listed above. If you just think you'll do that list sometime during the day, then it won't get done. And are you going to run errands on Thursdays before or after schoolwork? Ha, ha, I just found this on my computer from a long time ago. 7 am - 8 am: tidy bedrooms 8 am - 9 am: breakfast 9 am - 11 am: schoolwork 11 am - 12 pm: outside play 12 pm - 1 pm: lunch, tidy house 1 pm - 2 pm: quiet time in room 2 pm - 3 pm: Doorposts 3 pm - 4 pm: special project 4 pm - 5 pm: TV 5 pm - 6 pm: dinner 6 pm - 7 pm: computer I don't remember sticking to it, but I'm sure I did for a while.
Okay, so I've got my list for Kitchen Day, and Laundry Day is already something I do. So I'm happy with that. But your right Tina - town day is not going to happen. I usually do grocery shopping at night after the kids go to bed (box store open until 11 is awesome!), or I give Jon a list and he goes on his lunch at work (he actually enjoys that, bless his heart!). My kids have gymnastics and music on different days, so we do have to be out on other days of the week. I do like the idea of planning a route and eliminating extra stops though. I've been working on it this week and I think it's saving us gas and money from too many odds and ends that we pick up along the way. Office Day will work - I think. We have a tiny side business that I need to stay on top of, and I'm feeling like I need to write my homeschool planning into the schedule. So that will all happen on Office day (maybe friday though). I've made myself a list for that day too. Deep Cleaning Day - That will be Thursday, because we have no other activities and we can dedicate a chunk of time to it. My plan is to seriously involve the kids in this. We are usually done school shortly after lunch, then the boys have their 20 min video game time while I put the tot to sleep. We do a light run of chores together and then they have free time. I think I'm going to still have their independant chore list, but then around 3:30 or 4pm we'll work together on one task and clean a whole room really well. Maybe we'll do the "flylady" idea and work through the house over the month. Gardening Day - that is mine, and I will enjoy it!! Although soon I'm going to have to negotiate daddy to have baby bonding time while I go out, but I think that can be arranged! I have been easing myself into all of this though. I started with a checklist of what I want to accomplish at various times of the day. (30 min worth of quick chores to do right after breakfast, lunch and before I prep dinner). I don't get everything on the list done every day, but I try to hit what was missed yesterday. It's really helped a lot. Now I think I"m ready to add the next layer! Hope it works. Again, I'm going with the idea that I don't have to accomplish everything on the task list, but the pages will be in sheet protectors so I can mark with a wipe of marker what was done and next time I'll hit the things that are missed. I grew up in a family where cleaning house meant the kids did the dishes after dinner, Mom prepped lunches while we slept. Saturday morning we tidied the living room, Mom vacuumed and someone had to clean the bathroom. That is all. Really!! If we had company there would be a mad scramble to wipe 6 inches of dust off things, clean the entry way ... Not a good way to run things. So I'm trying to find a better way. With 4 kids around here, I could get buried in mess really fast!
Thank you for this perspective. I'm always listing what I want to eventually get done, that really never gets done! I really like this idea of setting aside an hour+ for things.
I have a daily and a weekly plan. I have to have checklists to keep focused...without them...my ADD gets the best of me and my house! Ha! I designed my and tweaked it and tweaked it until I made it work for me. I tried a home journal ( I semi-follow FlyLady-but made it work for me), making daily lists based on what needs done the most, etc...I finally found what worked for me and my family. It's a one page document I hang on a clipboard in my kitchen. (the hub of the house) Monday is weekly Home Blessing - this is my 'cleaning day' because I really do slack on housework on the weekends because of hubby's schedule, we don't see him much at all during the week, so I'm more than okay letting housework slide in favor of family time. So, Monday is our recovery day. Tuesday is Others Needs - I'm a sandwich generation homeschooler so this is the day I clean my mom's house, fix her pills for the week, maybe cook them something for dinner that night, etc...Call in hubby's medication refills, do his laundry...mend clothing, clean shoes... etc.. I purposely sandwiched this day between my weekly cleaning and deep cleaning days, I expect not to get anything done in my house this day, this is the day I focus on serving others. Wednesday is Deep Cleaning Day - Wash rugs, sheets, clean the kids' rooms (they clean their own rooms but they are kids so I do need to help make sure it's truly clean LOL And make sure to empty all trash cans cause trash day is Thursday... Thursday is Desk and Kitchen Day - I know, weird title, but it's what works in our house! It's the day I clean out my fridge, go through the fridge and pantry, write down what I have on hand, look through sale papers, plan my menu, then see what bills need to be paid (though they are actually paid on Fridays once hubby's check goes in) but I plan out the week's money and bills, etc on Thursdays. Friday Out and About day - I'm really wanting to make this day a full day out-as in plan a 4 day school week so we can start making it to our local homeschool playgroup. Clean out the van, go pay bills, hit the thrift stores if we need to, get groceries, etc and then my Gym offers 'date night' on Friday nights-meaning I can drop the kids of at the Gym Daycare and go out! for 2 hours! I REALLY want to take advantage of this! Saturday - Family Fun and Planning - If we don't have any big all day plans hubby usually takes the boys outside to work/play and this gives me time to plan homeschool lessons, the week ahead, etc then we have family time-do fun things... Sunday - Rest - depending on the Saturday I might do my planning on Sundays...If not..YAY for me having an off day! LOL We usually just chill out on Sundays... I use FlyLady Zones for deep cleaning, bit by bit, fit into my everyday routine. Here is the list I use
