Chore List

The weather here in Nebraska has been a little wonky (when is this NOT the case for the Midwest?!).  We started the week with sunny, clear blue skies and mid-70's weather, went to monsoon like rain by Wednesday and a 30 degree temperature drop and sprinkles Thursday!  Today's high is 53, but at least the rain has let up.  Talk about crazy!

Soccer Field (left) and Baseball Field (right) behind our house... completely under water

Why do I waste my time bringing up the weather?  Well... I always make it a point to check out the week's forecast on Sunday evening.  This helps me finalize our plans for the week and something way less exciting, but totally necessary... CLEANING the house.

I will admit, my house is not always spotless like some may think (who am I kidding; no one thinks my house is spotless!).  We have two HUGE dogs, a woman (ME!) going through postpartum hair-loss and an active 7 month old.  Things are almost always a mess here, but I do my best to keep up.  Weather almost always dictates when and what order I do my "chores."  If it's nice, I want something fast and easy so we can get out and enjoy the day.  Gloomy and cold days I reserve for cleaning projects that are going to take more time.

Monday is ALWAYS the same, regardless of weather.  I tackle the bathroom!

I don't know about you, but I cannot stand a messy bathroom.  We only have ONE bathroom in our house.  Yeah, one bathroom for three people.  It makes for some very interesting times when stomach bugs hit, company stops over or events where promptness is expected.  Somehow, we make it work.

Bathroom duties for me include: scrubbing the tub and shower walls, wiping clean the sink and mirror, sweeping the floor, organizing under the sink and scouring the toilet.

Early morning bathroom cleaning meant we could hit up the Henry Doorly Zoo with cousins

Tuesday and Wednesday are interchangeable.  One day is floors (quick and easy) and the other is the kitchen (quick but more demanding labor).

We have hardwood and tile floors throughout our house.  Hair collects in every nook and cranny, so a Swiffer has become my best friend!  I start in our bedroom (we have a whopping TWO bedrooms), the hall between our rooms, Amelia's room and then hit the living room.  The living room is by far the biggest space in our house, and also has a large area rug, so it takes the most time.  After I Swiffer the living room floors, I vacuum the rug and under the couch and chair.

Side Note: Amelia used to sleep through all my cleaning endeavors.  I could even vacuum in her room while she was napping.  Lately, she is terrified by the sound the vacuum and I can only do it while she is awake and being held.  If  not, she wakes up and goes in to terrified meltdown mode.

We always use the back door (closer to the detached garage) to get in to our house, so when you enter, you're in the kitchen.  Because it is the first thing people see, I usually try and keep it as clean as possible.  I am a very organized person (can you tell?) and a minimalist when it comes to what I keep on our counters.  This makes it a breeze to clean!  I usually wipe down the counters, sink, cabinets and appliances and then I wet jet the floors.  That's it!  Did I mention that the Swiffer is my best friend?  Using the wet jet function is a huge time and back saver!

Thursday is a dedicated LAUNDRY day!

Brandon, my husband, owns about 15 pairs of shorts, but only wears the same four pairs to work (even in the winter!).  By Thursday, the man is down to his last pair, and although he would wear the same dirty pair over, it just grosses me out (MEN!).

Growing up, my mother stressed the importance of washing clothes separately and her lessons stuck with me.  I sort the towels, Amelia's clothes, and our whites, darks and colors.  There is usually a small delicate pile that I wash every other week.

I don't mind folding laundry, but I detest putting clothes away.  No clue why, but I hate it.  I usually do laundry first thing in the morning and stare at the piles until nightfall when I force myself to put it away before I head to bed.  Does anyone else hate this task?

 Clean laundry... sat like that ALL day long!

Friday is dusting and straightening the bedrooms.

Fortunately, our house is extremely small, so I don't have much to dust.  Picking up the bedrooms doesn't take terribly long since laundry is done and put away from the day before.  I am awful about making our bed every day, so this is the only day our room looks nice (unless we have company over during the week)!  Friday's are always the easiest day and make for a nice start to the weekend.

Saturday and Sunday I tend to relax and enjoy family time.  If something on my list didn't get tackled during the week, I finish it on one of these days.  We are usually pretty busy on the weekends so I don't like to put off my weekly cleaning tasks (if I do, it usually doesn't get done!).

 

Who wouldn't rush through cleaning to play with this sweet little girl?!

I do make it a point to reserve about one weekend day during the month to DEEP clean.  My monthly deep clean includes: washing the baseboards, stripping the bed and washing sheets (plus Amelia's crib sheet) and organizing the hall closet.  In the spring and fall, I clean all the windows in the house, dust the wood blinds and scrub the inside of the refrigerator.  I also organize to my hearts content.  Yes, I can be a little OCD.

The only reason my cleaning routine works for us is because I am a stay at home mom.  I honestly have NO clue how you working mom's keep a clean house!  I have SO MUCH RESPECT for you and all that you do for your family!  Our "schedule" also works because my lovely husband tackles everything dealing with the outdoors.  I don't even know to work our lawn mower or snow blower!

What does your cleaning routine look like?  Do you have one?  Do you breakdown your chores like I do?  Clean everything once a week?  Only clean when you get the chance?  I would love to know if you have any suggestions on my routine or some tricks I don't know about to make my life easier!