Thursday, March 1, 2012

One Simple Thing-Cleaning Routine

"Cleaning your house while your kids are still growing
is like shoveling the walk before it stops snowing."

-Phyllis Diller



When it comes to personal satisfaction,
we all have our standards.
I feel blessed to be able to give of myself
by creating a tidy home and scratch cooked meals.

I'm no slouch.


One of the first things that happened when I became a
household manager (never cared for the term "housewife")
and homeschooling mom
was  that we developed a schedule.
It happened without really thinking about it.
It's worked brilliantly for us these past 11 years.
And the best part is that my day is filled with satisfaction, not stress.


On Mondays, 
the bathrooms are cleaned
and all the tile floors in the house 
are vacuumed and mopped.
A load of dark clothes is washed and line dried.


On Tuesdays,
the kitchen is scrubbed and sanitized.
This includes cleaning the fridge once a month or so.
As we are usually home on this day of the week,
baking some delicious morsel is added to the list of tasks.
Light colors are laundered and dried outside.




On Wednesdays,
white clothes are washed
and the whole house gets dusted.
Time is also taken to nurture indoor plants.



On Thursdays,
 the tile, carpet and upholstered furniture get a good sweeping
with the vacuum.
Towels and rags get washed and dried in the dryer.


On Fridays,
the last load of laundry for the week is completed.
Beds are stripped and remade
with sheets fresh from the clothesline.
This day is also used to make out the grocery list
and print out any coupons needed.


On Saturdays,
groceries are purchased for the week's meals.
Thanks to the menu-by-the-month plan,
it's easy to get the shopping done.
(Although I have to admit,
I don't look quite this enthusiastic.)

The rest of the weekend is mine for
gardening,
reading,
gardening,
field trips
and
gardening!





All images found here.


One Simple Thing







11 comments:

  1. I need to start a schedule like this! So organized, I love it!

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  2. Though our schedules are vastly different, I do so agree--a schedule makes things so much easier. I KNOW what gets done on certain days. It actually frees a lot of time up when you get into a routine like that.

    And when you have a retired hubby, you have to add "nap" to the daily schedule......and it's not a bad thing!
    :)

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  3. What a great schedule, Daisy! Thank you for sharing it!

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  4. I love all those old illustrations. I really have no schedule at all. Maybe I should implement one.

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  5. I love your 'One Simple Thing' posts Daisy! I really need to get into this sort of a cleaning schedule. I've got other things well scheduled, but not so much on the cleaning. For me I suspect all these tasks would happen once a month instead of weekly what with everything else we have going on, but still, a schedule would really help me... well, March is a new month! :)

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  6. I admire how orderly you are!! Really is great to have a daily/weekly rhythm, isn't it. Off to see more about your smothered lentils. ;-)

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  7. The Bama Gardener-It really does make things easier.

    Sue-It does free up your time!
    What a great idea to add naptime!

    Kat-Always good to hear from you.

    Jane-You seem to be doin' just fine without one...

    katy-Each month is a new chance to start something new!

    Heather-I thrive on routine and so does my boy. Thanks for stopping by!

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  8. That looks like a great schedule. And it's worked for you for 11 years, that's super. I love having a routine too. With a weekly routine if something gets missed one week, it's easy to catch up on the next swing through the schedule. Love it!

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    Replies
    1. What I especially like about it, is that I know what has already been done because there are certain days for particular tasks. Makes it so much easier to keep up with things. And by Friday, I'm mostly done with housework, so I can do something fun (read-garden).

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  9. I do a similar thing. Like you, my routine has worked itself out (and morphed) over 33 years of homemaking. Having time for other activities while still getting the household management done is brilliant. It gives you something to look forward to. :-)

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    Replies
    1. Everyone has their own system. Glad you found what works for you! Have a great weekend!

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Thanks for taking the time to leave your thoughts!