Life is so busy with work, children, a husband and extra activities. Housework can easily be pushed to the back burner, at least around my house. It is just so hard finding that perfect balance, allowing enough time for everything (if that's even humanly possible).
Keeping a neat and tidy home is such a challenge for me. I love the house to be picked up and clean, but I am not a neat freak and cleaning isn't my favorite pastime. We live in such a small house and with two kids, two dogs, and all the normal family activity, it just always seems to be a mess. I am constantly trying out new tactics, schedules and routines to try and find the perfect fit for our family, so that our home can be lived in, but also picked up and clean.
One of the best things I have done on my quest to be an amazing homemaker is creating a cleaning schedule. I can't claim this idea as my own, it was my best friend who did it and then told me about it. She created a daily cleaning schedule. Each day before going to bed she would have a task. For example: Monday: clean bathroom; Tuesday: mop floor; Wednesday: vacuum; Thursday: dust; Friday: tidy/straighten; Saturday: clean floors; Sunday: laundry & tidy/clean anything that needs it.
Using this type of schedule ensures that you are gradually staying on top of everything and the housework doesn't get out of control. I have loved using this and it really has helped me each day take a little bit of time to keep the house in order.
After I saw how well this cleaning schedule helped me keep up with things, I also made a dinner schedule. I planned out four different dinners to make during the week. We usually eat out a time or two and we love leftovers, so this was enough for my family. Rotating the same four meals each week has allowed me to simplify grocery shopping and I just know what I will be making. After a few weeks of making the same meals I will add in a few new ones, to keep things from getting boring. This works so well for us and I find that we eat healthier and better when I follow my meal schedule.
Also, I love to let the kids help me and they enjoy it just as much. If Hollis sees me sweeping or vacuuming he wants to help and Ava loves cleaning the table/windows/surfaces with a wet sponge. I have a special little hand held sweeper and dustpan for Hollis and I’m always ready for the kids to lend a hand and help out. I feel like they are learning so much about taking care of a home and their things when the help clean.
I am constantly working on finding a good balance and keeping up with housework. Knowing I am keeping things together allows me to be able to sit down at the end of the day and relax. So much nicer than sitting down, looking around and seeing all that needs to be done. As overwhelming as all the housework can seem, I have found that if I tackle it little-by-little it doesn't seem as bad.
By Guest Blogger Amanda from Real Moms Real Views
