KatieMae

I LOVE LOVE LOVE these posts about how we 'do it all' (or not sometimes! ) Simple, Daily Maintenance is the key to never having to do a "project" to get a clean room in your house.

Here's my main idea for housekeeping; I keep it on an index card on the fridge, right at eye level so I always see it...

Monday
* Thorough vacuum of the downstairs
* Laundry (2 loads + sheets + towels)

Tuesday
* Finish sheets/towels (if needed)
* Clean one of the two upstairs baths (while kids play after their bath; These bathrooms are little-used, so I alternate weeks)

Wednesday
* Quick vacuum (high-traffic areas)
* Sweep kitchen & powder room

Thursday
* Meal plan & make grocery list
* Dust downstairs
* Clean powder room

Friday
* Laundry (3 loads + rugs from kitchen/baths)
* Quick vacuum (high-traffic areas) in evening

Weekend
* All shopping done first-thing on Saturday morning w/ DH & children (I mean early, we leave around 7:30am - there are so few people in the stores - it's a great time to shop! No lines at the check-out & you'll get personal attention when you need help)
* Mop kitchen & powder room floor (while DH keeps children occupied!)
* Once a month, I dust & vacuum upstairs (we're only up there to sleep so it doesn't get very dirty at all)
* NOTE: I used to try to do all my big cleaning (floors, bathrooms, etc) on the weekend, but I never got to it b/c I wanted to spend time with my family, so I've decided to spread it out easily throughout the week and now it's done and I can still have our time together.


My Daily Tidy Routine - I especially love doing a "Reset" at the end of the day
* Morning: empty dishwasher while oatmeal cooks
* Quickly hand-wash any dishes that didn't get in the dishwasher the previous night (like large pans, which were WELL-RINSED the night before)
* Throughout the day, as soon as a meal/snack/baking is done, the dishes go into the dishwasher, keeping the counters clear
* Pick up toys when the kids are eating snacks/meals (mine are too young to really "help" much, but when they're older, THEY will pick up at these times also)
* At naptime, I sit relax & enjoy my tidy living room!
* Also, throughout the day, anything that needs to go upstairs is put in the basket we have next to the stairs & I take it up with us at bathtime and I immediately put the items wherever they belong.
* At bathtime, I get each room ready for bed - putting toys away, fluffing pillows, pulling back sheets (note: I never make our beds b/c the kids nap in them mid-day, so it's pretty useless at this point, but again, when they're older this WILL be done)
* "THE RESET": When DH takes Lucas to bed, I pick up & put away their toys as well as make sure all dinner dishes are in the dishwasher or rinsed & on the counter for the morning hand-wash; run the dishwasher. Also, make sure DH's lunch is ready to go for the morning.I go to bed with a clean house & when I come down in the morning I'm not depressed by all the work I already have to do from the previous day.