Originally written in May 2007 but revised to reflect changes for 2009.
Confession time! I am not a highly organised person. I like the cosy warmth of clutter. I love my ornaments and nick-knacks as they all have a story behind them…they have sentimental value. I can’t take them with me when I go to be with the Lord, and I can live without them, but they are like good friends- I like to have them around.
I used to love decorating and making my home a cosy place to retreat but it has become harder to do as we move around frequently. I also find that modern homes, while clean and lovely, don’t have the same warmth and character- they lack the homey ambiance of older homes. However, I didn’t set out to write about decorating or house style but organisation so I need to get back to the point!
So I’m not overly organised…my home gets messy but it’s always clean. I can look beyond clutter. Okay, I can even look beyond dust but I can’t look beyond dirt or filth. I loved homeschooling in our home! I could hang time lines on the wall…and draw the measuring chart on the architrave, and hang beautiful pictures on the wall. This is not practical in the homes we have been living in…especially as we’ve only been in them for approximately 12-18 months at a time.
DAILY
My mother always told me that the most important things to get done in the morning are the beds to be made, dishes done and the bathroom needs a quick wipe over. I can get this done. This way, if I have friends or company drop in unexpectedly I don’t mind. Since we’ve been in the rental homes I struggle with just doing this before lessons. I often want the house to be spotless (or my version of immaculate) before I start our lessons but the problem with this is that by the time all the work is done, I’m tired and it’s time to start cooking tea! So, I know that doesn’t work. I also put on a load of laundry every day. I’m also Out and About every single day…it wasn’t always like that but as children get older and we outsource to develop their interests it just means that I have to go out! Yes, our learning is based-at-home but isn’t limited or confined to the home only. I have days set aside where I aim to get certain things done. However, they may not always happen on those days- it depends on who is working on what days and who has to be where!
Each day, the boys unstack the dishwasher and drainer board. They also clean down the table and re-stack the dishwasher. Three times a week Master C vacuums the floors while master J is responsible for the shower cubicle as well as the kitchen benches and door fronts, etc.
On Monday, I like to go right through the house and clean all the floors– vacuuming and mopping. This gives me a fresh start to the week. Clean floors and a clean kitchen. But Monday is also my laundry day. I get any linen done along with the dark clothes from the weekend. I aim to have them washed, dried and put away by 4pm. I also like to clean right through teh house- bathrooms, dusting, cleaning bookshelves, etc. Monday is a full-on day.
Tuesday is another busy day as Master J has cadets Tuesday evening so I try and prepare a meal that can be eaten and cleaned away by 5.45pm. John takes Master J to Cadets and Miss A goes straight from work to softball training. We aren’t all home together until 10.30pm that night, by which time I’m usually in bed. Today is a fairly ‘light’ housework day with just a load of washing to be done and general kitchen maintenance. We do try and have a quick Neat ‘n’ Tidy about 4pm, in time for Dad to come home to a fairly neat home.
Wednesday is another laundry day. Oh! confession time. I don’t hang underwear (except white singlets), socks, handkerchiefs or other fiddly, small items on the line. I used to but not anymore, for two reasons. I love the feel of crisp, sun bleached clothes but we only have one of those clothes lines that folds up alongside the dark, sheltered side of the house. (Why they install them in the shade, I will never understand) I also have decided to maximise my time. Honestly, socks don’t last that long in my house anyway so there’s no need for me to try and preserve them as thoroughly as I might other items of clothing. So, I tumble dry them! So much easier and quicker. I think to myself, “What would I rather do? Cook a meal, iron a shirt, write a blog post, read a book or play a game with my children, speak on the phone with my dad or hang up socks ‘n’ jocks!!!!” I would rather do all those things rather than hang up socks. Anyway, I aim to have the loads of laundry, washed, dried and put away by 4pm, but this rarely happens. Master C vacuums again this morning while Master J tends to the kitchen. I potter with laundry, bathrooms, meal preparation, etc. ‘Master C’ does excellent 15 minute tidies. He goes around and put all the stray things away where they belong- shoes in people’s rooms, blocks in drawers, books in booknook, pens, cups, papers, etc. I used to have my office/accounting time on Thursday but this has changed. I now try and do organise my finances and look through catalogues for specials in preparation for our Out and About Day on Friday. We do a quick Neat ‘n’ Tidy in preparation for John to come home.
Thursday is the day where we’ll go shopping, pay bills, etc. If I haven’t cleaned the fridge and pantry on Thursday (in preparation for shopping day) I will do it today. Other that that, if I am home it is a fairly ‘light on’ housework day. or, I may end up doing the shopping on this day, leaving Friday free to do other things.
Friday is a big day for me. If it is not Out and About Day, we will clean the house, vacuum and do bathrooms, etc. It is also laundry day, in preparation for the weekend. If it is Out and About Day, we’ll go shopping, which is a pretty full on experience in our home! I like to look through catalogs and select where to shop but this all takes time and I don’t like to waste too much fuel just to save a dollar. Sometimes, if it is Out and About day we won’t have gotten the vacuuming and wet areas done…but I don’t try and play catch-up…it’s not going anywhere.
Saturday– Is my Day of Rest. I don’t do housework or meal preparation on this day, unless we’re having a celebration or something in particular. I like to read, spend time in God’s Word, listen to an audio sermon and write a blog post or two. I like to make myself available for John if he ever wants to do something. In the summer months we refresh, rest and then go to softball!
On Sunday I will usually put on two loads of laundry so that everyone has clean clothes for the Monday. Most people probably do them on the Saturday but that is my rest day so I do it today! I’ll get the clothes washed and ironed today. We may do a quick Neat ‘n’ Tidy in the morning, as well as the vacuuming (if it wasn’t done on Friday) but this is so we can continue to enjoy the rest of the weekend.
Focus Areas:
Monday: Floors | Laundry | General Housework and wet area
Tuesday: Odd jobs | Wet areas
Wednesday: Floors | Laundry | Finances | Grocery List
Thursday: Out and About
Friday: Floors | Laundry | Bathrooms
Alternate Friday: Out and About Day
Saturday: Rest Day
Sunday: Neat ‘n’ Tidy | Quick Clean | Laundry
This is the routine that I have created while in this house, in this situation. However, the routine changes with each move…and as the children get older. With ‘Miss A’ working full time, and Miss R is a senior in High School, my laundry routine has changed. John also doesn’t come home for lunch nowadays which seems to give me a few extra hours in my day. I loved it when he came home from work but it did eat into my day a lot and I found I was often behind in work.
After being in any new house for a few months, allowing the new routine to settle, I ask John in what ways I can serve him better or more effectively. He does not like to answer this as we live by grace in our home but he has learned that I need this in order to focus- it is really helpful for me. So now, I try to always have the clothes washed, dried and put away. Does it always happen? No way! But it is a focus point…without it, we’ll never have clean clothes that are easily accessible but I’ll get loads of lessons done or wonderfully lavish meals cooked.
My other focus point is clean floors, (I hate crunchiness or stickiness under my feet!) and wet areas. Looking after wet areas is something that I’ve learned slowly, after being in army homes. It makes sense though. Wet areas are subject to moisture- thus susceptible to mould, grime and bacteria. They’re also hard to clean when left for too long and they can be expensive to mend. Don’t fuss over the dust, but keep on top of the wet area!
How about you? what is your weekly domestic routine? If you share, please drop me a note so I can visit your blog post…I’m needing more ideas and inspiration. 🙂
My other focus point is clean floors, (I hate crunchiness or stickiness under my feet!) and wet areas.
Does dog hair annoy you too? LOL
I must sweep every day, or my floating timber flooring looks like a cream shag pile carpet! But, as we have established in an earlier post, my benches are definitely clean ~ unless you count a little bit of spilt Pal…8) (laughing so hard as I type this)
Well, as we don’t have a dog anymore…it doesn’t really bother me! But come on, ya gotta agree withe me…crunchy cereal under foot is just not nice. Especially as how I like to go barefoot in my own home!
Wow! what a great memory you have. I don’t remember that at all. So what day did we end up meeting?
ps. I remembered Monday was your main cleaning day. Remember another infamous get-together that nearly ended up in WW3 because we were all fighting over which day because this one cleaned that day, and some one else preferred Wednesday’s to clean?? Remember that one? Oh gosh, I love you girls… I would hardly ever laugh if it weren’t for my treasured buddies… 😀
Does dog hair annoy you too? LOL
Grinning.
my benches are definitely clean ~ unless you count a little bit of spilt Pal
Mmmmmm, yum! You need the little helper Susan posted about. THAT’S how she keeps it all ‘uncruncy and unsticky’ you know 😉 (pardon, while I finish snorting a little coffee over the keyboard..)
Oh Amanda, you are so distracting. I forgot to actually make my comment!
What I was going to say (before Amanda led me astray) was that we have four o’clock jobs, too. They are useful for retaining sanity with lots of people doing lots of projects in the house. Knowing that it will all be packed away at 4pm is so potentially relaxing.
Potentially relaxing?? Now I have heard it all!! LOLOL… of course, I think I know you well enough by now Mrs BB, that you say this tongue in cheek. I think.
You girls are way to organised for my liking. I mean, judging by Susan’s weekly list, anyone would think she was married to someone in the Army!
Don’t mind me possoms, I am almost hyper-active at the moment. Too much excitement for this normally bored little house wife. Good job girls. I love your style 🙂
ps. Yep, I think that funny faced little dog that loves to ‘clean-up’ must be Susan’s new pet 😉
Y’know, I just can’t keep up with you gals! part of me wonders if you are poking a little fun at me, but then i remember that you are my friends and wouldn’t do that. 😉
And Amanda, you and your excitement are too much for me! You have us all checking your blog several times a day, waiting for your announcement post of where you’ll be jet setting off to! LOL
Honestly, I am with you on the ‘crunchy’ underfoot. And to answer you about the meeting in the park… I don’t think I actually made it to that one, but I could have, lol. And I don’t remember the day but it was a slight exaggeration when I said ‘WW3’ – a little teasing banter was more like it 😉
Poking fun at you? No. Just having fun in general 🙂 You do know that we love you way too much to do anything in a malicious way. I was really poking fun at myself, because of my hairy floors. I love to laugh at the silliness of my life because I can see how it looks from most other’s point of view 😉
Soon, I will tell all. Right now I am waiting on a phone call regarding an important detail. Until then, the ‘suspense’ is good for my stats, lol…
Okay I can see I need to put the smiley’s back in. I can’t write without them! Dearest Amanda and BB,
I knew you were not poking fun at me in a rude way…if at all it would have been in a way as you described: in love and with affection. Oh, if you could have heard the tone of my voice in my comment you wouldn’t have worried that I might have been offended. Argh, for the skill of being a better writer!!!!
Mrs BB, Amanda is being very manic, is she not? She is driving us all mad, I believe. She’s very naughty. It’s a good job we love her to bits…;)
Susan, who is heading over to her friends blogs right now…
Y’know, I just can’t keep up with you gals! part of me wonders if you are poking a little fun at me, but then i remember that you are my friends and wouldn’t do that.
This is the problem with type instead of our smiling faces with the message. You see, unless Amanda had responded to assure you that we wouldn’t be malicious, I would not have taken your comment seriously (it would not have crossed my mind that you genuinely thought we could be being mean). Because, OF COURSE I would make fun of you, and I love to! (very big grin!)
But would I make fun of you in a “we’re going to make her feel small” way? Absolutely not. Not, not, not! You know we cherish you. Amanda, don’t we cherish this woman? We do. I know I don’t have to wait for the answer! But still. I can’t help joking about with you because of you? No, because I am frivolous and silly at times. (and particularly when Amanda is being so manic: it rubs off on me 😉 )
Yes!!! Susan, I have missed the little smilies… they make a huuuuge difference.
Love ya to bits…. always… even if we do laugh at crunchy floors, lol 🙂
I love clean floors too! The rest of the house can be messy as long as my floors are clean. I even have housewife knees!!! and that comes from actually getting on my hands and knees to clean the floor! A lady at the gym asked me what I had done to injure my knees and I told her that they weren’t injured just worn out from years of floor cleaning! She thought I was mad and offered to buy me a mop! LOL
It is my little idiosyncrasy!
Hey Susan
What happened to your dog??
I love clean floors as well…in fact they need doing again!
I’m getting in to a better routine with housework now that I’m working outside of the home….
xx
Oh…we found a lovely home, with a lovely family who wanted to take Jazz. We felt it was bordering on cruel in the way which we had to keep her. Gee, if army life is not good for dogs in our house, how do the poor kiddos fair???
The family would really love her and take good care of her…it was sad for us, hard but we felt it was best for Jazz.
Lisa, I’d be interested to hear about your new routine (if and when you have time to share) and how it differs…and knowing what you know now, what would you try to do differently if you were to hs again?
Hi Susan
Well, when I was homeschooling I didn’t have a routine at all….all housework was done on a ‘can’t stand the mess anymore’ basis! When the mess got too much…or someone was coming over, I’d get busy and clean! Laundry was done when needed, easier when everyone was home and no-one had uniforms to worry about!….. and the dishes were done every night….I have to go to bed with the kitchen clean…I hate awaking up to a messie kitchen!
Now that I’m working outside of the home, I figured that I’d better get organised so that the housework doesn’t get away from me.
Laudry gets done in the afternoon when we all get home from work, I hang it out to dry at night and bring it in the next afternoon, fold it as I’m taking it off the line and then sort it into individual piles…in this new house I have a much larger laundry with a bench….everyone collects their pile and puts away their own washing. I also iron the required shirts needed for the next day.
Floors get done once per week…with a quick sweep out of the kitchen area 3-4 days later…
Bathrooms get done once per fortnight, I’ll let our ensuite go a bit longer if pressed for time as it’s only Keith and I that use it! I haven’t settled on a specfic day as my work hours are still all over the place. I check the main bathroom every few days to see what mess the girls have left behind….then get one of them to do a quick tidy…ie wipe down the vanity.
Dusting gets done when I do the floors.
Shopping is done about twice a week, usually once on the weekend, the day depends on what we are doing, but it’s usually on a Sunday….and then one quick ‘run and grab’ visit mid-week to replenish the high turn-over items…ie cereal, lunch-box things and milk…and anything else that I’ve forgotten!!
Re the hanging up of the smalls….I use a plastic hanger to hung up the socks and jocks…I usually leaving them hanging up in the laundry, but during winter I hang the hanger up in the line….much easier to use that instead of standing out at the line for ages….also handy for when you’re rushing out to bring in the washing when it starts raining….other times I’ll bung it all into the dryer!
Re your dog….it’s hard when you’re moving around to take pets with you as well! Our dog ran away mid-last year…just before Hannah started school…Keith and Hannah want to get another dog, but I’m against…I really don’t have the time to train a puppy….we have a big enough backyard for a dog here, but we have a beautiful landscaped garden and I don’t want a dog that will dig it all up!!!
Gosh…what an epic post….I have a quite work day today, so I should get going with some housework while I have the chance!
xx
Hey Lisa, thanks for that. Maybe you should post it to your own blog! There might be something that h-sing mums can take from it. 😉 Of course you know I have to be just a little bit jealous of your laundry bench lol..