Schedule

What I'm Cooking Wednesday will return next week. It's been a long week, and I just can't find the time or muster the energy this week to try a new recipe!

Anyway, tonight I was thinking about how I've started a sort of unofficial housework schedule in my home. It is something that has evolved in the past [almost] three years, and I seem to have found a system that really works for me!

It was a struggle for me to stay on top of housework when we first got married. We bought and renovated a house just four months after we were married, and it took a long time for me to feel organized in the midst of all that chaos! Things are a lot better now, and I know it's because I have a routine that I follow now. My house may not be the cleanest house in the world, but at least the essential things are always completed now, like dishes and laundry.

Here is a little taste of what my schedule is like.

I follow a routine every single week day when I get home from work:

• I go to the post office everyday on my way home
• I make my bed as soon as I get home because Luke is the last one out of bed in the mornings, and I don't think I could pay him to make i :-P
• Do any dishes from breakfast or Luke's late-night snack the night before
• Clean out the litter box.

Then I give myself a little break, and at 5:00 I pick it up again:

• I make dinner
• I clean the kitchen, wash dishes and sweep the floor (okay, the sweeping the floor part doesn't get done EVERY day :-P)
  
• I do all other chores that need to be done that evening
• Before turning in for the night, I try to go through each room of the house and clean up any clutter left from the day. Except the office room. That room has become the catch-all, and I honestly avoid going in there because it's so messy. Hey, just being honest here!
  

This schedule works well for me, because I do a few easy things when I get home from work, then give myself a little down-time so I can unwind from a long day, and then focus on the more difficult chores after I've rested for a bit and eaten dinner with Luke.

There are also certain chores I do on certain days of the week, in addition to the regular every day chores:

Monday:

• Clean out refrigerator
• Clean bathroom

Tuesday:

• Grocery shopping and errand-running

Wednesday:

• Laundry Night
  
• Clean bathroom
• Dust (confession: this is the chore that most often gets pushed to the back burner for some reason!)
  

Thursday:

• Visit Grandma (not that this is a CHORE, but just something I like to try to do each week!)
• Clean downstairs floors

Friday:

• Free evening! I do my everyday chores, and try to keep the rest of the evening clear since I usually have plans (even if those plans sometimes include watching a chick flick by myself while Luke plays basketball with his friends!)

Saturday:

• Sweep upstairs
• Laundry day (including sheets and sometimes comforter)
  
• I always try to do at least one big project on Saturday...usually something I've been putting off...like cleaning out a closet or organizing bathroom cabinets.
• Clean bathroom
• Make lunch and dinner
• Deep clean kitchen
• Any other miscellaneous chores that were put off all week.
  

Since I work full time, I have to try to get a lot done on Saturdays when I have the time and energy.

Sunday:
I believe strongly in keeping Sunday as a day of rest and using it to worship and spend time with loved ones. So I really don't do a whole lot on Sundays. We go to church every Sunday without fail unless one of us is dying or we're on vacation, and then we almost always go out to lunch after church with friends or family. I believe this is such an important time for fellowship and worship! But that is another post for another time. Anyway, once we get home from lunch sometime mid-afternoon, Luke and I almost always curl up on the couch for a nap or just relaxation time (reading, watching a movie, being entertained by the antics of Miss Gabby and Ellie, etc) which lasts the entire afternoon. Then I usually make a simple, late dinner, and do the following chores:

• Clean the litter box
• Clean the kitchen and do dishes
• Make bed. And yes, sometimes I don't get to this until the evening! I have many weird quirks, and one of them is that I can't sleep in a bed that hasn't been made. Honestly, there have been times when I've made the bed at 11:00PM, just to crawl right under the covers an go to sleep a minute later. There is nothing better than nice, smooth sheets, and I can't fall asleep in a rumpled mess. Anyone else like this? Just me??
• Get ready for work the following week
• Tidy up the house.

These chores usually take very little time, and I have the rest of the evening to spend with Luke just chilling out. I look at Sundays as God's gift to us as a day of rest to focus on things and people who are important. I know that I have a lot more energy and motivation for the week ahead when I've made sure to slow down a bit on Sundays!

So anyway, that's the schedule that I've come to follow. Do I follow it perfectly every single day? Absolutely not! But it's something to aim for, a general guideline, and it helps me to stay organized. And like I said, my house is certainly not the cleanest house in the world at all...but at least I've finally gotten to the point where the sink is usually empty and the laundry is clean and in its place. Baby steps :-)

What kind of schedule do you follow for housework? How strict are you in following it? I would love to hear your input! What is your favorite chore? (I love doing laundry. LOVE it. Weird.) And your least favorite? (dishes, dishes, DISHES!!! What I wouldn't give for a dishwasher!)