Motivated Moms chore list - Page 17

[PoetryLover]

Welcome Kara! Hi Crunchy_Mama!

I'm reading the updates with this thread, but I don't have the time to post often. I've used MM for about half a year and it has proven so very helpful. In the beginning, tasks took longer, but once I started doing them regularly, it was so easy to maintain. An example of this is cleaning and organizing your bedroom closet. This was a half day project for me and now it takes a few minutes to maintain when it comes up. So it definitely gets easier as you go. I, too, cross off the things on the list that I don't do. One thing that works well for me is delegating some tasks to my DH and DSD. Just simple, little things. That really helps.

[crunchy_mama]

Hiya-

I have done a lot of organizing and decluttering  so most of the tasks are not very time consuming here either.  The less stuff the better!   However, when I get to basement cleaning/organizing I will be hurting.  We have let it go for the last several months(it is unfinished and just used for storage).  It will take a while to get it together!  I will be anxious to see next week though, this one seems pretty light- I guess because of the holidays.  So far though it is very easy to keep up with- it is just a matter of getting in the groove with it and finding the best time to do everything.  I hope to have it all done in the morning before we do school but we will see if that works.  I am sure that will work better some days than others.

I am delegating some tasks to the kids as well.  Dh has been working a ton of overtime so he really isn't able to help.  The kids have their own jobs though- ds does the trash, they both help w/ dishes and picking up.  Ds can do all of his own room and dd can do most of her room.  We do bedrooms every day, makes it easier to keep up that way, especially with kids.

[Aeress]

I just purchased MM at half price and I am feeling good that my $4 investment is paying off. I wish we could add to the pdf instead of handwriting in additional items, but alas, we can't. This is my first full week and the kids are doing 3 chores from the list a day. They are simple ways for them to help the family! I love how easy it was to incorporate some chores for them into the daily routine.

I didn't get everything done yesterday (our cat passed away) but I was able to do many of the chores while comforting the kids. I am still cleaning around the clutter, since I let a lot of areas slide in the last few weeks. I like that there is a box to remind me to exercise, and take my vitamins/supplements. Very helpful!

I read through the first 8 or so pages and gleamed a lot of helpful tips.

Hope everyone is having a happy day!

[Ragana]

I heard about MM here at Mothering and also got the $4 deal. It's been very helpful so far. Even though I don't do everything on the list every day (and some things aren't applicable to an apt.), the house has been much neater and cleaner. I just feel more on top of things. That said, I haven't had much work lately, so I've had time to devote to it. The test will be when work gets busy.

[PoetryLover]

Hi ladies! Thanks for reviving this thread! I have a 2 week old and a 19 month old, so I know I won't get to everything on the list. Today I'm choosing to skip dusting the light bulbs in the lamps, for example. It's not high on my current priorities. But even if I don't get to the tasks for specific days, just using the list on the left side of the page will be helpful to stay on top of things like dishes, laundry, dinner and spending a little quality time with DS1.

So here I go. Maybe we can cheer each other on.

[Comtessa]

Oh, I was wondering if I was the only one left still using my MM list!  I've been pretty religious about it this year -- it was my New Year's Resolution, and so far it's the only one I've ever made that's lasted into September!!! :)   It's been great for me to keep the house at a basic level of cleanliness, especially with a new baby in the house.  By now, too, I have  a handle on what kinds of projects are going to "come around" with some regularity and which ones aren't -- so I know which ones I can blow off.

BTW, I'm a big advocate for crossing off tasks I don't feel like doing... but you might want to try squeezing in the lightbulb-dusting when you have a chance.  You'd be amazed at how much a coat of dust can dim the light from a bulb, and make it seem like you need more light (and therefore turn on more lights or put in a higher-wattage bulb, using more energy in the long run). 

Ok, I'm off to dust the living room.

[Ragana]

I also crossed off the lightbulb dusting but add in other tasks I need to do.

[clutterwarrior]

I am persevering also with MM lists....I did slacken off for about 4 weeks, probably because I had the flu and then just too tired to do much for a few weeks after, but I have got back into it this week.  Even if I don't always do everything on the list for the day, it does get me moving round the house and getting stuff done, even if that is just 2 things done from the list.  And I sometimes swap things around...like if it says mop then I might leave it and mop the next day if I am having a low energy day.

[mylilmonkeys]

Hey, thanks for the great recommendation!  I am a FL 3x dropout.  It worked great when I had 2 kids and lived in an apt with everything on one level.  Once we had #3 and moved it all fell apart and I have never been able to get back on track with it.  Something needs to be done, though.  8 kids and no storage are driving me insane.  This looks simple and straightforward.  I am thinking that on Sat, I will hand out whatever tasks didn't get checked off to the kids.  We have pocket money tied to doing extra chores, so they will be able to earn money and I won't have to stress out so much.  Started yesterday, and only got several  of the dailies done, but I also had to do a basic pick up/declutter of the main living areas.  So now that that is done, on we go!  I hope that we can keep this thread alive, 'cause I think the encouragement would be fantastic!

[mylilmonkeys]

I'm not getting a ton of stuff crossed off my MM list, but I am overall getting more housework done.  I think the babies are sleeping just enough better that I can find the energy to get moving and do a few things.  I'm focusing mainly on the left side of the list, the "dailies".  I am just sooo excited that I am actually 100% caught up on laundry!!  This is a major improvement.  I have had to resort to having kids switch loads for me for months, and it was scary.  I have caught my daughter in the act of simply turning the wash cycle on again, even actually adding a few dirty clothes to the clean stuff that just finished washing!  Just because she didn't want to switch it over.  Can't convince any of them to pick up what they drop, so clothes fall on the way to the washer, into the dryer, from the dryer and then we can't figure out what's clean and what's dirty.  Enough!  So, I'm back in control of the laundry.  I shoveled the mess out of the laundry room and it took me about 4 days, but here we are.  

[PoetryLover]

I just want to say kudos to you for staying on top of the laundry with 8 children, especially twin infants! I've fallen way behind, as we've all been sick (my toddler was hospitalized with pneumonia and then my newborn got a cold). I'm staying up a little late tonight to try to create some order out of things. But generally, if I can accomplish the left side of the page, I'm at least on top of dishes, laundry and keeping the kitchen reasonably picked up. If I can get to the things on the right side of the page, I'm doing really well. :-)

Question: do you find that you have to mop more than 1 time a week with so many children? I have one toddler and I feel like my floor needs to be mopped every 2-3 days. I try to have him eat in his high chair or at the table, but spills happen, food gets thrown down, etc.

Originally Posted by mylilmonkeys 

I'm not getting a ton of stuff crossed off my MM list, but I am overall getting more housework done.  I think the babies are sleeping just enough better that I can find the energy to get moving and do a few things.  I'm focusing mainly on the left side of the list, the "dailies".  I am just sooo excited that I am actually 100% caught up on laundry!!  This is a major improvement.  I have had to resort to having kids switch loads for me for months, and it was scary.  I have caught my daughter in the act of simply turning the wash cycle on again, even actually adding a few dirty clothes to the clean stuff that just finished washing!  Just because she didn't want to switch it over.  Can't convince any of them to pick up what they drop, so clothes fall on the way to the washer, into the dryer, from the dryer and then we can't figure out what's clean and what's dirty.  Enough!  So, I'm back in control of the laundry.  I shoveled the mess out of the laundry room and it took me about 4 days, but here we are.  

[PoetryLover]

Originally Posted by Comtessa 

BTW, I'm a big advocate for crossing off tasks I don't feel like doing... but you might want to try squeezing in the lightbulb-dusting when you have a chance.  You'd be amazed at how much a coat of dust can dim the light from a bulb, and make it seem like you need more light (and therefore turn on more lights or put in a higher-wattage bulb, using more energy in the long run). 

I hadn't thought of that. That's a good reason to dust the light bulbs. (I still haven't gotten to it, though. )

[mylilmonkeys]

Originally Posted by PoetryLover 

Question: do you find that you have to mop more than 1 time a week with so many children? I have one toddler and I feel like my floor needs to be mopped every 2-3 days. I try to have him eat in his high chair or at the table, but spills happen, food gets thrown down, etc.

We have no carpets anywhere, so we do a LOT of sweeping, but for spills and things we mostly spot clean and we are doing really well if we mop once a week in the main living areas.  We recently got a cheap steam mop and the kids get a kick out of using it, so they will mop when they feel like it.  We did have a memorable incident with my now 3 yo when she was about 18 mo or so...she got into the margarine container before it was cleared away and finger painted the walls, the table and the floor.  I never knew it was so hard to clean margarine off the walls, but it's the fat content.  Sheesh!  We mostly deal with crumbs, so it's mostly sweeping and it is impossible to stay on top of it.  We live next door to a park and if I never see a sandbox again it will be too soon. 
 

[craftymum]

Anyone still following this plan or have we all got post-summer cleaning fatigue? I know I'm feeling it big time at the moment - the children are so busy at school and after school, then there's my work, hubbie's work...the apartment seems to slide right to the bottom of the list all the time. 

[Aeress]

We got side tracked at the end of the week. I am trying to jump back in today but it is hard.

I am doing a general declutter today though. Things have accumulated over the last few weeks. Blech

[mylilmonkeys]

I just found out that we will be having a visit from family from out-of-town on Wednesday.  They are staying with other family members, so they'll just be dropping by for a little visit. Thank goodness we have been working to get the house up to better standards, so we don't have a ton of cleaning to do, except for our dining room which is visible from the living room (and you have to pass through to get to the bathroom).  The kids keep their toys in the dining room, and while we don't have a lot of toys considering the number of kids, still we have 8 kids!  So I will be using this as motivation for trying to get this room up to standard, which I've been meaning to do but ignoring instead. LOL  I need to come up with a better furniture arrangement, make sure toys are sorted properly into their bins, do another weed out of broken/unused/unwanted toys, and mop the floor.  I'm thinking of swapping our dining table for an outside picnic table.  Our dining table has an intricate base which, while visually interesting, makes sweeping a pain in the butt.  It is some of the children's chore to sweep after meals, and it just never gets done very well, even though they try.  Also, we never all eat at the table at once because we do not have enough chairs, so it's not really necessary to have a large table that can't be cleaned under.  Oldest child has broken nearly every chair in the house.  (While I'm thinking about it, maybe I should have him contribute to a set of benches I've been thinking about since he has been the main contributor to the problem....and he is now working.  I may be able to suggest it as a Christmas gift from him and dh and I to the whole family.)    One baby is napping.  If I can get the other settled, I may be able to get some work done.

[RainbowTurtle]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mylilmonkeys 

I just found out that we will be having a visit from family from out-of-town on Wednesday.  

How did the visit go??  I have to admit that I don't always get the entire list done every day, but it's been a month now and it has made a difference.  I cleaned the front of the dishwasher, stove and fridge just now.  Combined with the clean counters, my kitchen is sparkling...  at least until the kids get home! 

[mylilmonkeys]

Originally Posted by RainbowTurtle 

Quote:

How did the visit go??  I have to admit that I don't always get the entire list done every day, but it's been a month now and it has made a difference.  I cleaned the front of the dishwasher, stove and fridge just now.  Combined with the clean counters, my kitchen is sparkling...  at least until the kids get home! 

It went well!  Thanks for asking!  I had forgotten that the kids had a half day that day, so I was able to enlist their help to straighten up when they got off school, get their homework done, and then sent them outside so they didn't create further messes.  Dh also surprised me by skipping class and coming home.  He was nervous about everyone getting his disabled gma into and out of the house.  It was nice to have him home, since they are all his family, and I am such an introvert that entertaining anyone drives me to panic.

[Comtessa]

One of my favorite things about MM is that if I follow it at all, even half-heartedly, I still end up with a house that is more-or-less presentable.  A friend stopped by today on short notice and it was such a relief to not be racing through the house this morning, shoving things in closets to get them out of sight.  I spent years doing that every time I had guests!!!  All I had to do today was change the hand towel and wipe off the bathroom sink, and we were ready for visitors.  Now, if the visitors weren't close friends, I'd admittedly have a bit more work to do, but I'm ok with most people in my life seeing the house as it is right now.  What a relief!  

However, in hindsight I probably should have swept the floors.  My friend's crawling baby was putting all sorts of floor-munchies into her mouth.  Eugh.  Maybe a daily sweeping should be on the list for those of us with crumb-scattering toddlers!!!  

[mylilmonkeys]

Originally Posted by Comtessa 
Maybe a daily sweeping should be on the list for those of us with crumb-scattering toddlers!!!  

Yes, I need to do this, too!  I keep thinking that I'm going to transfer the MM calendar to a doc where I can tweak the dailies a bit.  Haven't found the energy to do it, but maybe in the next few weeks.  The other thing I like about MM, besides being "drop-in" ready, is the inclusion of seasonal or annual tasks that I just wouldn't necessarily think of on my own.