1 week home alone- what projects would you tackle?

[butterflies]

I guess the title says it all. We're going to visit family but dh and the kids will stay on an extra week (he's a teacher and on summer vacation!) I'll be working during the day but I have a list of about 82 projects to do around the house in evenings and on weekends. Some of them are:

- clean out the kids clothes and organize our clothing storage (suddenly a bigger priority with 2 little ones on the way)
- prep some freezer meals
- set up a system for organizing coupons (i'm an on-and-off couponer, mostly because i don't really have a good system)
- clean out kitchen cabinets
- make a list of things we actually need for the new babies
- craigslist a few things
- paint the mailbox

I know I'm getting over ambitious and I probably need to pick just 3-4 priorities. And besides I'm falling asleep pretty early these days.

What would you do with a week of uninterrupted time?

[hteb83]

I'd do the organising chores off your list first - the clothes / kitchen cabinets etc, as they'll probably be the chores that will be easiest if it's just you in the house.

I'd prepare meals for the freezer gradually over the next few months - cooking extra large amounts and then freezing what gets left each night.

Will your dh still be on vacation when he gets back? Could he paint the mailbox / put things on craigslist?

And take some time to relax!

[lifeguard]

I do the things that are just so hard to do with kids around like painting. Cooking I can easily do with ds around & him helping. Organizing stuff is faster without him but not impossible. But I find painting, home renos, anything with chemicals pretty much impossible with him around.

[mattemma04]

I would go through the kids cloths and toys.They cling to stuff if they know I want to get rid of it.

Also, I would work in the front yard or far back yard.I can't do that when the kids are home,because I need to stay closer to them while they are playing/swimming.

[Turquesa]

Yard work is a good idea...at least it would be for me.

Decluttering is a great idea because once you own less stuff, there's less stuff to deal with during your routine cleaning.

ETA: I envy you! I'd love a free week!

[Comtessa]

Try to make up a list of one or two big projects and a few small projects to do for each day. That way, you can look at all the things you've checked off each day and feel really good about it! That's what works for me, anyway.

I also vote for decluttering/organizing, since those are things that require a bit more concentration and uninterrupted time. Also deep cleaning projects would be good, if you (like me) are the sort of person who likes to clean a room from top to bottom without interruption. Or a big project that involves moving stuff around, like painting or washing all the floors or something.

When I'm doing a lot of intense cleaning alone, I'll get a book on tape out of the library and listen to it as I go - it keeps my mind busy while I work and keeps me from getting too distracted. (I rarely have time for this anymore -- I used to love it)

I'm so envious!!! Come back and let us know how the week goes!

p.s. As far as setting up a coupon system -- my coupon system is just a small accordion file with four pockets labeled: "restaurants," "entertainment," "grocery," and "household." This works for me, because I don't typically clip a whole lot of coupons. I find that coupons are frequently a wash in terms of money saved, since they're usually for name brand items that I wouldn't buy otherwise, and the money saved with a coupon makes the price more or less equivalent to the generic brand at the discount store that I usually buy. The important thing is that the accordion file is small enough to fit in your purse and goes with you when you go to the store. My file looks sort of like this one, and it has a little pad of paper where I keep my shopping list, too.