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Motivated Moms chore list

33K views 344 replies 81 participants last post by  Gray's Mommy 
#1 ·
Anyone doing this for 2010? I started in mid-january and like it. Seems to work. Would like to hear from others...
 
#254 ·
I just bought the file over the weekend & have been doing it for 3 whole days. It is totally doable
I did the 2 week on half pages. I advance plan & it helps me figure out the priorities quite well.
 
#255 ·
I also just bought the file over the weekend and have been doing it for 3 days. I think this is going to be a great thing. I am not naturally organized, and have failed to set up my own system that works. I tried Fly Lady but it was just too much. This seems like is a system that will be very easy to stick to doing. I may tweak it a bit to add some stuff in that I already do on a regular basis, but I think knowing when I have to do other tasks and being able to check it off will work for me. I bought the page per day journal, so that I can add in my business appointments and business-to-do list so everything I do in a day is all in one place.
 
#256 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by frugalmama View Post
same here. We skip all the dusting too.
I sure wish I could..we have a bad dust problem in this house, due to the carpet deteriorating, and also because we live on a main road.

I have 'dust the master bedroom' on my list today...it is taking me quite a while to do as I have very cluttered shelves.


Not sure I will get anything else done today on the list, but one is better than none!
 
#257 ·
WOW ladies, I just started yesterday

I finished everything on the list (except the bottom shelf, I left that for DP)

Then I was so motivated I literally cleaned the ENTIRE house! I called my mom and had her pick up DD and I ferociously clean EVERYTHING! talk about motivated!

The house was trashed and I didn't really want to wait around until everything came up on the chore list. Plus, I didn't want to have to clean as hard as I did yesterday, everyday. Motivation through laziness.. I like it!

Well thanks a ton girls.. I really needed something to motivate me. Seriously the $4 was worth yesterday alone, although I hope I stick too it!

Here's my big 'ol
 
#259 ·
Anyone else recommitting themselves to the program this week? I'd been doing really well before the summer when my stepdaughters visited. We kept things under control, but by no means following all the cleaning tasks. Daily dishes were done, the kitchen cleaned, living room basically picked up and that type of thing, but I wasn't able to follow the program. Now I'm trying to pick back up. I was so pleased with my home when I had begun following the program, and had gotten such wonderful support from DH.

So here I am starting fresh~~
 
#260 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by PoetryLover View Post
Anyone else recommitting themselves to the program this week? ...

So here I am starting fresh~~
Me!! I've been bad the last two weeks, what with school and work starting again. I'm bound and determined to forgive myself and start up again tonight.
 
#261 ·
I've gotten off track too... vacation, camping, homeschool and out-of-home-enrichment programs starting up, etc... the last month I've been doing maybe 1-2 things from the list each day and that's about it!

Tasks that don't apply- I generally skip them without a second thought.
Sometimes I'll add in a task that didn't get done on an earlier day or that is specific to my home/family.
 
#264 ·
... me too, got off track during the school holidays ...

BUT, even though I haven't looked at if for quite a while .... am still using some of the ideas (just two shelves in the fridge , daily routine, various other tasks for that week ... just a little bit at time ...)

SO home is much better than before I baught the calendar

even though I'm not precisely following it right now

+ am in a better frame of mind for tackling housework too !
 
#265 ·
I'm struggling with the daily chores *especially laundry* and doing the daily list & doing the odds & ends I need done, such as calling people, responding to emails, school volunteering, etc.

I need better time management & little ones who work around my schedule


How do you all fit everything in??
 
#266 ·
I was just downstairs mopping my kitchen, because it's Thursday here and the list tells me to....and I'm thinking "this is so tiring, who signed me up for this?", then I think "Oh yeah, I did!"


I am basically lazy by nature I have realised, and so doing these jobs every day really goes against the grain for me, but I am so glad that I have discovered this chore list, because otherwise my house would much less clean than it is now!
 
#267 ·
Yeah... I'm not sure I like Thursdays either. I hate mopping. I mean I love the clean floor to walk on, but I hate the process of mopping. :)
And I deep cleaned the highchair this am, so that was gross. I usually wipe it down daily, but today I really cleaned it. YUCK!
~maddymama
 
#268 ·
I conveniently ignore the floor-cleaning assignments a whole lot of the time. I hate to vacuum, and we don't own a mop so cleaning the kitchen floor involves a lot of scrubbing on hands and knees. Of course, once I get a bit more pregnant, being on hands and knees will probably feel good on my poor back, but at the moment it's just a pain.


I hate deep-cleaning high chairs. We have a clip-on caddy chair that I just take apart and throw in the washing machine every few weeks. You're not really supposed to machine wash it, but by the time I get around to washing it it's so gross that I can't bear the idea of washing it by hand.
 
#269 ·
Hi! I'm joining this. I've been doing MM since the middle of June, and I LOVE it.

But I need to get back on the wagon with it; DH has been gone for 3 days I have a hard time motivating myself to do the daily chores when he's gone. The tasks usually get done (except not yesterday: I have a lot of catching up to do today!) but it seems so...pointless to clean the kitchen after dinner when all I've had is scrambled eggs in a burrito and salad. Though I do love having a clean kitchen when I wake up in the morning.

I have a question: what does it mean when it says "clean glass in family/living room" or dining room or whatever? I finally determined that this is indeed different from cleaning the windows. Are you supposed to clean the glass in the picture frames? Or am I missing something here?
 
#270 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by wholewheatchick View Post
Hi! I'm joining this. I've been doing MM since the middle of June, and I LOVE it.

But I need to get back on the wagon with it; DH has been gone for 3 days I have a hard time motivating myself to do the daily chores when he's gone. The tasks usually get done (except not yesterday: I have a lot of catching up to do today!) but it seems so...pointless to clean the kitchen after dinner when all I've had is scrambled eggs in a burrito and salad. Though I do love having a clean kitchen when I wake up in the morning.

I have a question: what does it mean when it says "clean glass in family/living room" or dining room or whatever? I finally determined that this is indeed different from cleaning the windows. Are you supposed to clean the glass in the picture frames? Or am I missing something here?
Good question! Maybe the TV, glass coffee table, mirrors, any computer screens, picture frames, etc... I also noticed it said to clean glass in the master bedroom. But I don't think I noticed it say to wash windows. I don't think "clean glass" refers to washing windows, because all that I see it listed under are the living room and master bedroom. I'd like to hear other people's thoughts on this.

By the way, are washing windows really not on the list anywhere? I'm trying to note the few things that aren't on the list, so that I can add them in to replace the tasks that I can't do in my home. (We don't have a microwave or dishwasher, so I never have to clean them etc.)
 
#271 ·
I clean anything that is glass on those days--picture frames, mirrors, door windows, screens, etc. I don't do regular windows though.
 
#272 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by PoetryLover View Post
Good question! Maybe the TV, glass coffee table, mirrors, any computer screens, picture frames, etc... I also noticed it said to clean glass in the master bedroom. But I don't think I noticed it say to wash windows. I don't think "clean glass" refers to washing windows, because all that I see it listed under are the living room and master bedroom. I'd like to hear other people's thoughts on this.

By the way, are washing windows really not on the list anywhere? I'm trying to note the few things that aren't on the list, so that I can add them in to replace the tasks that I can't do in my home. (We don't have a microwave or dishwasher, so I never have to clean them etc.)
Hm. We don't have a TV, and I'm not going to CLEAN the picture frame glass. I dust it when I dust that room; that'll have to be good enough.

You do clean windows; don't worry! It just is more of a "major chore" than a weekly one. You are also supposed to clean the blinds and curtains/drapes on that same day for that same set of windows.
 
#273 ·
Are there any full-time WOHMs out there doing MMs? I tried last year and got completely overwhelmed. There just isn't time between when dinner's finished and I start putting DS to bed.

I'm thinking of trying again... just starting on a random page on last year's calendar and working through it. Might involve getting up at like 6 to do some before I go to work. I'm not sure how long that'll last, but I guess it's worth a shot.

I wish they made a "lite" version for WOHMs.
 
#274 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by wholewheatchick View Post
Hm. We don't have a TV, and I'm not going to CLEAN the picture frame glass. I dust it when I dust that room; that'll have to be good enough.

You do clean windows; don't worry! It just is more of a "major chore" than a weekly one. You are also supposed to clean the blinds and curtains/drapes on that same day for that same set of windows.
Thanks so much!
 
#275 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by blizzard_babe View Post
Are there any full-time WOHMs out there doing MMs? I tried last year and got completely overwhelmed. There just isn't time between when dinner's finished and I start putting DS to bed.

I'm thinking of trying again... just starting on a random page on last year's calendar and working through it. Might involve getting up at like 6 to do some before I go to work. I'm not sure how long that'll last, but I guess it's worth a shot.

I wish they made a "lite" version for WOHMs.

It does seem geared to WAHMs. A couple of ideas: maybe you could split the chores up between 7 days, instead of 5? The weekends seems to be relatively free as is. Also, could you delegate some chores to a partner or older child?
 
#276 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by PoetryLover View Post
It does seem geared to WAHMs. A couple of ideas: maybe you could split the chores up between 7 days, instead of 5? The weekends seems to be relatively free as is. Also, could you delegate some chores to a partner or older child?
Well... older child is 2 1/2. He's great for helping get laundry out of our low-to-the-ground front-loading machine and that's about it
. Well, he likes to "help" a lot, but it's not really as helpful as he seems to think it is
.

DH and I share SAH/WOH duties (we work opposite shifts). He does a lot around the house, but is NOT a follow-a-schedule person. He does more of the ongoing tasks, like dishes and laundry. I want to do better at the stuff that's more *MY* thing, but last time around MMs became an exercise in futility if I wanted any one-on-one non-cleaning time with my kid.

I kind of want to e-mail and ask about a "lite" version... like same tasks, only more spread out over the entire week and perhaps the tasks come along a little less often so that there are fewer (assuming this will lead to a slightly decreased level of cleanliness, but still, consistent) each week, but the site strikes me as very... um... what's the word... I don't know, exactly. Like a WOHM wouldn't be well-received. Or maybe I'm just paranoid
.
 
#277 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by blizzard_babe View Post
Well... older child is 2 1/2. He's great for helping get laundry out of our low-to-the-ground front-loading machine and that's about it
. Well, he likes to "help" a lot, but it's not really as helpful as he seems to think it is
.

DH and I share SAH/WOH duties (we work opposite shifts). He does a lot around the house, but is NOT a follow-a-schedule person. He does more of the ongoing tasks, like dishes and laundry. I want to do better at the stuff that's more *MY* thing, but last time around MMs became an exercise in futility if I wanted any one-on-one non-cleaning time with my kid.

I kind of want to e-mail and ask about a "lite" version... like same tasks, only more spread out over the entire week and perhaps the tasks come along a little less often so that there are fewer (assuming this will lead to a slightly decreased level of cleanliness, but still, consistent) each week, but the site strikes me as very... um... what's the word... I don't know, exactly. Like a WOHM wouldn't be well-received. Or maybe I'm just paranoid
.
Another thought is that you could skip some chores that you don't have time to do and kind of create a lighter version yourself. Also, maybe you could specifically ask your partner if he will do a particular chore that you don't think he'll mind doing, such as vacuuming the living room or dusting the desk, etc. That way he doesn't have to follow a list, but he is helping accomplish the tasks somewhat.

ETA: There's also HouseHoncho.com. They send an email with a selection of things to do at various levels of difficulty and you are supposed to select 3 items on the list and forget about the rest. That might work for you. I like Motivated Moms, personally, but House Honchos is an option.
 
#278 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by PoetryLover View Post
ETA: There's also HouseHoncho.com. They send an email with a selection of things to do at various levels of difficulty and you are supposed to select 3 items on the list and forget about the rest. That might work for you. I like Motivated Moms, personally, but House Honchos is an option.
Ooh, I'll check into it. I like the PDF print-it-out-ahead-of-time aspect of MMs, because if I sit down to check my e-mail, I get sucked into the internets
. Might be a good option, though, thanks!
 
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