Household Cleaning Routine

Hi... try www.flylady.net They have some really good routines and you just take babysteps. I would suggest subscribing to the yahoo group, but would go on digest. You will get many emails a day. This website has saved SO many people. Hope you like it!

Hugs
Kimberly

Hello, a wonderful place to look and get ideas is www.flylady.com They have a place for working moms, moms with toddlers, newborns etc... good luck.

K., go to Flylady.net, she has great tips for cleaning your house-including those moms who work full time. One thing she says is, your house didn't get this way overnight, so don't expect it to get organized and clean overnight either. One suggestion I really like is don't start something you can't finish within 15 minutes-speaking of clearing clutter. Instead of clearing out your entire closet, just do the top shelf, or instead of cleaning out the whole dresser or desk, just do one drawer each day. As for exercise, I honestly to leg lifts and stretches while I am blow drying my hair-I call it multi-tasking...the rest I try to fit in throughout the day-it's not much, but I try. Quick healthy meals a toddler would love...I need some of those myself!
God Bless!!

I think this is one we all face. I finally had to put my foot down and declare "my time". It didnt come without sacrifices though. I get up an hour earlier than I use to and walk 30 min EVERY morning. This has done wonders for my sanity. I assigned my kids chores, and if they do them the whole week, there is always a suprise waiting. For my daughter, it is things like a "get out of jail free" card that means the next time she gets in enough trouble to get grounded (only applicable for minor infractions) she can use it for one day less grounding... or, a trip to the movies or something like that. My son is a money kid, so he just wants the cash. I found a routine that works for me. I empty the sink and start the dishwasher in the mornings and get a load of laundry going before I go to work. It technically takes a couple days to get the load washed, dried, and put up, but there is one load in any stage of that every day.

Another thing, during my time, I get to spend as long as I want in the shower, getting ready in the morning. It has helped so much.

So, my only real suggestion is to look at where the time is spent, and evaluate how it could be done more efficient, and get you some "my time". Good luck.

(and as a side note, doing this has really helped with the weight loss too, now up to 37 pounds).

Housecleaning routine - try to do one load of laundry every night - start it while dinner cooks, in the dryer after dishes, fold and put away as you put kids to bed.

Love my crockpot spend some time online looking for recipes, print them and then write on them so you can improve them. After you clean the kitchen at night last thing line up the ingriedents to the next days meal - in the morning just dump it all in cooker and go - I leave mine cooking on the stove top (its flat) and well away from anything so I don't worry. As soon as you get home start a pot of water boiling, you'll need noodles, rice or something-usually. Also make the family eat leftovers those are quick reheat meals. Get the toddler to try new things several times, just to be sure. The rule at my house is that you must try one bite - that way they don't feel too pressured. Then always have one item the young one likes. Also make a tray of veggies (can be done ahead on weekends in baggies for ease)a hungry kid who just got home will willing try lots of veggies and fruit - offer with hummus or dressing.

Do find time to exercise, time for you is important.

Good luck its hard to do so much, Moms work three shifts one at a job, one as a Mom, and one running a house.

Jen A
To de clutter I just start to make a home for each item that I repeatedly have to pick up. Make sure the home makes sense - easy to reach for commonly used items, located where item is used, etc. Then start the habit of putting it in its place.

Get the kids involved - set the table, carry their plate to the sink after dinner, sort laundry, fetch items from pantry while you cook, pick up own items, every family member needs to help the family succeed. Once upon a time on the farm kids worked REALLY hard, they can help us today too.

Did you join flylady. She is awesome. I've seen the show how clean is your house and I thought wow. I really believe in flylady because I've been using her advice, (i'm saying advice because She suggest ways to do things and She allowes you to user her suggestions to the way it fits your lifestyle. ) she is very flexible with her system. I've made a lot of changes all ready. I had trouble with dishes and laundry. I hated doing them, but I now do them Just about everyday. A load a day of laundry, wash, dry, fold and put away. Keeps the laundry down. The dishes. Not as many to do now. I may slack a little maybe 3 days, but with the routines, I can easily get back on try. Step in where you are. I hope you had joined flylayd, I see she is Highly recommened here. and I also recommend her. ;)

I'd say, get the husband involved!!! There's no reason that *you* should be left with the house work.

Maybe the two of you could spend an hour or two every weekend doing the major stuff. Then, during the week, decide what is most important in your household to take care of, and divvy it up.

Clutter: I've found that when I walk around the house with our baby for soothing or helping her to fall asleep, that's the perfect time to pick stuff up and put it back where it belongs. Since you've got a toddler, you could incorporate this in your play time. Your toddler might not even notice that you're doing this while you give him or her your attention. You could make it a time to take turns making up stories, so you're providing attention while also picking up. Or you could get your toddler to help. This is a great opportunity to introduce a child to chores and make it positive. Make a game of it, or just rewarding in its own right: "we're taking care of our house." You could turn on your toddler's favorite music or set up a race: who can pick up the most toys in 5 minutes? Use a kitchen timer that dings for extra fun. Get your husband to play, too. If your toddler refuses, maybe watching you two have fun doing this will get him or her to want to join in.

Also, for clutter, I've heard that keeping baskets in each major room is a great way to put stuff that is out of place, temporarily. It at least keeps it all in one spot till you can get to it, and if it's a pretty basket with a lid, all the better!

I heard a great tip once for laundry: don't bother to fold the bath towels. Just throw them into a basket that you keep in the bathroom. The basket will be decorative, and when you need a new towel, just reach in.

Quick healthy meals: I recently found a great recipe that is much tastier than I expected, and cheap, easy and healthy. Spiral pasta (best if tri-color), plus a can of kidney beans, can of chick peas and can of black beans, all rinsed and drained. Add whatever veggies you like. What works best is a combination like carrots, celery, sweet onion, and broccoli. Crunchy is good. Then, you can add everyone's favorite salad dressing to their individual bowl of it. Great protein, and a great way to get in the veggies! You could even make it super fun by allowing your toddler to make it finger food. Just keep that napkin handy :)

I've also found that extra-firm tofu cut into small squares and fried up in soy sauce or teriyaki sauce is awesome. Takes like 5 minutes, start to finish. If you make quinoa instead of rice, you cut your cooking time down to 15 minutes for a fresh, healthy grain that is not out of the box like quick rice, which isn't as healthy, esp. if it's white. Add some boulion or Italian herbs and some salt, and it's delicious. I prefer to keep the lid on after I bring it to a boil. Makes it softer. You can also add a little olive oil after most of the water has drained off (olive oil oxidizes easily, so it's good to add it toward the end of cooking something if possible). So, tofu plus quinoa plus some veggie like frozen sweet corn is super quick, easy and really wholesome. Make sure that it's GMO-free tofu. Most are.

L.

PS I've recently found that cleaning at odd hours works best for me. But this is probably because I'm a SAHM. You might find that you're up before your husband and toddler, though, or up later at night. While your toddler is sleeping, you can accomplish so many things! Of course, it's only fair that your husband take his turn, as well. Again, you just have to sit down and divide it up.

Talking on the phone is a good time to get stuff done, too, of course :)

Check out Flylady.net. For me it has been wonderful. I am not a naturally organized person and I HATE housework. My house was a complete disaster area a couple of months ago. Now it is actually clean, and I don't have to spend all of my time cleaning. The website also has information on all of the other areas you asked about.
M.

If only there were an answer to your question. If it could be bottled. All women would be happy! Good luck! ~r~

try flylady.com I started receiving their emails and it is real easy to keep up with the house. you start with baby steps and before you know it your whole house is clean with little effort. good luck

Go to Flylady.net. All your answers are there.

Another flylady fan here! As for exercise, try to do it with your toddler. Taking walks together. Perhaps your library has some exercise videos you can try out that include your child.Mealtime...nothing (well, almost nothing!) is more aggrivating than a picky eater. Have your toddler eat what you eat in smaller amounts. Go easy on spices and seasoning, children have more taste buds than we do. That should help you eat healthy ,too. We've let each of our nine kids pick one thing that they don't have to eat whenever it is served. They must eat everything else they are served. My husband and I are not overweight and neither are any of our children, three of whom are adults. They've never been allowed treats or dessert when they don't finish a meal. Start good healthy habits now.

Flylady.net

Love it!

if you can afford it, i highly recommend getting a cleaning lady to come in every other week or once a month to do your deep cleaning. when i worked outside of my home, i had one, and it really freed up my time after work and on the weekends to be with my daughter. one quick tip i use is i never leave a room without something in my hands, even if it's just some cheerios off the floor or a pair of shoes, this has become a habit for me and helps me keep my home tidy. all my best~~J.

First of all is there a hubby in the picture if so I would draw up a list of household duties with how often they need to be done. Then sat down with him and decide who does what. Also as for clutter the one tip I have is want you get mail deal with it right away, do not just drop in on the nearest table. Toss what can be toss, have a place for unpayed bills put the new ones there, do the same with coupons if you use them etc.

I echo the other ladies who have mentioned flylady.net. She has info on "crisis cleaning", decluttering, and how to get a good system in place. It won't happen overnight, but she helps to break it down into bitesize pieces and make it manageable. She also has info on exercise, eating better, etc. Love it! Hope you do, too! :o)

Step over the clutter... there is your exercise, and spend your free time hanging out with the kids. They won't be little for long. Mine just turned 6 and I have spent way too much time over the past 6 years worrying about housework and bills, and not near enough precious time with her. It really does happen in a blink. : )

Go see flylady.net - she'll get you on track!!

It seems everyone likes Flylady so I'll have to check that out myself! I try to do a little here and there. Most of my major cleaning is done on the weekend since I also have a full time job. I am a stickler about food though. Try your best to keep a lot of fruit, natural cereals, whole wheat bread, low fat cheese, and yogurt in the house. Fix meals with a meat or other protein, vegetables, and a small starch - if necessary. I give my son a little of everything we eat and he must "try" it unless I'm sure he doesn't like it. He has 100% juice-watered down and lots of water and milk. He learned early that candy was a treat and he asks before getting it and asks how much he can have. He gets a lot of junk at school so I try to keep things as healthy as I can at home. I try to do most of my cooking on the weekend and have it in the fridge for the week - that's my best time saving advice. Bottom line, try to keep things done ahead, oh yea, use your freezer. That's a great help too!! A good cookbook to try is Deceptively Delicious. She shows you how to "SNEAK" vegetables into normal kid food! I do it and it works!!!!!!!

Best Wishes!
M.