Today is my day off. It’s usually a big laundry day. This is what I found atop my laundry basket this morning. I think Miss Mdd is going to get a laundry lesson soon.
I am not like my mother. When we were growing up, Saturday was cleaning day. We were not allowed to go anywhere until our chores were done. Mom would split them up among us and rotate them from week to week. This is how it was when she was growing up. I learned how to clean things — anything and everything — very, very well, and I am thankful. Mom was a stickler and I learned all about the details. I don’t put that knowledge to use on a regular basis, but I’m glad I know. My kids don’t know much. I know they need to know how to do these things and they learn responsibility, etc. They do a few chores on a regular basis, but nothing compared to what we did at their age; I don’t drive them. Sometimes, I wish I were more like Mom. I guess I’m not as much of a stickler — my house doesn’t need to look like a House Beautiful photographer would be arriving any minute. It’s not that I don’t love a clean house! What do y’all do? Do you have regular cleaning days, regular chores, involve the kids a lot or a little?
I was admiring my work on the St. Brigid sleeve last night, having completed the fourth repeat of the sleeve’s main chart, when what to my wondering eyes should appear but a frickin’ miscrossed cable. I had a lot of interruptions last night, but still…
I don’t have kids and I don’t have a regular cleaning day. I work from home and between all the dog hair and the teddy bear fluff I clean when I can’t take it anymore! Sounds terrible, I know, but I’ve learned that schedules don’t work in my un-scheduled world! I do LOVE a clean house, though. What a sense of accomplishment and pride after it’s all done!
And oh NO! Not another cable mishap. I just swatched for St. brigid, and I think I’ll take your advice and chart out the pattern and highlight it!!!
oH the poor cable… : (
I must be your mothers child : ) not so terribly proud of it, but WE clean every Wednesday evening. Wash bedding, each kid does their own room and they help with various other rooms. We have been doing it for so long that we have a system that keeps it down to under 3hr’s time involved. I refuse to clean on the weekend and the kids like that it does not involve much of their time. I am anxious to see how the house stays after Carrie leaves..less bathroom usage. Each kid knows how to do laundry and they help when I ask, but I usually do a load a day and that keeps it pretty cleaned up.
The cables need to learn their proper places and stay in line…
My mom will spend all day deep cleaning the house. It always looks so lovely when she’s done. (When I was growing up, I’d get in trouble if I brought a friend over when she felt the house wasn’t clean.) I, however, can’t seem to summon the energy to clean for six hours straight. I do it piecemeal through the week. I understand how things get dirty, but I can’t figure out how stuff manages to pile up in different parts of the house…
I hate cleaning, so I do the bare essentials every day, 1 load laundry and ironing, sweep and clean the floors.
(I have tiles and 3 boys and a black lab).
In term time the boys have to keep their rooms straight and do dinner dishes, in the holidays they have to an extra job every day and do their own ironing. I am teaching them to be good husband material!!
Then once a week I do everything and love it for a few hours till everyone gets home.
So this miscrossed cable is it fixable??
I follow the Flylady system most of the time. The basic premise is that you can do anything if you break it down into little bits of time. My kids do chores with a timer and I’ll set it for 15 or 20 minutes while they work. When the timer goes off, they get to quit, regardless of what’s still incomplete. I figure that getting them to do something is better than having to do it ALL myself!
My 9 y/o daughter can manage laundry and dishes and is a pretty darn good cook (I still have to supervise her with knives though!)
My 6 y/o boy can help with laundry (folding, putting away) and is in charge of cleaning one bathroom and feeding the animals as well as helping with dinner dishes, general cleanup and making his bed. Both kids LOVE to swiffer the floors and fight over who gets to use the swiffer mop first! Hee!
Wow, I love Christine’s system. Sounds like the perfect solution. I have to do bits and pieces throughout the week. My mom is the same as Melanie’s and does a deep, deep cleaning once/week. Completely cleans and washes the fridge and everything.
I have a Madeline too! I prefer your daughter’s spelling & have always regretted that we didn’t spell my daughter’s name that way.
Sorry to read about the crossed cable. But perfect use of the word “frickin'”–my dad is a big user of the term. Me, I am a “freakin'” kinda girl. 🙂
Get those girls doing laundry. Gracie is the laundry queen. Since she was 6. If only I could get her to put it away more often. Owen likes to jump all over folded laundry. Such fun.
I clean whenever, wherever, but this post made me want to go home and get some done! 🙂
I have a checklist system and just follow the list everyday:
http://www.motivatedmoms.com
I do involve my kids (especially my teenage daughter) in the daily duties and am even letting her do her own laundry. I am a stickler for laundry done “just so” — it’s a stretch for me to look the other way and let her do her own laundry.
Kids and chores.
I have a serious Cinderella complex about chores. My step-mother made me clean the house, a different room/area of the house every day of the week. I had to scrub from floor to ceiling; floors, windows, dusting, baths, toilets, mirrors, sinks, etc. (There was never any picking up to do because noone was allowed to touch anything or leave toys anywhere.) I also set and cleared the dinner table and folded all laundry. Chores were to be done immediately upon coming home from school. (I was not allowed to go out and play with friends. I was not allowed to have friends.) Anything not done to her satisfaction was re-done until she was happy. There were days I spent all afternoon cleaning. Then I got in trouble for not finishing my homework.
I can clean house with the best of them.
Now that I am an adult I employ a weekly housekeeper named Karen. I love Karen.
I have recently started my 3 1/2 year old daughter setting the dinner table. She also loves to help wash dishes, and she’s getting pretty good at it. She picks up (most of) her toys. She loves to help cook, do laundry, and she has created the household rule “If you make a mess you have to clean it up.”
I think we’re on track for her. She will not have the Cinderella issues I did, but she’ll know how and why to clean and be a contributing family member. Spit polish not required.