My Successes and Blunders During Week 1 of Our Home Organization Plan

           

Move Away from the Mess!

              During the school year, I am a mess...I mean my house is a mess, well maybe, we could say both statements are true, but let's focus on the latter.  Which is of course why I have been excited about trying a more structured plan for house cleaning/organization. I want to be able to manage the affairs of my household, open my mouth with wisdom-not stress, and laugh without worry of the dishes piling up in the sink, laundry beginning to form peculiar shapes, and the horror of realizing I have not started a project that has a deadline of tomorrow.  
             
              I figure, if I can get this down to a structured habit during the summer, maybe I'll have a chance to not be a complete mess during this coming school year.  I have been trying to get my act together all summer, but as you may know, without accountability, it is easy to stray.  So let's be accountable.  I'll check in on you and please feel free to ask me if I have removed the fingerprints of preschoolers from the French doors on window cleaning days. Cleaning windows sounds so boring...lol.  I think I watch too many spy-cop shows. Am I really starting to think that house cleaning should be exciting? Well, maybe we can make it have a little Pizazz!


             On Monday, I got up early, made the beds, fixed breakfast, wiped down the bathroom. Made sure I had everything I needed for tacos. Gold Star for the Morning Tasks...Hooray!  By lunchtime, I had clean sheets on all the beds, 3 loads of laundry washed, 2 loads dried and folded and the main living areas straightened just in time for the kids nap time. I made sure to finish up the kitchen, before I started baths, brushing, and bed routine.  This is really important for me, because usually sometime after bath or in the middle of brushing, I have lost all energy, patience, and perseverance to do anything after my two bouncing, balls of joyful energy finally fall asleep. 
               Tuesday went very similarly, Morning Routine was a piece of cake, my bathroom didn't know what hit it. I don't think I have ever seen my floor sparkle before =). My kids loved their role of "House Dusters"...and they did a good job.  Even the two year old dusted 60% of the table!  Isaiah would have rather avoided the vacuuming altogether, but I made sure to wait til he was playing in his bedroom before I turned on the dreaded noise-maker.  We visited family for dinner, so the kitchen mess was limited and easy to tackle. Bed time routine went smoothly.


            On Wednesday, we spent the day with my aunt (who had been seen for pneumonia three days prior) picking up presents, cake, and dinner ingredients for my grandfather's birthday dinner.  Which did get in my way of housework, but meant so much to be able to help out. Especially, considering my grandfather had also taken a trip to ER a few days earlier because of bronchitis.  We did have a wonderful dinner to celebrate my Poppy's 74 birthday.  And what a joy was it for me to be apart of this family gathering!!!  
    So, when I was at home, I only did the minimum.  Needless to say the bathroom most likely missed its wipe down, I did get the laundry done, but in no way did I touch windows, mirrors, or doorknobs.


         Thursday, also included doctors appts. with another family member, so housework was not a priority.  On Friday, I did the morning tasks, afternoon tidy, Bedtime Routine, and Kitchen Cleanup. To say the least, my joy and motivation had gone AWOL.  By Saturday, I was wiped out emotionally, physically, and mentally.  Thank goodness for rest and family time. 


Before I knew it, it was Monday and I was excited to tackle laundry, bed linens, and towels.  I even tried a tip from someone on Pinterest and added vinegar to the rinse cycle with my towels.  The results were wonderfully fluffy, rejuvenated towels.  I call that Pizazz!  
              Now, I am finishing up Tuesday of week two and still motivated to finish strong this week!  Tomorrow, is window washing day!  My favorite...okay, not soo much, but I will have clean windows by tomorrow evening. 
               So, how did week one go for you?  Did you start out strong and finish strong?  Or were you like me, started out strong, only to fizzle mid-week? Or maybe you really didn't get with the plan at all last week.  What were your strengths? What were your struggles?


                Either way, don't give up. Figure out what's working, and tweak things just a little at first. I would try to stick with the main objectives of this plan for around three weeks.  If it is just not even coming close to meeting your households' needs, make larger adjustments.  There are so many resources out there to meet the diverse needs of families around us.  For example, if you have babies or toddlers in toilet training, laundry might be an absolute everyday thing.  If your husband works nights and gets home to go to bed at 8 a.m. (like my amazing, hard-working husband) then making your bed at 7:30 a.m. is probably not very helpful.  Yes, it took me three days of making the bed, before I recognized this.  So now, during my afternoon tidy, I make our bed and check it off my list.



Well, I will check back in next week to update you on the organization plan.  Praying for perseverance, motivation, and joy in your household affairs!