Housekeeping for Dummies

I get asked by a lot of people if I get bored staying at home. And the answer is no! I absolutely love being a stay-at-home mom. I told Aaron I wanted four more Ollies. He is not supportive of this.

Here is what I do to make sure I don't get cabin fever. 

1. I have a pretty set routine

 This is my cleaning schedule. I have chores I do everyday: dishes, swiffer the kitchen, laundry, etc.. I also have different chores I do for each day. Mondays are counters, toilets, and I rotate which shower gets cleaned. Tuesdays are dusting. Wednesdays, I do the floors. On Thursday, I do a monthly chore. So, once a month, the refrigerator gets cleaned, the appliances wiped down. The last week of the month I do a yearly chore. That could be cleaning the windows, organizing closets, power-washing the house. 

I usually get my chores done before noon so I focus on playing with the baby, or read while he is sleeping.

Wednesdays are my busiest days. Cleaning floors can take a while. I vacuum the whole house and use a real mop (not a swiffer). I also get ready to lead a class at church for first and second graders/ get Oliver ready for church/ make myself presentable to society (put real pants on). To eliavate some of the work, I rotate what I mop. 

The first week I started this, not only did I vacuum every room, I mopped every room that had tile, and Oliver was turning one month old and I was trying to get his chalkboard ready/ get him a bath/ find an outfit that goes with his tie. Oliver was also having a rough day.

It was definitely too much. I was supposed to be at the church to discuss plans for Wednesday night. I let Aaron represent us. Aaron came home to a mess of a wife. Things that changed... Oliver started using a pacifier. I don't know why we didn't use one before a month. We just didn't see a reason. We know better now. I also don't mop every room every week. I rotate it into three weeks, and spot mop as needed. 

2. I use a pre-made menu to cook. 

I use a website that has really easy recipes to follow. They even have the list of ingredients so grocery shopping is really easy. They send you a new menu every Thursday and 90% of the recipes we tried, we really liked. I send Aaron the email so he can get the groceries and I don't even look at what I am making until right before it is time. The only ingredients we can't find in our little grocery store of Seagraves is pesto and pita pockets. 

3. Ollie is my first priority, of course. If he is needing some extra love, the rest can wait. I don't mind the snuggles. I also try to limit my chores on the weekend so I can spend some time with Aaron. 

4. I want to add to my Teachers Pay Teachers store. I loved creating lesson plans and creating new content when I was a teacher. What is on the store right now is just some of the things I have made and used in class. I am planning on going back and adding some razzle dazzle and pizzazz. I also want to add more to the store. If you are a teacher, and would like to commission some work, you will get the product for free if you will let me sell it on my store.