Most of my friends and family know that once a week I do not leave my house for an entire day. I don't shower, or run errands, and I do not cook (lets be honest, that is more than once a week). Once a week I have a cleaning day. I turn into a bit of a psycho. I usually choose a day that Trevor will be gone the longest because we usually end up fighting on cleaning day. This pregnancy, like my last, has taken a toll on my cleaning abilities. This pregnancy I was pretty much glued to my couch for about 2 months. Trevor was a huge help but he was also going to school and working so the house got a little out of control. This was a problem because what made me vomit more than anything else was smells and my house smelled like garbage for 2 months straight. I did have lots of help. Trevor's amazing aunt Melece came and cleaned my kitchen from top to bottom and made us dinner, my friend Carley helped me out with pick up on a regular basis. It was wonderful but within a few days it was always back to smelling like garbage. Also we were potty training so there were pee spots in the carpet that got left for days. One day when I was starting to feel a little better my friend Carley came over to help me do one of my all day deep cleans. I'm sure I scared her a little. She kept asking if I was going to take a break to eat. She suggested that I maybe break up my cleaning schedule and just do a little bit each day. I told her I could not do that because then one room would stay messy and the mess would make its way into my clean room and it would just always be messy. (I understand this reasoning does not make sense) But after a few more weeks of not feeling good and realizing that after my second kid a cleaning day might not be an option, I decided to consider doing things different.
One of the reasons I love having a cleaning day is that I don't have to do house chores for the rest of the week. That also means that my house is only clean one day a week. But at least it keeps things under control. It was really really really hard for me to convert to a new system. I decided to check out pinterest and I combined like 5 different ideas I found to create my new system. First thing I decided was that I would do my cleaning in the mornings because that is when I have the most energy. Next I decided that I would only give myself an hour and a half to clean each day. Then I assigned a chore for each day and also made a list of things that HAVE to be done on a daily basis. For example Monday I do my bathrooms, but I also make beds and pick up little messes and keep the kitchen looking decent throughout the day. Usually I do a quick pick up before bed at night that takes 5 to 10 minutes. I also realize that some days I just don't have time for my chores so I just push everything back a day and maybe add an extra thirty minutes the next day and that has worked out great. Also I added this pinterest idea of rotating toys because we don't have a play room. I put about half of Kirra's toys up in her closet and rotate them once a week. It keeps the mess down and Kirra has something to look forward to. I am am amazed at the difference this system has made. My house is clean every day! Trevor and I don't fight on cleaning days anymore because I am not tired and annoyed when I am done. Laundry is not piled up everywhere. I am happier and function much better on a day to day basis. I remember things, I can actually make plans every day of the week, and Kirra gets more attention, AND she has started helping me. I usually have a few free days because I finish everything early in the week and I can catch up on projects. The best part is I feel so organized and if I want to take a nap in the afternoon, I can, and I don't feel like I have to use that time to catch up on my disgusting house. The other best part is my house smells amazing. The garbage smell is gone. I am hoping when the new baby comes my system will still work out. But for now I am proud of myself for actually trying something different (I am a creature of habit and do not adjust well to change or even suggestions of change) I am starting to wonder if I have looked over other suggestions that might make my life easier. So if you have any suggestions for me on how to make life easier with kids I am willing to try them.
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| This is my living room floor in the middle of the day on a day I chose to do nothing and all my family is home! This is huge people! |
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| My kitchen has looked this good for almost a month straight...It's a miracle! |
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| My kitchen table doesn't have food crusted on it. I should have shown the before my change pictures. |
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| Best of all I get to see these happy faces every day now!! |
I used to do all my cleaning in one day until I had Jillian. Then I started a schedule to do one thing a day which I like soooo much better. The schedule has yet to resume since having Mattie though :)
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