So, how did those calendars work for me? Well, I created two for December. Ha!
Did having a menu save me $$$?
I don't think as much as I initially thought it would. However, it did help my sanity! We can't really put a $$$ label on that! :-D It made life so much easier to know what was planned the next day (even if I did have to move things around...at least there was recipes ready at my fingertips and know that the majority of the ingredients were here).
I put the calendar at the front of the binder and the recipes I printed into page protectors. I can go back to them when I want to put them back into another rotation...and I'm keeping the ones I marked as "fails" for awhile, until I remember, because often I repeat a recipe, forgetting I had already tried it...and of course, we get the same response. LOL
Chore calendar: absolutely! Definitely need to allow flexibility but it was so nice to have that ready and with no need to think about what needs to be done. Basics were done each week. Maybe not as good as if I had done it myself...but at least it wasn't being left to get dirtier and dirtier! I got a good idea of how often a chore needed done and what I needed to add TO the calendar. I will definitely continue this...tweaking it as I go along. I now have it taped to the wall at the top of the basement stairs so that when they head up from after our school morning...they see it. :-D T., 5 years, is the only one I really need to remind and instruct.
Side note: practicality weighed over visually appealing. :-) No matter what, a pile of towels, bibs and who knows what else ended outside the door of the basement to go to the laundry. Well, baby loves those dirty things. EW! Anyway, can't plop them on the carpet of the landing and heaven knows the only person who takes them down is me, so a plastic bin became a necessity. :-)
So the basics are covered...now how about some advice in getting done the other stuff....the extras...like the boxes that are still piled up in the basement from our move in August? Keeping up with the bills and the receipts? Getting MY closet organized and not just the kids? Homeschooling stuff organized so we can more easily find it all? the garage...so that my dear husband can park his car in the garage also?
What are your tips?
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Mommy chores = never ending
There are some chores that just should be done more frequently then they are but there just isn't enough time in the day, especially when you are a schooling at home mommy and are "working" during the day. However, there is a chore that MUST be done weekly....it should be done more...but at least it's getting done more thoroughly weekly. :-D Monday night, yep, I'm completely exhausted by the time I'm done. Might have something to do with Mondays, in general, are the absolutely most busiest day of the week. School day is the longest, piano lessons, and the such.
But, it's got to be done...so here's our procedure....
Kids, get the chairs and boosters wiped down, after supper, and moved out of the kitchen. Typically a child washes the table and sweeps but if it's a certain child's assigned chore for that day, I usually end up just doing it myself and get disgusted with myself because I thought he could handle it...and I knew better. :-D
Anyway, then I start into Bar Keeper Friending the sink. BLAH! But! I got smart today and wore gloves! :-D Doesn't stop my fingers, wrists, and elbows from aching though. I really should buy stock in Bar Keeper's Friend, the amount we go through each week. This sink is the absolute worse to keep clean and these counter tops....yeah, if we ever build a house, we are not going with Corian. Yes, it has some pros but boy oh boy...it takes a LOT of work and heaven help if you drop anything on it. No such thing as easy clean up. You think you got it clean and wipe your hand over it and ew! ESPECIALLY where I work with dough. The sinks stains within 24 hours of cleaning it and I used to fret about it but I just say, "oh well", now. Kids wash paintbrushes and paint is everywhere and stains stains stains. We use pasta sauce, stains. Anything with color, stains. Ugh! So maybe you have an idea now why I'm exhausted by the time I'm done. SCRUB, the sink, the countertops, tile on the backboard and up the wall, everything on them, stainless steal appliances, micro, coffee pot....EVERYTHING. Give it a good ol' scrub. It's absolutely amazing how dirty that kitchen gets in such a short time. General wiping down every day just does not cut it. Seems way more then our old kitchen...and there were way more kids in the old kitchen. LOL Then it's onto the floor. Another thing I won't do...tile floors. Steam mop does NOT do well with tile floors but I really don't have the energy to do it the old fashion way. LOL My knees don't want to either! One benefit would be that I shouldn't get warm with scrubbing by hand because the floor is so COLD! :-D Okay, I admit...the kitchen of our "new" house is not my favorite . I liked my old kitchen better. But, that being said, we can't have everything we want so, we just make do. There are many positive things about this house that outweigh the cons. :-)
Final word: if you want to stop in and visit...you might want to come Tuesday evenings. Floors on the main floor look nice for less then 24 hours....and the kitchen MAY be clean, since Tuesday is usually a bread day...I can't guarantee it. LOL
Do you have a chore that exhausts you?
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Let me end on a more positive note though! The lovely Kitchen Aid mixer seen in the picture above....that was a wedding gift from my mom and dad :-). It hardly ever got used at the old house. Only my husband would pull it out and then I'd get my nose all wrinkled up because guess who had to put it away. Yeah...not fun. BUT! Here at this house....it stays on the counter ALL THE TIME! And that also means...it gets used! Quite frequently actually...since I'm starting into making our own buns and bread. Makes baking bread a whole lot easier! Thank goodness for the Kitchen Aid! :-D
Mommy chores = never ending
But, it's got to be done...so here's our procedure....
Kids, get the chairs and boosters wiped down, after supper, and moved out of the kitchen. Typically a child washes the table and sweeps but if it's a certain child's assigned chore for that day, I usually end up just doing it myself and get disgusted with myself because I thought he could handle it...and I knew better. :-D
Anyway, then I start into Bar Keeper Friending the sink. BLAH! But! I got smart today and wore gloves! :-D Doesn't stop my fingers, wrists, and elbows from aching though. I really should buy stock in Bar Keeper's Friend, the amount we go through each week. This sink is the absolute worse to keep clean and these counter tops....yeah, if we ever build a house, we are not going with Corian. Yes, it has some pros but boy oh boy...it takes a LOT of work and heaven help if you drop anything on it. No such thing as easy clean up. You think you got it clean and wipe your hand over it and ew! ESPECIALLY where I work with dough. The sinks stains within 24 hours of cleaning it and I used to fret about it but I just say, "oh well", now. Kids wash paintbrushes and paint is everywhere and stains stains stains. We use pasta sauce, stains. Anything with color, stains. Ugh! So maybe you have an idea now why I'm exhausted by the time I'm done. SCRUB, the sink, the countertops, tile on the backboard and up the wall, everything on them, stainless steal appliances, micro, coffee pot....EVERYTHING. Give it a good ol' scrub. It's absolutely amazing how dirty that kitchen gets in such a short time. General wiping down every day just does not cut it. Seems way more then our old kitchen...and there were way more kids in the old kitchen. LOL Then it's onto the floor. Another thing I won't do...tile floors. Steam mop does NOT do well with tile floors but I really don't have the energy to do it the old fashion way. LOL My knees don't want to either! One benefit would be that I shouldn't get warm with scrubbing by hand because the floor is so COLD! :-D Okay, I admit...the kitchen of our "new" house is not my favorite . I liked my old kitchen better. But, that being said, we can't have everything we want so, we just make do. There are many positive things about this house that outweigh the cons. :-)
Final word: if you want to stop in and visit...you might want to come Tuesday evenings. Floors on the main floor look nice for less then 24 hours....and the kitchen MAY be clean, since Tuesday is usually a bread day...I can't guarantee it. LOL
Do you have a chore that exhausts you?
------------------------------------------------------
Let me end on a more positive note though! The lovely Kitchen Aid mixer seen in the picture above....that was a wedding gift from my mom and dad :-). It hardly ever got used at the old house. Only my husband would pull it out and then I'd get my nose all wrinkled up because guess who had to put it away. Yeah...not fun. BUT! Here at this house....it stays on the counter ALL THE TIME! And that also means...it gets used! Quite frequently actually...since I'm starting into making our own buns and bread. Makes baking bread a whole lot easier! Thank goodness for the Kitchen Aid! :-D
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