Household Routines

I've been asked a lot lately about how I "run the house." I guess I like to have an order to my day/week, etc. I'm no drill sergeant by any means (unless maybe you ask my kids), but I find things run smoother if I have an established routine. So, here goes...

I like to have one day a week to do laundry. This was not always possible when I was working. Now that I am home, it's the best way to get it all done in one day rather than doing laundry for 5 or 6 days of the week. There are always exceptions to this rule - potty training, sick people, accidents, etc., but I find that if I stick to one day a week, I also eliminate the "Mom, where's my clothes?" questions. At our house, everyone knows that Wednesday is laundry day. If you don't have your clothes in your dirty clothes basket by the night before, you will have to wait until the next week. I have also quit picking up clothes from the floor, no matter how close to the basket they may be. For the most part, everyone in our house is able to pick up their clothes.

As for cleaning the house, I like to have a room or two per day. That is the time that the room gets a good once over. Dusting, going through old mail, throwing out old magazines, evicting the toys to their owner's room, etc. I have also given the older children chores to do every day during the week. Vacuuming and sweeping are two of the main chores. The only stipulation I give them is that they need to pick up the room before they start - papers, pillows, afghans, etc. This also keeps the mess under control.

Well, that's the basics. I know this is not near enough cleaning for some people and way too much for others. I know this works for us.

A wise person once told me, "A house needs to be clean enough to be healthy, but dirty enough to be lived in."