My "Chores" list

Last week I shared my new daily schedule, and while not everything has gotten done every day, it has helped some... especially on the days I think to look at it! :) Yesterday, I even managed to get dinner prep stuff done right! That means I actually took meat out of the freezer in time for it to thaw and I started the bread in the bread machine in enough time for it to be ready to wrap the dough around the meatloaf I had planned! These are pretty exciting accomplishments for me these days and I'm just thrilled. :)

Well, I told you last week that I'd try to break some things down for you, so this week I wanted to share what my "chore" time looks like. When I put that into my schedule, I knew it would involve cleaning, but I really hadn't decided how I was going to implement that wildly neglected part of my daily to-dos. Because I really am so inspired by all of you, I decided to float around to see what some of you do in your (way more) organized homes. :) I was tickled to find Prairie Prologue's Tricks of the Trade Series through Biblical Womanhood. I quickly devoured everything she had to say on the subject and then, using her list of "Weekly Essentials" as a guide, I made my own! Some of them I copied straight down and others I tweaked to match our home and life style. Here they are...

General Home Stuff:

• Monday ~ Linens (while I will do laundry throughout the week [at least one load a day these days], I will specifically take care of bed linens and towels on Monday! Won't My Beloved be so blessed and tickled to have a freshly made bed more often than... well... you know!)
• Tuesday ~ Trash (My Beloved usually takes care of the kitchen trash and the diaper pail [I know... I'm spoiled] as they need to be emptied throughout the week, but the trash in the bathroom, our bedroom, and the laundry area are often overlooked until it's just ridiculous, and since Wednesday they come to collect our trash... Tuesday it is!)
• Wednesday ~ Windows/Walls (spot cleaning... now that DS is fixated on looking out the window for birds, there are regular fingerprints and mouth marks on my windows!)
• Thursday ~ Dusting (hopefully my feather duster will be here by next Thursday!)
• Friday ~ Floors (vacuuming and sweeping happen throughout the week as needed when I can't handle the look or feel of them anymore, but the mopping/scrubbing will happen here.

In addition to the general cleaning stuff, Prairie Chick recommends having set chores for the kitchen and bathroom each day... here are mine:

Kitchen:

• Monday ~ Fridge/Freezer (Monday night is our shopping night, so it just makes sense to do this while it is "empty". It's the perfect time to toss all old questionable foodstuffs too!)
• Tuesday ~ Tweak a cupboard (following her example, I can organize a cupboard that has gotten out of hand.)
• Wednesday ~ Wipe cupboard doors and counters (this involves a little cleaner, as apposed to the normal daily wiping of crumbs or spills)
• Thursday ~ Stove Top and Oven (this should be a deep clean of one part each week... then over time it will stay pretty!)
• Friday ~ Appliance (keeping the microwave, toaster oven, etc. looking nice.)

Bathroom:

• Monday ~ Mirror (and sink... I'm simply supposed to wipe down the sink with the rag I used on the mirror)
• Tuesday ~ Toilet
• Wednesday ~ Shower Walls (This is easy to do real quick while I'm in the shower.)
• Thursday ~ Bathtub (I really need to be keeping this clean... my precious little guy loves his baths!)
• Friday ~ Floor (easy to just finish the kitchen and move in here!)

Well... that's my plan! I'll touch on a few more things down the road. Keep posted for our "school" time! :) Now... I must go make a batch of cookies so I can send My Beloved out of town tomorrow with an edible bit of love! :)