Having the House ready for the day (and school)

[momacacia]

I put this in the education forum, because I think I'm realizing it is impacting our getting school done. I will caveat by saying that I work on lowering standards, I really don't think my standards are unreasonable, but will admit I like order, clean floors and open spaces. However, we do decorate with books, some plants, we like paper (sometimes housed in books ;)) and select toys and craft items around the place (most of which are in the basement which I avoid like the plague).

 

So....after having this week off school and spending much of it cleaning, I'm realizing how once the house is reasonably picked up, floor vacuumed, counters/desks wiped off (bulk of the laundry is done too)---I'm ready to do school, some work, sit down and read with the kids, or play! It's like my base I can jump from. But during the school week so many of these things just stare at me, needing to get done. I'm just kind of amazed at this feeling of, "Ah, NOW, let's do school or something together kiddos. Ah, I could sit down now and organize files. Ahhhhhhhh!"

 

Do any of you feel this way? Does anyone actually start each school day with their home in this type of order? If you do, how do you do it?! Please share!

[Caclcoca]

I am going to follow this because I need help with this also.  I am just posting to say you are not alone.

[AimeeM]

I clean the night before. It really is that simple. I have found that I am in much better "school" spirits, if I wake up to an empty sink, clean floors, tidy rooms, and a cleared dining room table. What this means is that throughout the day, I only have to pick up (very little) as we go - I usually load the dishwasher again mid-day, for example, and I try to put away school books as they're used.

To clean the house after the littles are in bed is actually NOT very time consuming. I get the dishes done, dinner put away, counters wiped down, and the house swept and mopped within an hour (we have all hardwoods). The boys' bedroom is cleaned completely before bed at night... every night. 

In the morning all I need to do is make our bed and put up the floor mat from the boys' room (I'm sleeping on the floor still with a certain climbing toddler). Which means I'm free to have a cup of coffee and relax for about an hour every morning before the kids start hopping.

 

ETA: bathrooms are randomly wiped down, but only thoroughly cleaned when need be, and then really only on the weekends.

[fairfarmhand]

Before bed, tidy up. Since we school i nthe dining room/kitchen, this means no dishes in the sinks, no clutter on the counters or table. IOW our school room is tidy when I get up.

 

After breakfast, the dishwasher is emptied of last nights dishes and reloaded with the mornings dishes. Surfaces wiped down and only then are the books gotten out.

 

After school, I grade papers and ask each child to repack their crates with school stuff. If the common areas of the house are clean, I do much better.

[mom2scouts]

I would love to wake up to a clean house.  Unfortunately, I don't think a single member of my family knows how to put anything away, my 7 year old dd is a hurricane disguised as a cute and creative little girl, and my dh brings home more junk in a day than he picks up in a month.  Sigh, I'm fighting a losing battle.

[Rachel]

Little things help. I spend about 30 minutes every night finishing up dishes, sweeping the 1st floor (lots of hardwood), and picking up. It's been a hard habit to get into especially when my husband is out of town and I'd really like to collapse after the kids are in bed. However, when I don't do this it throws off the next day. I try to have the kids pick up throughout the day, whatever gets missed is done at bedtime. I am attempting to teach them not to get out too many things and once, my 6 year old is pretty good at this. I run the dishwasher every night, my kids unload it every morning right after breakfast. I do other chores during that time or while they are napping. I kind of alternate between doing one big chore a day (bathrooms, mopping, vacuuming) and trying to do them all the same day. I prefer having the whole house clean at the same time but it's easier for me to find time to do one major cleaning job a day.

 

After I dismiss the kids from school for the day, I spend about 10 minutes putting away the school stuff and getting set for the next day. My kids are young so this may change as they get older but for now it works. I hope that helps.

[Gentlemommy]

I clean the night before. It really is that simple. I have found that I am in much better "school" spirits, if I wake up to an empty sink, clean floors, tidy rooms, and a cleared dining room table. What this means is that throughout the day, I only have to pick up (very little) as we go - I usually load the dishwasher again mid-day, for example, and I try to put away school books as they're used.

To clean the house after the littles are in bed is actually NOT very time consuming. I get the dishes done, dinner put away, counters wiped down, and the house swept and mopped within an hour (we have all hardwoods). The boys' bedroom is cleaned completely before bed at night... every night.

In the morning all I need to do is make our bed and put up the floor mat from the boys' room (I'm sleeping on the floor still with a certain climbing toddler). Which means I'm free to have a cup of coffee and relax for about an hour every morning before the kids start hopping.

 

ETA: bathrooms are randomly wiped down, but only thoroughly cleaned when need be, and then really only on the weekends.

 

This is exactly what I do. Kids help with chores during the day, but I make sure laundry, dishes, and floors are done each night. Toilets are cleaned daily, and bathrooms are wiped twice a week. Downstairs is vacuumed 3x per week, upstairs (only bedrooms are up there) twice. Floors are swept daily, kitchen also mopped daily. Dining room gets swept daily, but mopped twice a week. Everyone picks up their belongings at night before bed.

[marlowefamily]

A clean house definitely goes a long way for homeschooling, especially when the house and home schooling area is smaller than one would wish.

 

I fought somewhat with my kids on this for many years.  It's best if you can get them into cleaning habits while really young, otherwise it is difficult to get them to really value cleanliness, especially with multiple boys, until they get older and have the mindset to want a clean house.

 

In any case, what works for us is:

a) Give the kids cleaning chores, and have it done before school starts each day

b) Do some cleaning while the kids are busy doing schoolwork during the day, and never let the kids get away with not picking up after themselves.

c) Ensure that the house is at least acceptable before letting everyone go to bed.

d) Spend at least an hour or two each weekend having everyone in the family working together to clean the house.

[FriedClams]

I like things orderly. I'm not a slob. We start neat and straighten before school is "done". Kids have and do their chores.

 

That being said, the only person I ever thought was close to 'educational neglect' was so focused on her house being clean and straight that they rarely got to the schooling. Books had to be just so... only one subject out at a time... no messes without a plan...frequent cleaning breaks. ..

 

Straightened is great. A clean slate is great. But just like some can be paralyzed by clutter and never start school, one can also have to have it so ready that school never starts.

 

I'm not saying this is you. Please don't think that. But I'm hoping this may help someone realize that the "straighten the house before starting" plan is hindering their homeschooling progress.

[AK_Mom4]

I clean the kitchen and straighten up things after dinner and have done so since the kids were little.  That way, I go to bed with the house picked up and nothing really interrupts me except the laundry during the day.  DD13 has always been my Living Tornado and she is the one who usually has to do the most picking up before bedtime to get all her "stuff" put away.

 

But on the days it doesn't happen, I don't let it de-rail the school work.  A messy house can wait until we finish.

[jewellsmommy]

My brain seems to reflect the conditions around me. :lol: I do much better mentally and emotionally if my surroundings are, at least, orderly. I don't require a magazine picture style of home and organization, but I want the basics done. I do what I can the night before, and then I also allocate about 30-45 min at the start of the day to get things done so that I feel I can tackle the schooling. I ask the dc to take care of their responsibilities during that time just like I do. It helps.

[Dramorellis]

My mother used to say (and I hated it each time she did) that a cluttered and messy home was a reflection of a cluttered, messy mind. I don't believe that that applies to everyone but in my case it's true. There is nothing that is a better indicator of a crappy day ahead than waking up to dishes in the sink, toys on the floor and messy table. It's like my brain doesn't know where to start and I feel stressed and overwhelmed. When everything is tidy, I am able to focus on our tasks with much less stress. I just feel better when it's clean. Those are the days that the most gets done.

[...................]

Pretty much, but it has much more to do with the night before, than the morning.  If I have the house in order, the laundry baskets ready to go (in my area many people use shared laundry facilities...), the meat in the fridge defrosting and the dinner dishes done etc.  

 

Then, in the morning the only mess there really is, is the breakfast dishes.  I do often do those while my kids start math.  We start very early, so that there isn' tmuch time to create a mess anyway in the morning.

[Peaceful Isle]

I'm too tired at night to clean...too lazy as well. Just being honest. I either school or clean. I can't do both. Well, I take that back. I could do both..but the kids wouldn't be fed all day if I did ;p

[fourisenough]

As so many others have said, I don't rest at night until the house is neat (not always spic & span as I do a deep clean every other week and just maintain in-between cleanings). In the mornings, I wake, have coffee, shower, dress, make all beds, start a load of laundry, and then eat/clean up breakfast. As I'm loading breakfast dishes and wiping down counters, kids are beginning their work at dining room table. I switch loads of laundry, make/clean-up lunch, and prep dinner in between subjects. School isn't finished until we have reviewed all work, made corrections, and put it away.

 

One thing that helps keep our house less cluttered is to have less stuff. We live pretty lean: everybody has what they need, but not a lot more (books being the exception). Littles have a modest collection of toys. Unintentionally acquired 'stuff' gets culled very often. I don't save a lot of artwork or projects (believing that it's the process, not the product that counts). A recent basement flood forced us to further reduce the collection of stuff in our house. I LIKE living lean. Less stuff to put away means more time to read.

[CardinalAlt]

Besides stuff others have mentioned, I've added a daily "hotspot" decluttering rotation into my daughter's routine. Her art area, her room, her bookshelves... And I'm adding some decluttering routines of my own, too, a once a week hotspot on my counter, a monthly re-set of the whole school area, putting away things we don't need anymore, etc. It's working well to keep the clutter a little better under control!

[wintermom]

I've found, with my poor, aging body ;), that I clean up better when I'm fresh and rested in the morning. I've learned to live with going to bed and not cleaning up everywhere.

 

I do try and get the math corrected and prepared the night before, so that the dc can open and go to it right away. We start our mornings with math, as we seem to be the most focused then.

[vaquitita]

I want to do this but I am just. So. Tired. At night. I do make sure the kitchen table is clear. The kids are supposed to clean up all their toys at night, but I've been slacking on this. They move so slow that we ran out of time for a bedtime story night after night after night. They hated missing their story, but it made no effect on cleaning faster the next night. I need to add in a 5pm pick up I think. The 3yo just runs around playing during getting ready for bed which distracts the other kids. I can't work with the 3yo because I'm usually putting the baby down. And dh just doesn't. I'm just hoping as the baby gets a little older I will be less tired and have the energy to put into the kids bedtime and straightening up the house. Of course dh will want me to spend it with him. Which I just don't have time for, unless I stay up till 11. Which I am too tired for. Except of course I often do, because I'm too tired to make myself go to bed. :-(

[momacacia]

These are great, interesting responses. I think I'm just too tired that time of day to do too much vacuuming and cleaning. We are needing to up the chore ante, but the kitchen is always cleaned up at the end of the day sometimes instead of spending some bedtime reading time with oldest.

 

Kids picking up themselves needs to improve. I think bumping reading time if pick up doesn't happen could work. The real problem is Morning Mess. Little blankets come out of rooms, crafts are started, hairbrushes and hairbands and then there's breakfast. Scrambled eggs, bacon reheated, maybe a smoothie. Need to do more paper plates, I guess. I think a lot of this May be getting them to pick up after themselves. And dealing with stuff (paperwork, etc). I declutter a lot, but I can't say we're minimalist. I think it's just energy to do the "finishing touch" once everything is picked up and the kitchen cleaned up.

[wendyroo]

For us, it is the food that drags us down.  Since I only have littles, eating is still a very messy affair, and if we don't take the time after every meal to clean the kitchen and eating area, then the mess gets out of control and then I spend my designated evening cleaning time just tackling that instead of getting ahead on other chores.  

 

So that is my number one chore teaching priority.  We have a meal time chore chart that assigns each of the big boys and I one chore for before each meal (put out napkins, put out silverware, fill cups) and one chore for after each meal (carry dishes to the sink, wipe the table, wipe or sweep or mop the floor as required).  Every day the wheel gets turned and each person advances to the next set of chores.  My main goal is getting the kids to be able to successfully complete those chores independently (the 5 year old is about 75% of the way there, the 3 year old is about 25% of the way there and a year from now the no-longer-a-baby will be added to the wheel and he will initially make more mess than he cleans :001_rolleyes: ).

 

When we keep up on the food prep and eating chores then the rest of the cleaning really doesn't take that long.  I use Motivated Moms (but got rid of almost all their chores and added ones that made sense to me) and I can complete that list in about two 15 minutes blocks during the day and one 30 minute block after the kids are in bed.  The rest of my cleaning for the day is simply helping the kids clean up their messes which would not take long at all if I were to just do it, but ends up taking quite a while since I am mostly just encouraging their efforts to clean up their mess.

 

At the end of the day, if we have mostly kept the kitchen and eating area clean, I have done my Motivated Moms list and I was an enthusiastic enough cheer leader that the boys got their toys tidied, then the house is in good shape to start the next day.

 

Wendy

 

Wendy

[momacacia]

Dp

[Coco_Clark]

These are great, interesting responses. I think I'm just too tired that time of day to do too much vacuuming and cleaning. We are needing to up the chore ante, but the kitchen is always cleaned up at the end of the day sometimes instead of spending some bedtime reading time with oldest.

 

Kids picking up themselves needs to improve. I think bumping reading time if pick up doesn't happen could work. The real problem is Morning Mess. Little blankets come out of rooms, crafts are started, hairbrushes and hairbands and then there's breakfast. Scrambled eggs, bacon reheated, maybe a smoothie. Need to do more paper plates, I guess. I think a lot of this May be getting them to pick up after themselves. And dealing with stuff (paperwork, etc). I declutter a lot, but I can't say we're minimalist. I think it's just energy to do the "finishing touch" once everything is picked up and the kitchen cleaned up.

I used to think I was too tired to clean at night as well. But honestly? The constant clutter was more exhausting than the half hour tidying at bedtime. Granted, I'm lucky enough to have DH read the kids their bedtime stories and Put them to bed while I clean. And I realize that makes a big difference.

 

As for morning mess, we have a "morning job" directly after breakfast and before we begin school. It's up to me to assign each day and I base it on what needs to get done. It might be feed the dogs (2yo), water the garden (5yo), unload the dishwasher (6yo) on a good day. Or it might be put away those blocks (2yo), collect all the dirty pajamas thrown everywhere (5yo), pick up all the tiny rainbow loom bands under the table (6yo) on a tornado day.

 

We do it again at 5 PM to get done what needs to be done in order to be ready for dinner/dad. It sounds like not enough, but they make a HUGE difference. And it's only "one job" so my kids don't mind too much.

 

They also are fairly decent at picking up after themselves...I'd say 75% consistency on clearing their place after a meal or putting away an activity, and that INCLUDES the 2yo. And this makes all the difference in the world. I can homeschool them or I can be their maid. I don't have time for both. So teaching them to clean after themselves trumps reading IMO. It's the foundation that makes the whole gig possible.

[Doodlebug]

I definitely feel the calm when things are pulled together and clean.  

 

Over the years, I've realized that if things aren't organized/purged at least annually, the Ive-got-nowhere-to-go piles start to take over.  So during the summer I stop cleaning and start organizing, which initially means a huge mess.  But as I sell stuff on ebay and donate items around town, it starts to shape up.

 

Through the school year, I have two goals -- to keep space decluttered, and the bathrooms/kitchen clean.  (I have music students coming to the house, which motivates a good deal of it).  That means that 85 percent of the time, I'm focused on putting stuff away after school, and taking 20 minute chunks here and there to wipe counters, mop a floor, etc.

 

When the rest of the house starts to gripe me, or when we have company coming and I have a week to pull the house together, I pull out zone cards I created.  The zones are small manageable daily chunks of work in a specific area of the house.  If I'm diligent about doing the cards, I can clean for about 30 minutes each day and have the house in really great shape in a week.  

 

Most days, the house is the least important thing on my to-do list, so I'd say of all the stuff I hope to do in a week, I probably hit about 60 percent of it.  And that's our comfort zone.  It isn't showroom perfection, but it's not overwhelmingly out of control.  

 

Stella   

 

 

[amyc78]

I err on the side of rigid type A when it comes to keeping a clean and orderly house, and I am actually trying to take steps to lighten up in this area, HOWEVER, I also know that I am mentally more present and less distracted when the house is picked up. One thing that has helped in a HUGE way is after breakfast each morning, my kids (ages 5 and 7) get a "Morning Checklist" that they are expected to complete in a timely manner (if they dawdle- and they often do!- they get warnings and may risk losing privileges such as screen time, part of their allowance, etc). On the checklist is: 

 

Breakfast, Vitamins and Devotions with Daddy

Clean up Breakfast Area

Morning Chore (whatever I assign- feed pets, empty dishwasher, bring dirty laundry down, etc)

Make Bed and Pick up Room

Get Dressed, Brush Teeth and Hair

Tidy School Room

Help Pick Up Downstairs (basically run through the house collecting shoes, toys, books, etc)

Empty Room Basket (they each have their own basket that sits on the stairs where I put clean folded laundry and any items that need to be taken to their room)

Quiet Time with God

Outside Time (the reason for this, other than fresh air and all that good stuff :) is that once they've picked up, they need to go outside or else they will immediately start pulling stuff out and making new messes!)

 

This is all done by 8:30 (my kids are early risers around 6:30 am) and then I feel clear enough to start school. We also pick up together mid-day and then they have an afternoon checklist (put away school stuff, afternoon chore of Mommy's choosing, set the table, etc) that must be complete before they get their 30 minutes of screen time. Like I said, sometimes I feel rigid with all of this and so I am trying to relax about certain things- if they want to make a mess in their room during the day, I'm trying to let it go.

 

Other things that help me relax a little- if I don't have time to get to the breakfast dishes, I run a sink of hot soapy water for them to soak in. I don;t know why but this feels better than a sink full of dirty dishes. And if laundry is staring me in the face, I pile it in laundry baskets and put it in our guest room and shut the door. I try to do crafts and play-doh on a picnic blanket to contain the mess. And I'm trying to train my kids to have one thing out at a time and clean that up before pulling something else out. 

[Pen]

Following this thread.

[CardinalAlt]

Even in a small house, I like the idea of making my DD a basket for me to throw all the little items she randomly leaves around, and ask her to get them in their homes at the end of the day..

[Ellie]

I put this in the education forum, because I think I'm realizing it is impacting our getting school done. I will caveat by saying that I work on lowering standards, I really don't think my standards are unreasonable, but will admit I like order, clean floors and open spaces. However, we do decorate with books, some plants, we like paper (sometimes housed in books ;)) and select toys and craft items around the place (most of which are in the basement which I avoid like the plague).

 

So....after having this week off school and spending much of it cleaning, I'm realizing how once the house is reasonably picked up, floor vacuumed, counters/desks wiped off (bulk of the laundry is done too)---I'm ready to do school, some work, sit down and read with the kids, or play! It's like my base I can jump from. But during the school week so many of these things just stare at me, needing to get done. I'm just kind of amazed at this feeling of, "Ah, NOW, let's do school or something together kiddos. Ah, I could sit down now and organize files. Ahhhhhhhh!"

 

Do any of you feel this way? Does anyone actually start each school day with their home in this type of order? If you do, how do you do it?! Please share!

 

I don't think it's necessary to lower your standards. :-)

 

It helps to have several pick-up breaks during the day. And you have to take care of things right now: When you have a meal, you have to take the time to clean the kitchen right now (and if yours is a free-range kitchen, you might consider prohibiting that). Empty the dishwasher (if you have one) as soon as it's finished. Fold and put away the clothes as soon as they come out of the dryer. Make your beds in the morning as soon as you get up. And train your dc: require them to come back and put things away when they finish with them (child training trumps math or grammar), require them to put the DVDs back into their cases when they finish watching them, require them to pick up after themselves, well, all the time.

 

In our home, Fridays are Clean-the-House days--all the laundry, dust the furniture, move the furniture and vacuum, clean the bathrooms, all that stuff.

[Mrs. A]

I definitely fall in with those who make sure everything is picked up before bed. I've had days when I just couldn't do it for various reasons and have had to leave the house messy, and it's made me really appreciate how important the habit of evening picking up is for me personally. 

 

In the mornings all kids except the two year old are responsible for making beds, bringing dirty clothes down, and clearing dishes after breakfast. Each of the three oldest take a turn to wipe the kitchen table after each meal.

 

In the evenings before bed everyone has to help clean up. If I have to do the work that means I've run out of time to read a bedtime story. They also usually have to pick up before going outside to play. 

 

 

[vaquitita]

I do have a few more chores built into our day. The older two take out the trash and recycling, feed and clean up after the dog, empty the dishwasher, clear the table after every meal, put away their laundry, they put away their own school boxes as we go along. I take care of group subjects. I usually work on loading the dishwasher a bit while cooking 2-3x per day. Every Saturday morning as a family we sweep, vacuum, and clean the bathroom. Any toys and trash that may have built up in corners is taken care of. Every summer I work at decluttering.

 

So my house isn't clean, but it's generally not too bad. Though my standards are probably lower than pre kids. I constantly have dirty dishes in my sink, but most the time they don't take over my kitchen. It could be worse. It could be better. My post baby energy slump lasts awhile.

[Ausmumof3]

I posted about this recently as well. Personally I think this is THE challenge of homeschooling particularly with littlies. Not maths teaching or will they learn to read but how to keep the house livable for adults and still have a rich learning environment.

 

I can tell you what works for us when it's working and it doesn't always. I posted here about similar recently and the suggestion that stood out for me was a time when everything stops and cleanup happens. For us that is four o'clock. Laundry goes away, kids toys go away, anything left out goes away and I vacuum. Of course it's not perfect. Some days I'm exhausted from field trips. Some days the mess is crazy and we don't get it all done. Some days we're not home by then. But overall it keeps things to a level I can live with. Most of the time. And if I start tea at five I can do some clean up as we go so it's not so much afterwards. I have also started having the kids clear and wipe the table while I stack the dishwasher so then it's just teeth and bed for kids. The key really is if you are cleaning up the kids are cleaning up too other than deep cleaning jobs. Sometimes I feel mean for making them do jobs but it is the difference between me being able to take them out to do cool stuff and them missing out. Plus they make less messes when they know they have to help clean them up.

[fruitofthewomb]

I want to do this but I am just. So. Tired. At night. I do make sure the kitchen table is clear. The kids are supposed to clean up all their toys at night, but I've been slacking on this. They move so slow that we ran out of time for a bedtime story night after night after night. They hated missing their story, but it made no effect on cleaning faster the next night. I need to add in a 5pm pick up I think. The 3yo just runs around playing during getting ready for bed which distracts the other kids. I can't work with the 3yo because I'm usually putting the baby down. And dh just doesn't. I'm just hoping as the baby gets a little older I will be less tired and have the energy to put into the kids bedtime and straightening up the house. Of course dh will want me to spend it with him. Which I just don't have time for, unless I stay up till 11. Which I am too tired for. Except of course I often do, because I'm too tired to make myself go to bed. :-(

This is me!

[justamouse]

It's almost like being behind the 8 ball all ready when you wake up to a sink full of dishes. 

My house is not always Holiday Clean, but it is Drop In clean. Otherwise, we're a wreck. So they've learned to pick up after themselves, and do chores. We clean up after EVERY MEAL. I run my dishwasher 3 times a day, full or not. Otherwise, all we do is play catch up. Before I come downstairs in the morning, I throw laundry in. 

When I wake up all I want is coffee, a quick dog walk, good morning kisses, and a book. 

[happypamama]

Things go best when we have things done the night before. Each of the four older children has a section of the house to tidy and vacuum each afternoon before dinner. A few things might be gotten out, like a few baby toys, but largely, the house is tidy, and if the floors aren't perfect, they're not too bad. I have a rotating list, so it's easy to tell whose turn it is to tidy which room.

 

Things go best if DH or I do the dishes in the evening. Sometimes we are too tired, and that's a pain, because then I start the next day behind. It also goes best if I lay out the schoolwork before I go to bed too. If I come down to clutter on the floor, dishes on the counters, and no schoolwork laid out, that's asking for a rough day.

 

I make breakfast (and I do a full breakfast -- eggs or oatmeal -- every day, since we all need the heartiness to focus) and start laundry (and sometimes I set it up the night before and leave a note for DH to start it before he leaves for work, so I come down to the first load ready to go into the dryer, even), and each of the four big kids gets dressed and does a couple of morning chores. So when we sit down to breakfast, we have a tidy house, clean counters, trash and recycling and compost out, pets fed, laundry brought down and cycling through the machines, and toilet paper restocked (the 3yo does this every morning), and it all just sort of breeds momentum for the day. The machine is already humming, and it's easy for us to jump onto it.

 

After breakfast, I leave the breakfast dishes in the sink, and I leave the laundry going, and I clean up my little ones who still need help to change/wash/brush teeth, and I set the baby to play with toys while the oldest two children look through their work that I have laid out for them and start on something they can do on their own, while I spend some time with my precious 3yo and 5yo, who love to learn and who will get skipped if I don't prioritize them first in the day. Then it's on to working one on one with the big two, because if I wait too long, they get too tired or hungry to focus on math. I go back to do dishes and switch tch laundry during breaks or before or after lunch.

 

Mostly what I've learned is this: tomorrow will have its own trouble, so don't leave today's trouble for tomorrow; little steps all day long keep the machine going better than giant steps infrequently; and don't let perfect be the enemy of the good, because an imperfectly tidied house is better than never finding the time to do it perfectly.

[kiwik]

On a good day my house looks like a clean persons house on a bad day. I once had a landlord suggest I cleaned before his inspection before he came. None of his business but actually I had spent the whole evening before cleaning and it wasn't bad.

 

I like it when my house is clean but not enough to do it more often and I dwell guilty when I throw usable stuff out.

[8filltheheart]

I haven't read the replies, but I am one of those people who cannot function in clutter. Something about orderly surroundings and orderly mind definitely matches my personality.

 

We spent all day yesterday cleaning out our college freshman's room and converting it into space for his younger sisters. That meant dumping out everything in the girls' room as well and organizing and rearranging their belongings. Today is going to be just fine tuning those areas. Last week we totally went through our huge school cabinetand storage cubes and deep cleaned the main living areas.

 

We start back on Tuesday.

 

I have developed a system for staying on top of household duties while homeschooling. If I hadn't my dh would probably not have been able to cope with our homeschooling. He is definitely a neat freak. (I thrive in order, but not to the extreme of dh.) When our kids were really little he wouldn't go to bed until every single thing was put away. He is not that obsessive any more, but he still gets antsy when things are not orderly and clean. He works really long hours and it is often incredibly stressful work. In our "dividing of duties," inside the house falls on me, outside and the garage fall on him (thank goodness b/c I detest that part!) So, really spending time devising a system was as important to our homeschool success as selecting curriculum and teaching.

[melissa6]

I haven't read the replies, but I am one of those people who cannot function in clutter. Something about orderly surroundings and orderly mind definitely matches my personality.

 

We spent all day yesterday cleaning out our college freshman's room and converting it into space for his younger sisters. That meant dumping out everything in the girls' room as well and organizing and rearranging their belongings. Today is going to be just fine tuning those areas. Last week we totally went through our huge school cabinetand storage cubes and deep cleaned the main living areas.

 

We start back on Tuesday.

 

I have developed a system for staying on top of household duties while homeschooling. If I hadn't my dh would probably not have been able to cope with our homeschooling. He is definitely a neat freak. (I thrive in order, but not to the extreme of dh.) When our kids were really little he wouldn't go to bed until every single thing was put away. He is not that obsessive any more, but he still gets antsy when things are not orderly and clean. He works really long hours and it is often incredibly stressful work. In our "dividing of duties," inside the house falls on me, outside and the garage fall on him (thank goodness b/c I detest that part!) So, really spending time devising a system was as important to our homeschool success as selecting curriculum and teaching.

 

 

Do you want to share this system??? :D   

[RootAnn]

So....after having this week off school and spending much of it cleaning, I'm realizing how once the house is reasonably picked up, floor vacuumed, counters/desks wiped off (bulk of the laundry is done too)---I'm ready to do school, some work, sit down and read with the kids, or play!

 

Do your older kids understand this? That if they help get the place looking like it is right now, they have more of mom's attention for playing later? I'd have them look around and you take pictures of each area. Then, I'd devise lists of ways they can help clean in the morning or evening before plus make sure they know the expectations.

 

I'd take 5 (or even 2)-minute micro-cleaning breaks. I have always been amazed at how much can get picked up or look better in just two minutes if you have several people working together. A couple get assigned to pick up & put away toys, paper, books, etc. You run around doing the things that you think only you can do. The timer goes off & you sit down in a newly de-cluttered/cleaned area and get back to work. The kids also realize how much easier it is to put away their stuff right after they use it than to have to do it during cleaning time.

 

If they've done a good job keeping the place cleaned up, we make sure to use the usual clean-up time for a game. (Simon Says only takes a few minutes.)

[8filltheheart]

Do you want to share this system??? :D

It constantly evolves bc our family dynamics change. It is different for me now with 8 people living under our roof but only 1 of them under 5 than when we had 8 people with the kids newborn to 13.

 

3 things that have remained consistent are starting laundry as soon as get out of bed, folding laundry while calling out spelling words and during some of our discussions, and utilizing my crockpot on crazy busy days.

[HeWillSoar]

Well last week was our first week starting homeschool but on Sunday I made sure the house was clean.  I knew that I wouldn't feel as good or be as motivated because that would always be in the back of my mind.  So this evening I will need to make sure again that at least the downstairs is picked up.  It's going to be hard because I also want to try to go to bed early.  Also on Friday night I went grocery shopping for the whole week so I don't have to worry about that either. 

[ScoutTN]

A tidy is house is restful. I cannot think and work in chaos! I don't need spotlessly clean, but a generally clean house makes me happy.

 

We do many of the things others have mentioned:

Kids have chores and do them.

Kids are expected to pick up after themselves.

Dh helps too. :) He is not proactive, but will do whatever I ask. Usually cheerfully, always thoroughly.

I clean the kitchen after dinner every night. My kitchen is too small to leave anything out and I detest dishes in the sink.

School table and dining table are set and ready to go for the morning before the kids go to bed.

We do a late afternoon pick up and put away. Sometimes a before lunch one too!

If we are out for the afternoon or evening, we try to leave the house picked up and ready for bed when we go.

I try to keep up as the day goes along and prevent the need to do enormous amounts at night. Fails sometimes, but I try.

I try to plan our week to leave Sunday free of all but basic house chores (cooking and dishes, make beds, pick up toys). We need the restful day!

 

My mom helps out by keeping my kids occasionally so I can do some concentrated cleaning and by paying her heavy cleaning helper to come and help me. Yea Mom!

[amyc78]

One awesome suggestion I heard this weekend particularly for littles is to take a picture of the different parts of their room and other areas in their clean state and tape that picture nearby so they have a reference for what mom expects when she says 'pick up your room' or 'tidy the school table'. Their job is to make the real space match the picture. I think this will be so helpful for my 5 year old who thinks piling everything on her vanity is how to clean her room :)

[Dramorellis]

One awesome suggestion I heard this weekend particularly for littles is to take a picture of the different parts of their room and other areas in their clean state and tape that picture nearby so they have a reference for what mom expects when she says 'pick up your room' or 'tidy the school table'. Their job is to make the real space match the picture. I think this will be so helpful for my 5 year old who thinks piling everything on her vanity is how to clean her room :)

Yes!! My daughter is like this. I find I have to be terribly specific as in, "Pick up that blue headband right there and put it into the drawer with the other hair things". If not it gets shoved under the bed. Pictures are a great idea!

 

To the OP, I also wanted to say that the more you stay on top of it, the less time it takes. There was a time before we had children, that if we were, expecting company I would literally have to take the day off from work to clean. Now, because I do a bit every single day nothing takes me very long. Each cleaning task takes 10-20 minutes tops. It's not,"MIL IS coming to visit" clean but it is "now I can focus" clean most of the time just by devoting snippets of time to it here and there.

[rocassie]

I to like order and cleanliness, although my tolerance of the house not being like that has increased as each kid has arrived. :)  What really helps here is to clean up the night before. We restore order before bed.  In the morning, then, I just have to clean up from breakfast.  Generally I will get the kids started on independent school things or they will get dressed, brush teeth, etc. while I do this.

[Targhee]

Another forum I'm in suggested a purge every six months. This not only keeps the cluttering objects at bay, it gives you a clear image of a clean and tidy home to think about when trying to clean. We get our kids involved and go room by room as a family. Also during the week they are to tidy their bedrooms every night, wash up after breakfast and lunch, clean their bathroom once a week, and thoroughly clean the living and family rooms weekly. We often do spot tidy-up, but doing it as a family makes a difference in attitude and makes it easier for me to teach them the life skills as we do it.

 

Honestly, it is still overwhelming at times.

[srs]

We always clean up the kitchen after dinner, always make the beds in the morning, and always do one load of laundry a day. Unlike many here, I find my best time to clean is right after breakfast, so I have had a chunk of time set aside in the morning since my oldest was a toddler, and now that she is 7 we start school after that morning cleaning time is over. It makes for a later school start time, but works much better for my sanity. By the end of day I just want to sit down, not still be cleaning.

[Kidlit]

I'm sure this has already been said (& based on the current state of my house, I'm not sure I should be offering advice), but one of my girls (with, um, help from the 4 year old) cleans up the school room before lunch. The other girl is the lunchtime helper. That means that the school room is clean at least once a day. After several years of this (2-3?), they're pretty good at it.

[Meadowlark]

I absolutely cannot function in clutter. That said, my house is "clean" twice a day, in the morning before they get up and after they go to bed. We do have a few things going for us though, which I'll share.

 

1. Territories. My older 2 are assigned an area of the house that is theirs for a week. For us, it's the living room and kitchen. Whenever the clutter gets to me, I call out "territories" and they know they have 5-10 minutes to get their area clutter free and picked up. I sometimes do territories 3-4 times a day. They rotate areas the next week. LOVE this!

 

2. Morning jobs. My older two rotate emptying the dishwasher and setting the table for breakfast. This ensures a smooth start to the day.

 

3. My hubby! We were frustrating each other at night. I never knew if he was going to run the dishwasher or if I should...same with tasking out recycling, picking up, etc. Finally we decided on a bunch of "after the kids go to bed" chores and then we split them into 2 groups, mine and his. Now, we both know exactly what we're responsible for and it's swift and efficient.

 

HTH someone!

[JubilantNest]

I clean the night before. It really is that simple. I have found that I am in much better "school" spirits, if I wake up to an empty sink, clean floors, tidy rooms, and a cleared dining room table. What this means is that throughout the day, I only have to pick up (very little) as we go - I usually load the dishwasher again mid-day, for example, and I try to put away school books as they're used.

To clean the house after the littles are in bed is actually NOT very time consuming. I get the dishes done, dinner put away, counters wiped down, and the house swept and mopped within an hour (we have all hardwoods). The boys' bedroom is cleaned completely before bed at night... every night. 

In the morning all I need to do is make our bed and put up the floor mat from the boys' room (I'm sleeping on the floor still with a certain climbing toddler). Which means I'm free to have a cup of coffee and relax for about an hour every morning before the kids start hopping.

 

ETA: bathrooms are randomly wiped down, but only thoroughly cleaned when need be, and then really only on the weekends.

 

:iagree: That is the only way we end up even reasonably productive.