cdrumm4448 Posted March 2, 2011 Share Posted March 2, 2011 I get up early most mornings (between 5 and 6 am) to get things done. Strangely, I'm always still behind. I'm tired of the crisis cleaning before a party (I have been known to try to clean everything all at once and give myself a migraine. Then I don't even want people to come over anymore!) So, I am trying FlyLady again, although this time I'm assigning my children more chores from my list. Does this seem adequate for a 9- and 5-year-old? Morning Routine: Make bed Get dressed, properly dispose of dirty clothes Brush teeth/hair Swish/swipe 3 bathrooms Dust house 15 min clean in basement (unfinished but painted and where all their toys are) Afternoon Routine: 15 min clean in basement 15 min clean in garage Assist in clearing clutter Vacuum floors Help with dinner Clean tub and shower once a week Vacuum car once a week In addition, I would like them to help me with the detailed daily cleaning of each room. Polishing woodwork and cabinets, etc. Too much? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liz CA Posted March 2, 2011 Share Posted March 2, 2011 Sounds very reasonable unless they have umpteenth extra-curricular activities. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parrothead Posted March 2, 2011 Share Posted March 2, 2011 Why do you dust every day? I used to dust every day and found that it was just a stupid thing to do. Who comes into your house to do the white glove test? Boot 'em out. Did you see my massive Zen(ning) of the house thread? I took every single thing out of a room and only put back the essentials and what I love. I haven't had to to more than a nightly tidy and an occasional dust/vacuum/sweep up since that happened. I prefer to go to bed with a clean house. So in the evening I have family tidy up time. Someone will wash the dishes from dinner and the other someone's will tidy up and vacuum if needed. I wake up to a clean house and a bathroom that needs a Clorox wipe after the last (usually me) shower. Then there really is nothing to do but a bit of laundry during the day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cdrumm4448 Posted March 2, 2011 Author Share Posted March 2, 2011 Sounds very reasonable unless they have umpteenth extra-curricular activities. Yes, I've thought about that. But I do try to keep our activities scheduled for the late afternoon. Dance and group violin. But, 4-H (bi-weekly) and private violin lessons are in the mornings. So, we'll see how it goes. FlyLady feather dusts every day. I don't mind as it's something my kids can do, and they like it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MtnTeaching Posted March 2, 2011 Share Posted March 2, 2011 Why do you dust every day? I used to dust every day and found that it was just a stupid thing to do. Who comes into your house to do the white glove test? Boot 'em out. :lol: I had to laugh at this. I SHOULD dust every day! I made the idiotic decision to get a LOT of black painted furniture like bookshelves, entertainment tower, side tables, etc. I also have a dark burgundy stripe Pottery Barn type rug in my family room area and a LOT of wood floor. None of these work well with a long-haired orange/white cat and a large golden retriever that drops hair everywhere just by breathing. Needless to say, it doesn't get dusted EVERY day, but we do have a Flylady type chore list up on our bulletin board in the kitchen with it listed every other day. Now, if we could get better at following the chart... I do love FlyLady and I think your list is great. Ours is similar with some of the items non-negotiable. Some of the other things... they get done eventually and if we have a "guest" emergency, at least it isn't an all day exhausting affair to catch up. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MelanieM Posted March 2, 2011 Share Posted March 2, 2011 FlyLady feather dusts every day. I don't mind as it's something my kids can do, and they like it. Probably why she has to do it every day... It seems that feather dusters just kick the dust up long enough for it to look clean, then it all settles back down again. I think your list looks good! I really need to work on a better daily routine for us... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blondeviolin Posted March 2, 2011 Share Posted March 2, 2011 You might also check out motivated moms. I print it out and then highlight what my husband should do. You could do the same with older kids. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MelanieM Posted March 2, 2011 Share Posted March 2, 2011 You might also check out motivated moms. I print it out and then highlight what my husband should do. You could do the same with older kids. I have MM and was thinking of doing this for our family, using a different coloured highlighter for each person. Maybe your post is a sign that I should actually DO that instead of just thinking about it. lol! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happypamama Posted March 3, 2011 Share Posted March 3, 2011 Assuming that the 9 and 5yo are splitting those chores, that sounds fairly reasonable to me. The only thing I would suggest is that instead of putting "clean for 15 minutes in basement," you put something like, "each clean up 50 items in basement." They might theoretically be in there for 15 minutes but work very slowly and only put away a handful of things each, but a specific number works really well for my kids, especially if there's a huge scattered mess. And/or, you might give them a list like, "put away all trucks; put away all books; pick up all the crayons," and so on, so that if there's a lot out, they have somewhere to start. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MusicMama Posted March 3, 2011 Share Posted March 3, 2011 I just found FlyLady at the beginning of the year and I LOVE it! I'm nowhere near perfect, but can see the success in the little things. Like seeing the floor of our closet! :) When I feel like I'm floundering, I find that the decluttering is the key. I have taken so many boxes to goodwill, and still have sneaky areas that build up. I think the chore list for your kids sounds great, be ruthless in the declutter, and hopefully things will be looking up soon! I know how you feel! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oops, duplicate account :/ Posted March 3, 2011 Share Posted March 3, 2011 You might also check out motivated moms. I print it out and then highlight what my husband should do. You could do the same with older kids. Can you link me to the lists? I looked...are you talking about the ones you purchase? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blondeviolin Posted March 3, 2011 Share Posted March 3, 2011 Can you link me to the lists? I looked...are you talking about the ones you purchase? Sure can! It's here. If you just do the daily chores (on the left with the boxes) you'll settle into a nice little routine. If you can swing the ones on the right, you'll really get the deeper clean. I alway make sure I get the ones on the left and don't sweat it if I miss a few on the right...they'll come back around in time (days, weeks or months depending on the chore). If I get on top of it and just keep up, it takes very little time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oops, duplicate account :/ Posted March 3, 2011 Share Posted March 3, 2011 Sure can! It's here. If you just do the daily chores (on the left with the boxes) you'll settle into a nice little routine. If you can swing the ones on the right, you'll really get the deeper clean. I alway make sure I get the ones on the left and don't sweat it if I miss a few on the right...they'll come back around in time (days, weeks or months depending on the chore). If I get on top of it and just keep up, it takes very little time. Thanks! Looks good. How neat that you can get a read the bible in a year plan to go with. :001_wub: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cdrumm4448 Posted March 3, 2011 Author Share Posted March 3, 2011 You might also check out motivated moms. I print it out and then highlight what my husband should do. You could do the same with older kids. I like the husband idea. I told him recently I need him to ask me what I need done. Still waiting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cdrumm4448 Posted March 3, 2011 Author Share Posted March 3, 2011 Assuming that the 9 and 5yo are splitting those chores, that sounds fairly reasonable to me. The only thing I would suggest is that instead of putting "clean for 15 minutes in basement," you put something like, "each clean up 50 items in basement." They might theoretically be in there for 15 minutes but work very slowly and only put away a handful of things each, but a specific number works really well for my kids, especially if there's a huge scattered mess. And/or, you might give them a list like, "put away all trucks; put away all books; pick up all the crayons," and so on, so that if there's a lot out, they have somewhere to start. Yes, they are doing them together. And, I love the number of items idea. They did just tell me they put away 10 things, but that was in 15 minutes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happypamama Posted March 3, 2011 Share Posted March 3, 2011 Yes, they are doing them together. And, I love the number of items idea. They did just tell me they put away 10 things, but that was in 15 minutes. Even *I* find the number thing to be motivating, LOL! My 6yo can't reliably count to 50 or 100 yet, but he can count to ten, so I'll say "five tens" or whatever (the number varies depending on the mess), and as they reach ten items, they'll call it out to me, and I'll mark it for them. They can see their progress. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.