If you always do (this) your life will be so much easier!

[fraidycat]

I struggle with consistency in most areas of my life.  Therefore, I love organizing, but have trouble STAYING organized.  I even enjoy cleaning really dirty messes, however MAINTAINING is not my strong suit.  In the end - I mostly just annoy myself because if I'd be consistent, I'd save so much time!  Habits.  Good ones - I need to build some of those!  I have lots of bad already! :P

 

So, hit me with all your "always do this" advice.  Please.  In everything: household, homeschool, self-care/hygiene, bringing in the mail, etc. etc.  Whatever little things you do consistently that make your day-to-day life run smoother.

 

I do have one:  I always hang my keys off my purse with a carbiner hook.  I don't have to waste time looking for keys.  Even if I'm not taking my bag (when going to the pool or something) my keys always get "hung up" on my bag as soon as I get back.

[6packofun]

I wish I could get on board the "always leave your kitchen sink (and counters?) clean before you go to bed" train, but I can't.  I just can't seem to arrive at the station on time.

[SadieMarie]

My keys are currently MIA, going on three days :(.

 

As far as cleaning, I have a daily list. It takes about forty minutes to do the whole thing if I do it all. If I have been sticking with it it takes even less time. I usually delegate some of it. It depends on what everyone else already has on their plates for the day. It does not keep the house spotless or anything, but if I am fairly regular it keeps it manageable. I would say that it is a habit. If we are having a crazy week as far as the schedule and I let it go it is hard to get back sometimes, but I eventually do. I have been going with it almost two years.

[saraha]

My keys are currently MIA, going on three days :(.

 

 

Have you passed on a coat lately?  I had given one of my coats to someone else this winter about 4 states away, and she found my keys in the pocket.  They had been missing for over a year!

[fraidycat]

I wish I could get on board the "always leave your kitchen sink (and counters?) clean before you go to bed" train, but I can't.  I just can't seem to arrive at the station on time.

 

Oh my.  I so hear you on this one!  I think I need to start smaller and work my way up.

[Farrar]

My only always trick is that when I walk inside or outside of any building or house, I always do a check for my keys, my glasses, and my phone.

[Luckymama]

I sort the mail immediately upon entering the house----bills or dh-related mail in the basket on his desk, recycling into the bin, kid-related mail either handed to them or put in their room (college kids) or clipped onto the fridge (college kids if it looks important; I also send a text ASAP). I go through my mail right away and take any actions necessary.

[Karen in CO]

I have to at least have a clean counter and sink at night before I go to bed.  I start the day angry if I have to see dirty dishes before I've had my coffee.  I've spent years nurturing that particular annoyance.  It used to just bug me a little, but I willed that little issue into a problem big enough to overcome my tiredness.  On days when I just want to turn off the lights and go to bed, I think of how mad I will be in the morning.  It is now enough to make me clean it become it turn in.

 

I also schedule 15 minutes alone to drink my coffee in the mornings which means that if I don't drag myself out of bed when the alarm goes off, I don't get to enjoy my coffee before the kids get up and want me.

 

I guess the thing that makes my life easier is finding ways to leverage who I am so that I can accomplish the things I really want to do.

[Luckymama]

Regarding dishes: we load the dishwasher throughout the day and wash any pots/knives as soon as possible. We run the dishwasher every evening. Dh is in charge of any pots or things which need hand washing---sometimes he does those at night, sometimes first thing in the morning. He also empties the dishwasher in the morning.

 

After we eat dinner we pack up leftovers for anyone who needs to take lunch the next day. The kitchen counters get wiped down, as well as the kitchen table.

 

I like a clean kitchen in the morning. It sets the tone for the day :)

[Carol in Cal.]

Look back every time you go through a doorway, and bring something with you or put something away right then.

[Wilma]

I meal-plan on Sundays, with my calendar. And grocery shop Monday morning. Always.

[Aura]

Great thread!

 

Does always having a cup of coffee in the morning count?

 

I think I'm going to work on this idea...just a couple of things that done *consistently* would make life easier. There are several things we do that are done regularly, but are too often shoved aside as well.

[kbutton]

I've recently achieved something close to clean status (I want to be efficient, not immaculate), and we're working hard to maintain that. With my hubby's weird work schedule, routines do not land on fertile ground--it's really hard.

 

I try to do my laundry all in one day whenever I can make it work out. Then I just set timers (it's hard to hear the buzzers), and I don't have to think about much. Just wash, hang up/dry, fold, put away. If I have to do it a little at a time all week, it's in little corners all over the house and never gets put away. I can put on my laundry brain for the day and just go to it. Ditto for other tasks that chop up my day like that. I like to have blocks of time to make phone calls, pay bills, etc. as well. I have one bill that comes at odd intervals, and it screws everything up, lol!

 

If your counters are reasonably clean and uncluttered, I think it's always good to be sure your stove and counters get wiped every day, whether you use them or not. Kitchens get grungy, even in the spots that aren't used directly, and it's easy to wipe off an empty counter. Mine are currently cluttered (not enough places to put canning jars, and we need a junk drawer), but we always did this growing up. It's a goal for me.

 

Sweep everyday if you can. It cuts down on crud moving from room to room (esp. with hard floors), and it forces you to pick up little things.

 

Try to make a list for the next day or leave a task ready for action (like sorted laundry waiting to go into the washer). I find it's easier to be productive on auto-pilot in the AM, and it's nicer to make a list at bedtime than feel obligated to stay up and do "one last thing" just because.

 

Make lists for errands--it's easier to combine or eliminate errands if you have a list to go on. We generally try to buy things at the best places to buy them pricewise, but if I can save an entire trip by picking up one or two items for slighter more money somewhere else, it's done. The savings on gas and time are well worth it. We live in an area with duplicate stores in nearly every town and duplicate stores per genre (for example, there is a Lowe's, Home Depot, or Menard's in nearly every nook where I run errands or see doctors). So, if we have a list of stuff we need from a place like that, we work it in with another errand nearby. I know nearly all the Kroger stores along our interstate for a span of about 40 miles, lol! I can rack up my fuel points at any one of them, so it doesn't matter. Same with our bank--we have an ATM or store-based bank nearly every place we go.

 

I'm actually trying to make lists of short and long tasks to do when I have a free minute--those little things that I can't seem to think of when the free time arrives (sew on a button, etc.).

[fraidycat]

Great thread!

 

Does always having a cup of coffee in the morning count?

 

I think I'm going to work on this idea...just a couple of things that done *consistently* would make life easier. There are several things we do that are done regularly, but are too often shoved aside as well.

 

 

Well, I've been doing a lot of reading on building habits.  One thing that comes up over and over again is that it's easier to add habits onto already existing habits.  Adding a link to the chain.  So yes, having coffee counts because you can add a new habit to it.

 

Every time I drink my first cup of coffee, I will... check/water the plants, read a chapter of a book for self-ed, toss in a load of laundry.  Whatever you want to add to your day to help make your life easier or help you accomplish something you've been "meaning to do someday". KWIM?

 

So pay attention to your existing habits (eating meals, drinking morning coffee, evening walk etc.) and add a small something at the beginning or end to help make your day smoother.

[clementine]

It's such a little thing...but, having my coffee pot filled & ready to turn on in the morning is my one 'must'. Sounds silly when I type it here. ;)

[fraidycat]

It's such a little thing...but, having my coffee pot filled & ready to turn on in the morning is my one 'must'. Sounds silly when I type it here. ;)

 

Not at all.  It starts your day being "ready".  NOTHING is too small or silly for this kind of thread.  This is exactly what I'm looking for.  Little things add up to big things.  Having my tea kettle filled and ready to go could totally re-write my whole morning routine and be the missing link I'm looking for.  You just never know!!

[Cosmos]

Regarding dishes: we load the dishwasher throughout the day and wash any pots/knives as soon as possible. We run the dishwasher every evening. Dh is in charge of any pots or things which need hand washing---sometimes he does those at night, sometimes first thing in the morning. He also empties the dishwasher in the morning.

 

After we eat dinner we pack up leftovers for anyone who needs to take lunch the next day. The kitchen counters get wiped down, as well as the kitchen table.

 

I like a clean kitchen in the morning. It sets the tone for the day :)

 

We do a lot of the same things. Even though we have a dishwasher, there's quite a bit that needs hand washing -- pots, utensils, cutting boards, large bowls, etc. After dinner we work as a team to clean the kitchen. One person washes dishes, one person packs up leftovers and then dries the dishes, and one person sweeps the floor.

 

But sometimes, we sit chatting at the table for awhile, and the time ticks away, and suddenly it's late and we haven't cleaned up. When that happens, we load what we can fit in the dishwasher and soak the pots in the sink. The next morning, I can find time to do the dishes. It doesn't bother me, because nearly always it's a reminder that we had a fun time together the night before.

 

But I have other things that bother me. I need to have a neat tidy bed at night. On the rare occasion I haven't made my bed in the morning, I will make my bed right before getting in again at night. I can't stand the messed-up covers. So maybe the key is finding what things really matter for your peace of mind and concentrating on those.

[solascriptura]

I try to keep the dishes taken care of as much as possible. It really sucks when you return exhausted from a long day of appointments, co-op and errands, just to see the breakfast dishes piled up in and around the sink.

 

I try to keep up with the laundry too.

[Joyofsixreboot]

It's such a little thing...but, having my coffee pot filled & ready to turn on in the morning is my one 'must'. Sounds silly when I type it here. ;)

There are people who don't! I shudder to think of such uncivilized homes. Of course, that may be the only thing listed here I do, LOL.

[fairfarmhand]

Always wash dishes before I go to bed. I get depressed waking up to yesterday's messes before todays have even gotten going!

 

I also NEVER schedule routine things in the morning. Mornings are for schoolwork. End of discussion. No lessons, no field trips. Morning is for school, Period. The only thing I might do is go to the doctor if someone's sick.

 

I always make the bed in the morning.

 

I always get dressed. I never lounge around in PJs

[hillfarm]

My thing is not so much an activity as a couple of sayings. 1.) Don't put it down, put it back - this cuts down on so much of the clutter and mess that does not need to be. 2.) A place for everything and everything in its place - it is terribly hard to clean and straighten if there is a bunch of stuff lying around that has no assigned "home", so it just gets shoved from one bad spot to another bad spot until it eventually gets lost in the shuffle.

 

If I keep repeating these things to my dd and myself, much of my daily work is lessened. I keep the repetitive chores on a weekly schedule, so I know that on Mondays I will be doing laundry, scrubbing the upstairs bathroom, and vacuuming downstairs. If I keep all the unnecessary stuff from building up, it only takes me about an hour to an hour and a half per day to keep up with the rest.

[fraidycat]

Always finish all the laundry every night. Always do all the dishes before bed. Always say KEY to myself when I leave the car. Write out the errand list in the order I'll do it in and write out the grocery list in the order I go through the store. Always fold and stack the towels the same way so the pile doesn't tip over. Always put finished library books in the bag as soon as I'm done. Always write my military/college kids every night. Always cut up last week's paper to send out to said kids on Thursday, so there's only one paper in the kitchen at one time. Always sort the mail as it comes in. Gosh, I sound a bit OCD here... :lol:

OCD or Productive and consistent? ;)

[Tap]

For me, I try to have less things to manage in my life.  This directly translates in to not buying as much.  Which means I have less to move around, clean, and organize.  The less I have to take care of, the more time I have to do other things and the less overwhelmed I feel.

 

1.  Don't buy it, if you don't  already need it.  I used to stock up more and then end up throwing things away because they didn't get used as planned or they expired. I would rather pay a little bit more to buy something later, than to have to deal with it in my way for 6mths or more.  The more things I have to deal with, the less time I have to do things I want!  

 

 

2. Donate or sell it.  Just get it out of the cupboards. I find that the more I get rid of....the less likely I am going to over buy next time. Getting rid of perfectly good items, is a bit of a punishment for me, so it discourages me from buying more.  

 

 

3. I keep a full pantry of basics that have Loooong shelf life (rice, flour, sugar etc).  I try hard to not buy things that are going to go bad in a few weeks.  It costs me $1.50 for gas to run to the store.  If I throw away $1.50 in produce because I didn't use it...it is a wash.  If it is more than that....it was foolish.  I drive by a store every day, I try to buy perishables as I need them instead of stocking up.  Extra fruit or zucchini gets made into muffins but aside from those, I try to not buy more than I need.

 

 

4. Before I buy something, I try to think about what it is going to replace.  There are only so many clothes that are Actually worn.  There are only so many toys a kid Really plays with.  Blankets on beds....cute accents around the house...scented candles....Clutter takes time to tame, and wastes my money.  

[fraidycat]

Having daily routines is probably the most helpful thing for me in terms of staying organised. Floor always get swept after breakfast, laundry goes in the machine while the kettle is boiling...boring stuff like that.

 

It's the boring stuff I'm interested in! So... Not so boring. :) I'm trying to "write" my own daily routine, but by picking the brains of others instead of reinventing the wheel. Give me details woman!

 

I prefer to look at this as a collaborative brainstorming session rather than being lazy and letting you all think for me. :lol:

[Maela]

The second I notice a household item or food item that we will need more of soon, I add it to my grocery list on my phone.  Otherwise I forget about it.

 

 

On Sundays I check the next week's calendar and write a list of all I need to do to prepare for anything happening that week.  I also try to meal plan depending on what's going on that week.  And make a very basic plan for the next five weekdays.  I like to go shopping on Sundays too, while Dh is home with the kids so that on Monday the kids and I have more time for learning.

 

 

[Stacia]

When you're at an appointment, go ahead & schedule your next one (& add it to your calendar) before you leave the place -- dentists, doctors, haircuts, etc....

 

Someone else already said it, but keep your gas tank filled. I pretend the quarter tank mark = empty, so I always go ahead & refill when my tank is at the halfway mark. While filling the tank, grab any trash in your car & toss it.

 

For receipts, mark 3 envelopes: This Month; Last Month; 2 Months Ago. On the first day of each month, empty out all the receipts from the '2 Months Ago' envelope & toss/shred the ones you don't need anymore. (If there's a specific one you need to keep longer, file it away in a separate folder.) Then, move the other receipts back one envelope. Makes it handy in case you need a receipt to return something, to check your credit card bills, etc... but helps keep them under control.

 

Also, when storing credit card statements (or utility bills), as you file this month's, look at & toss/shred (if no longer needed) the one from the same month of the previous year. That way, you should have just one year's worth of statements in your file (unless you're keeping something for a longer time period like an extended warranty coverage on an expensive item).

[Mom in High Heels]

I wish I could get on board the "always leave your kitchen sink (and counters?) clean before you go to bed" train, but I can't.  I just can't seem to arrive at the station on time.

 

I always miss that damn train.  

 

Once I get in a routine, I do really well, but if I fall off for a couple of days, it all goes to hell in a hand basket.  It seems overwhelming to try to catch up and it takes forever to try to get back in it.   Blah.  It doesn't help that this board is so cool that I don't want to get off the interwebs.  I blame my messy house on the Hive!

[fraidycat]

I always miss that damn train.

 

Once I get in a routine, I do really well, but if I fall off for a couple of days, it all goes to hell in a hand basket. It seems overwhelming to try to catch up and it takes forever to try to get back in it. Blah. It doesn't help that this board is so cool that I don't want to get off the interwebs. I blame my messy house on the Hive!

Me too! All of it!

[Stacia]

This might seem elementary, but having cleaned out closets & cabinets makes it SO much easier to ensure that clothes, dishes, etc... get put away in a timely manner. It is so easy to put stuff away when there's actually space to put it away w/out having to cram or rearrange things first.

 

(I hate putting away dishes at my mom's house. Her cabinets are so full that I can never figure out the exact stacking/cramming pattern to get everything to fit into the correct place & have everything fit. So, often the clean stuff sits in the dishwasher, rather than getting unloaded....)

[Stacia]

Remove yourself from as many mailing & calling lists as possible.

 

Lately, for any junk mail I get, I mark out my address & write return to sender/remove from list. If nothing else, I hope it annoys them so they stop sending stuff. The Zero Waste Home book author said she keeps a sharpie in her mailbox & does that as she picks up her mail so that she doesn't even carry in junk mail in the first place -- just writes on it while she's at her box & leaves it there for the next day's pickup.

[ThisIsTheDay]

ALWAYS assume someone is not personally attacking you.  They likely have other things going on, and they probably don't care about you *that* much.

 

Relax and enjoy what you've got. Find joy in the small things.

 

Your life will be so much easier!

[LoveMyBeautifulGift]

Hmmm...things that have made my life run smoother:

 

-Each room/area has a day that it gets a deeper clean that just the basic pickup/wipedown...so no room ever gets out of control, but I don't spend hours cleaning the entire house every day...

 

-Fridays are takeout night.  Fridays are also when I give the kitchen its deep clean.  I go through the cupboards/fridge/freezer as part of the clean to check for boxes that have only one serving, or expired yogurt or whatever.  Then I pull out my recipes/make a grocery list that lists EVERYTHING (salt, pepper, oil EVERYTHING) needed for the recipes/meals for that week.  Then I stand in the kitchen and cross off the items that we have (often, I know, but if I don't absolutely know for sure, I double check).  Then, what remains on the list gets re-written in the order found in the store.  The list thing was an older trick I learned from another forum, that seriously cut down on the number of last minute trips to the store during the week.  But I recently started doing the Friday night takeout/kitchen clean, and it has tremendously cut down on how long it takes to write the list & how long it takes to get everything put up Saturday after we shop. 

 

-If I fall off routine, I pick up where I should be, rather than trying to play catch up with the whole house-so if I miss the bathroom one week, oh well, it will get done next week...this especially helps when we are way off routine and it seems overwhelming to start back up-I just need to implement the routine for that day to get back on track.

 

-Sundays are planning days-I look at HS schedule, Girl Scout schedule, whatever else is going on that week and make a to-do list (which I then re-write by priority). 

 

-I have been trying to break the bad habit of "hopping on" the computer "for a minute" when DD is otherwise occupied.  Often, a minute turns into an hour (or more) and then we need to scramble to make up lost time.  My goal is to limit myself to only after DD is in bed for the night. 

 

-I am also trying to get back into the habit of getting up at least 1/2 hour before DD...days used to run so much smoother if I had a little time to myself in the morning. 

 

 

[nd293]

When the house is a mess, I set a magic number and put away that many things immediately. It's usually 20 or 25. It gets me focused on the solution, rather than the problem, it prompts me to work quickly because "immediately" usually means "before I do what I want" and it re-energizes me, because I see instant improvement.

 

I have a basket by the door, and stuff that needs to get done out of the house goes there (library books due to be returned, letters that need to get posted, clothes that need to go to the charity shop) and once a week I put the basket in the car and do all the errands its contents require.

 

We read aloud as a family at the table after dinner. Rather, dh or dd reads and I clean the kitchen. I hate, hate, hate cleaning the kitchen while everyone else relaxes after dinner, and this way it gets done and I'm not resentful. It doesn't happen every night, sometimes I clean up before we eat, but if the kitchen is a mess, we read together.

 

A place for everything, and everything in its place! If it doesn't have a place, get rid of it, or find / make a place for it.

[lynn]

I never do  more laundry thanI have time to fold and put away.  My goal is 1 load a day, 2 if I know I will get it all done.

 

I established a daily cleaning ritual for our bathrooms,  It takes less than 5 min each bathroom no more marathon bathroom cleaning.

 

I clean one area of my fridge along with my nightly kitchen cleaning.  Everything gets taken out of that area and it gets clean and sanitized.

 

 

Before I start baking or cooking a meal I have the sink full of hotwater and dishsoap ready to go and wash dry and put away prep bowls, spoons etc as i go.   i also have my dishwater emptied each morning so everyone can put their used cup/dishes etc in as we go through the day and when we finish dinner

[Kelly1730]

Care to share your bathroom cleaning ritual, Lynn? I love and require a clean bathroom, just don't like doing it. I live by routines. Great thread, I'll be back later when I have more time.

[VaKim]

I think everything I was going to say has already been said. But the big one for me is the "place for everything and everything in its place." Form habits, such as putting your keys in the exact same place, so that when you are old and can't remember things anymore, you can still do quite well living by the habits you have formed, without having to remember or think.  :tongue_smilie:

 

I always do dishes before bed and set the coffeemaker up, like others have said.

 

I do a load of laundry a day, if there is one. So much easier to do than facing a big pile once a week!

 

I sweep the floors every morning. Takes maybe 10-15 minutes.

 

Keeping things put away makes life easier, but also makes people who visit think your house is just so clean, even if the floors are covered in dirt and there are cobwebs on the ceiling. 

 

I always make out my menu and grocery list on Saturday and go shopping on Sunday morning. Also always shop early, before the crowds.

 

When the girls were younger, we did year round 4 days a week schooling, taking Mondays off for shopping, appointments, etc. Mondays were better than Fridays because places are not as busy then.

 

We always had a shelf where we kept all library books so we could easily find them when they were due back.

[DarlaS]

Always? Know yourself. If I did not always put my keys in the same place, without exception EVER, I would lose them. Make this a rule for anything important. You might be surprised how few things there really are that you CANNOT lose. Sure, it's irritating to misplace a book, but it's not life-altering. The checkbook? That's a problem. 

 

My house has clutter. None of that clutter contains anything that could be important (bills, keys, phones, credit cards, money...). Those things all have a place. 

[DarlaS]

My only always trick is that when I walk inside or outside of any building or house, I always do a check for my keys, my glasses, and my phone.

 

:iagree:

 

I check for keys, phone, kids, purse, debit card! lol!

[Wilma]

We read aloud as a family at the table after dinner. Rather, dh or dd reads and I clean the kitchen. I hate, hate, hate cleaning the kitchen while everyone else relaxes after dinner, and this way it gets done and I'm not resentful. It doesn't happen every night, sometimes I clean up before we eat, but if the kitchen is a mess, we read together.

 

 

I think this is just lovely! You've taken something that would otherwise be a friction point and turned it into a connection and a sweet time for your family. Lovely!

[DawnM]

Wow.  You are all in much better shape with your home cleaning than I.  I live in a mess usually.  It isn't bad, really, but it isn't spotless by any stretch of the imagination.

 

Do any of you have your kids do dishes?  That is how ours gets built up in the sink.  We have to remind, remind, remind.......but DH is insistent that they need to participate in the cleaning, but I have to sit on them and sometimes watch to make sure it is done correctly.  This may be because I have BOYS and they really hate it, or it just may be something else.

 

I hate rules and don't self impose any.  I grew up at boarding school where every minute was planned out and dictated to us.  There is something about "you must do X at Y time" that is like nails on a chalkboard to me.  Now, it doesn't bother me to be to work on time or do a good job at work, but for some reason the home based rigid rules make me crazy.

 

However, I don't mind a little mess.  

 

I am very consistent with the things I need to be consistent with:  I pay bills on time, I budget each month, I meal plan, I get my kids to activities on time, etc....

 

A few dishes in the sink just don't bother me, nor do a few dust bunnies under the couch. 

[elfgivas]

Well, I've been doing a lot of reading on building habits.  One thing that comes up over and over again is that it's easier to add habits onto already existing habits.  Adding a link to the chain.  So yes, having coffee counts because you can add a new habit to it.

 

Every time I drink my first cup of coffee, I will... check/water the plants, read a chapter of a book for self-ed, toss in a load of laundry.  Whatever you want to add to your day to help make your life easier or help you accomplish something you've been "meaning to do someday". KWIM?

 

So pay attention to your existing habits (eating meals, drinking morning coffee, evening walk etc.) and add a small something at the beginning or end to help make your day smoother.

 

for me, this was and is key.  they are called triggers.  and i am so absent minded that without them i would be toast.  

other people can provide the triggers.  eg.  dd practices the violin three times a day.  each time she starts, I get up and work in the kitchen.  while i work in the kitchen, i do laundry.  

it works.  

 

eg.  dh gets up just 5 minutes before me.  by the time i am up, he is just starting the coffee maker.  then, we unload the dishwasher while the coffee brews.  i load any left over dishes, put in the first load of laundry, and voila, the coffee is done.  we sit and read our morning news on line.  and so it goes.  

 

i also use the timer as a trigger.  i use the timer A Lot.    

 

you asked for helpful ones.  

 

i leave my cell phone in my purse.  that way, i can call it using the house phone and find my purse, which has my keys in it.  i separated the keys, so i can only lose one at a time, rather than all of them.  they each have a pocket of my purse they belong in, and they Always go in there.  if i ever just set a key down, it will be gone for days/forever.  

 

i run circuits.  eg.  we hang dry all of our laundry.  i hand carry three or four items to the line outside.  i bring in three or four items and put them away.  while i am in the bedrooms, i pick up any stray glasses etc and take them to the kitchen.  and , oh look, the washing machine lid is open, i must be hanging up laundry.  i take 3-4 more items out, hang them up, bring more in, etc, etc.  at the end of 20 minutes, everything is hung up, everything dry is put away, all the glasses are out of the bedrooms.  i tried for 30 years to do it the way i thought it "should be done"... wet laundry in laundry basket out to the line, dry laundry in laundry basket back in to the house, things folded and put away, but i failed completely on the last step.  this way is better.  

 

hth,

ann

[Cosmos]

Do any of you have your kids do dishes?  That is how ours gets built up in the sink.  We have to remind, remind, remind.......but DH is insistent that they need to participate in the cleaning, but I have to sit on them and sometimes watch to make sure it is done correctly.  This may be because I have BOYS and they really hate it, or it just may be something else.

 

Dh, ds, and I take turns doing dishes. I mentioned above that we have one person wash dishes, one person dry, and one person sweep. We rotate each week, so we each do all of the tasks. We don't have any problems with reminding/supervising because the whole family is right there in the kitchen working together. We are a one-kid family, though, which is a different dynamic than larger families. I will say washing is my ds' least favorite shift of the three. We sweeten it up by letting the person who is washing choose what music to put on.

[Night Elf]

I taught my kids how to do their own laundry. Running the washer/dryer is not rocket science. Both my Dds leave dirty clothing on their floor and I used to hate going in there to decide what was clean and what was dirty. Mostly, they leave clean clothes in their baskets and just live out of them. Ds, DH and I fold and put away clothes as soon as they come out of the dryer. Once everyone had their own roles, laundry became a chore I really don't mind doing.

 

All dishes are put into the dishwasher throughout the day, or hand washed immediately if it's not dishwasher safe. Dd16 brings up her dirty dishes every evening for the dishwasher. We run the dishwasher every night at bedtime, leaving the sink clean. In the morning, while the coffee is brewing, I unload the dishwasher and it all begins again. I try not to leave dishes in the sink for any length of time. I hate going into the kitchen and seeing dirty dishes everywhere.

 

Oh, and dinner is cleaned up immediately after we finish eating. Those dishes are not piled up ever. I handwash big pots and my broiler pan. It takes only a few minutes.

 

Well, it looks like my habits are mostly kitchen and laundry related. But that makes sense because they were both things I used to hate doing.

[FO4UR]

Set the coffee to automatically start at 6am every day.

 

Start a load of laundry during the breakfast hour.

 

Switch a load of laundry during the lunch hour.

 

Fold/hang all laundry before going to sleep.

 

Run a load of dishes at bedtime.  No Dirty Dishes Left Behind....hand wash what doesn't fit in the machine.

 

 

 

 

 

[toawh]

I keep a paper on the fridge for household/grocery needs. When something runs out as I'm cooking I add it to the list, but I only go to the grocery store once a month. Stopping to pick up one or two things stresses me out as it always takes me longer than I anticipated. I've also saved a lot of money doing this. If we don't have an item for a few weeks we learn to do without it or find substitutions. The first couple months were tricky, but we've gotten the hang of it now. Fresh fruits and vegetables, dairy and eggs I buy weekly at the farmer's market.

 

Twice a week I give my boys a bath. The other days they wash up with the shower head, but no hair wash. After the baths I clean the bathroom. The floor is usually soaking wet anyways, and I start with the sink and toilet while they are soaking. Then wash them. While they dress I clean the bathtub, and after they go out mop the floor.

[Guest]

A travel "always":  Unpack your suitcase right away! and put the clothes in drawers and closet, toiletries in bathroom.  And when you get home, unpack *right away* and put the stuff where it goes and the suitcases away.  

 

I was reminded that I *always* do this when I didn't have shampoo in the shower this morning--because I *didn't* do it last night.  Grr.  

 

The other "always" that has helped me a lot is to think through a series of questions before I buy something:

1.  Where's it gonna go?

2.  What's there now?

3.  Where are you going to put THAT?

4.  How often do you have to clean this? 

5.  Oh...never mind (walks away).

 

Honestly, it has saved me a ton of money and has helped a lot with getting my personal clutter down to half of what it was a year ago.  The same cannot be said for others in my family.  Alas. 

 

 

[Hyacinth]

I never do  more laundry thanI have time to fold and put away.  My goal is 1 load a day, 2 if I know I will get it all done.

 

I established a daily cleaning ritual for our bathrooms,  It takes less than 5 min each bathroom no more marathon bathroom cleaning.

 

I clean one area of my fridge along with my nightly kitchen cleaning.  Everything gets taken out of that area and it gets clean and sanitized.

 

 

Before I start baking or cooking a meal I have the sink full of hotwater and dishsoap ready to go and wash dry and put away prep bowls, spoons etc as i go.   i also have my dishwater emptied each morning so everyone can put their used cup/dishes etc in as we go through the day and when we finish dinner

 

Please share your daily bathroom cleaning ritual. Thanks.

 

[kroe1]

1. Never go into debt.

2. Never forget to ask God first.

3. Pee before going to bed.

 

That's about it.

[fraidycat]

I ran out of likes. These are awesome!

 

I'm still :bigear: keep 'em coming.

[AMJ]

Do any of you have your kids do dishes?  That is how ours gets built up in the sink.  We have to remind, remind, remind.......but DH is insistent that they need to participate in the cleaning, but I have to sit on them and sometimes watch to make sure it is done correctly.  This may be because I have BOYS and they really hate it, or it just may be something else.

 

 

 

It's not just boys.  My girls aren't all that great about dishes, either.  Not even the obligatory "take your dishes to the sink".

 

Them not doing dishes is more my fault than theirs at this point, though I plan to change that starting in June.  Most of our dishes are in upper cupboards, and the placement of the dishwasher makes it hard to reach those cupboards.  I placed some plastic dishes in the pantry so the kids can reach some dishes when they need to, but I still have to put away the clean dishwasher contents most of the time.

 

As for washing dirty ones, I need to train them in the proper handling of stuff, and which stuff not to run through the dishwasher.  I have some high quality knives, and some pots and pans, that I refuse to allow to go through the dishwasher.  Other items do better in specific racks (upper or lower), as being in the wrong rack could cause something to melt or fly about.  I'm also a stickler for neatly lining things up in the racks so they don't bash into each other during the wash, and all things are exposed to the water and soap.

 

They are also going to be getting hands-on instruction again in other household tasks, and we will figure out a system for getting them to do more chores (must be a system I remember to enforce, so while some micro-managing will be necessary while they learn things I also need reminders to keep me on track keeping them on track).  Today DH had us all out cleaning the cars before the day got too hot, and this afternoon he told the girls to go clean their own rooms and one "common" room.  They were on their own for this, although I asked about specific parts of the cleaning to gently guide them through it.