Well-trained Homes March edition: for those who want to level up their housekeeping game, but aren't Flybabies

[Laurie4b]

Welcome!

 

This thread is for anyone trying to improve their housekeeping practices. There is no one method that everyone is following. We share strategies and encourage one another. This thread is a place where you can post your goals, your accomplishments, or lack thereof, or ask for suggestions if you're stuck. For many of us, having a place to post gives us a heightened sense of accountability. 

 

What are your goals for March? Are you intending to solidify a habit (or habits)  or are you ready to add a new habit? 

 

 

For me, I need to re-up my goals of cleaning in the kitchen whenever I'm cooking something quick in the microwave or on the stove, going to bed with the kitchen clean,  and doing 15 min of maintenance or sorting in the MBR. 

 

 

 

 

Edited March 1, 2018 by Laurie4b

[Laurie4b]

I'm going to use this for accountability for myself today. 

 

So far, I did 2 --15 min segments in the kitchen and 1 15 segment organizing my tutoring stuff. 

 

Need to do: 

 

At least one more 15 min session in the kitchen. Done

2 15 min sessions in MBR

1 in LR

Probably laundry

and pack for a week long trip. 

 

In between, I need to exercise. 

Edited March 3, 2018 by Laurie4b

[regentrude]

What is MBR?

[Laurie4b]

What is MBR?

 

master bedroom

[cjzimmer1]

I haven't been able to really move forward on decluttering, just too much else happening right now.  But I am managing to removing everything from the bathroom counter that doesn't belong there every time I'm in there.  (I know some don't have a problem with the bathroom but my kids leave books in there multiple times a day, the little guy loves to take his toys swimming in the sink, no one in the house has any clue how to return the toothpaste to the drawer even though every single one of them knows where to find it when they want to brush their teeth, and on it goes).  I'm still trying to make it a habit to do a full clean on Mondays (and I managed to finish that job by 8:15 this morning) but since it seems we are more often having kid friends over on the weekends it's still getting cleaned regularly.  It would probably make more sense to have my cleaning day on Fridays so we would just be prepared for the guests but since Friday is the day I'm least likely to be home, I don't want to try to make it a designated cleaning day.

 

I'm also doing good on making my "manditory" second load in the dishwasher during the day.  My kitchen is looking much better for the effort.  Still trying to work on training kids to "see" the laundry that needs to be folded and put away but in the meantime, I'm more focused on reminding them to do it so at least it's not piling up as much.

 

And my 5 year old has become the best kid in the house at remembering to pick up his toys before bed.  (now if only he could train the rest of them).

[linders]

Goal: dust/vacuum up the pine pollen. Daily. It's everywhere. Oh, and the ladybugs are staging their annual invasion of the house. Gotta love the South. :glare:

[Laurie4b]

My adult sons and I spent last week at my Dad's, helping him to prepare to move. He's been on that farm for 27 years and not only had family farm heirlooms going back over 100 years, but he's a bit of a pack rat. We could have opened a couple hardware stores with screws and nails. 

 

I love that he has saved all the family stuff, but some valuable (at least sentimentally) stuff sat sitting in boxes and not used or cared for for years when it could have been given away earlier. And then there was all the accumulated stuff that could be useful "some day." Well "some day" came and it had to all be sorted through: some tossed, some taken to Habitat or the metal recycling, or given away. 

 

All this is to say that its motivating to me to be culling my "stuff" much more regularly, and giving it away earlier rather than later. 

 

Since Ive gotten home, all I've managed to do though is to get the kitchen cleaned up. I really did need a day to rest mentally after the past week, though. 

 

So here's encouragement to deal with your "stuff" (particularly junk) before your adult kids have to!