What do you do to lighten your workload?

[profmom]

This can be for homeschooling or homemaking or other areas. For example, a friend says she doesn't cook on the weekends (although I'm not sure what they do instead -- eat out, sandwiches?). I'm also thinking about the kids' chores and evaluating what and how we school.

 

Please share what you have done to lighten your workload or make things easier at your house! :bigear:

[Miss Peregrine]

I cook only 5 nights a week. Mondays and Fridays we clean out the fridge. No more throwing away leftovers. I don't particularly like leftovers but the break is nice.

 

Training the kids to do "my" jobs. At 12 you do your own laundry. Not in an "I'm so done doing your laundry" way but gently until they can do it all. They are also doing the dishwasher(emptying and loading)

 

Impressing upon DH the importance of getting help, especially after dinner. The dishes don't walk themselves to the sink!

 

Having less stuff makes a huge difference. I don't have knick-knacks and things that need to be dusted all the time.

[Plucky]

I do not make breakfast or lunch unless it's a special occasion or holiday. I make a weekly menu and shopping list. On that menu are a couple elaborate meals and all the rest very simple. Use the crockpot. My kids take turns doing kitchen and bathroom duty, so ideally I shouldn't be cleaning these but in reality I have to periodically give them a decent scrub down (note to self: more chore training needed and stricter enforcement). They also do their own laundry. When I have a deep cleaning day we all work together. I keep my calendar and lesson plans as simple as possible so everything is at-a-glance.

 

My life would run that much smoother if I was disciplined to declutter more regularly and didn't goof off as much as I do, but I need some down time or I wouldn't be able to continue doing everything I do and I do a lot for these people I love. So on top of that I would say don't beat yourself up for being human and not being perfect. It's wasted time. :)

[WTMCassandra]

1) Balanced but boring meals ; ). I mostly stick to things I consider "easy." No elaborate stuff here.

 

2) Keeping de-cluttered and de-knickknacked. Putting really good mats at the doors and having a "shoes off" policy so less dirt comes in. These things keep housework down to a dull roar.

 

3) Cultivating a team approach to housework. Four people live here, so four people pitch in. DH has done a lot of the pots/pans dishes for a year or so, and that helps (the children do the dishwasher stuff).

[Perry]

My biggest time saver is to make a weekly menu and grocery shop only once a week. I no longer stress about meals on a daily basis, our meals are healthier, and we eat out less.

[mcconnellboys]

My boys have chores to do, such as helping with laundry, emptying trash, cleaning their rooms and baths, helping pickup, feeding the critters, etc. I generally don't cook on the weekends, either, because we're often out of town for sports or other things. They eat leftovers, frozen things that are always in the fridge that they can prepare quickly, make soup and grilled cheese, etc. I let them start cooking some simple things when they get to be tall enough to stand at the stove without arms hitting the eyes on the stove.

 

My husband controls the first floor of the house and often vacuums. I still don't get it dusted as often as I'd like, but I do have the basement media room under control pretty well now, LOL. I also straighten and freshen upstairs most every day as my younger son works on his written work. I can do laundry chores while he's doing that, too. The stairs get picked up more often than they used to. I used to think they were a conveyor belt for books and school stuff as our schoolroom is upstairs. My husband does the dishes and my older son helps with emptying the dishwasher, too.

[DB in NJ]

Weekly menu and shopping list (and I'll use our food store's Shop At Home service in a pinch).

 

Someone else cleans the house every other week ($200 per month).

 

DH does the laundry, although I throw a load in every now and then.

 

I cook simple, no frills meals.

 

DS empties all trash cans every Tuesday and Friday.

 

DD empties dish washer.

 

Everyone is responsible for their things being where they belong, not strewn all over the place.

 

Kids clean their own rooms and their bathroom.

 

And the biggest thing that helps me get everything done that needs getting done is getting up, getting dressed, make the bed, read my Bible, and pray before I do anything else! Exercise is key too. ;)

 

Bottom line: I try to be organized, simplified, and get everyone else in the house in on the "fun" :D

[PollyOR]

I need to have my girls do more, but we are making progress slowly.

 

Monday night is u-bake pizza night every week. I try to schedule dd's(13) weekly counseling appointment on the same afternoon so I don't have to worry about cooking supper that afternoon.

 

Breakfast and lunch are help yourself affairs here.

 

Empty dishwasher: 6yodd

Wash pots and pans, etc.: 13yodd

Dry and put away pots and pans: 10yodd

 

Toilet: 13yodd

Sink and mirror: 10yodd

 

They put away their own clothes.

 

13yodd is very organized. I need to restart Children's Miracle Music with the younger two. The house was neater when we used it regularly.

[Chris in VA]

Dh does the grocery shopping--he takes the youngest child with him. Used to be in order to give me alone time, but now it's just bonding time with dd.

 

Boys do their own laundry--since they were 8 and 10 yo. Dd folds and puts away her own. Dh does his own, too.

 

Ds and dd do a lot of chores, including:

 

Dd8

Clears table every night

Makes her bed nearly every day, and changes it about once every two weeks

Cleans the downstairs half-bath

Feeds the dog (chore is split between all of us)

Cleans her lunch box as needed

Helps with mopping, taking out trash around the house, dusting, sweeping the stairs and other places, as needed (mostly when company is coming)

 

Ds19

Does the dishes almost every night

Does his own laundry as mentioned

Makes/changes bed

Does other chores as he sees they need doing--just yesterday he did several loads of laundry, including towels.

 

We don't have knick-knacks around the house, and I use baskets in the kitchen to contain clutter. A La Leche leader is known for asking Would you rather have that knick knack that needs to be dusted, or that nice clean space? We go for the space.

 

That said, my house isn't very clean or organized. Trying, tho.

[Tap]

Cook two meals at a time.

 

Have a 15minute pickup...everyone must clean for 15 minutes..even dh. He doesn't like it but he will do it. If ds14, dd10, dh and I all clean for 15 minutes, it is like I worked for 1 hour. If I can pull it off for 30 minutes (usually on a Saturday) it is like I cleaned for 2 hours.

 

 

I have trained the kids to ask whether they are to do a quick clean up or a deep clean. Sometimes, I just want everything obvious picked up, sometimes it needs to be more through. They will ask now, so that we can get more done in a shorter period of time.

[WTMCassandra]

Yes, I do that too. I used to assign specific meals to specific days, but now I have dropped back to making a list of 6-8 meals, making sure I have those ingredients, and then I choose each morning what I'm going to make based on what's going on that evening. Since these are all easy meals, it's no big deal to decide.

[profmom]

Thanks for the posts so far! I'll add some of what I do.

 

~ Make a list of meals for the week and my grocery list during piano lessons on Thursdays. I'm thinking of changing my shopping day to Thursday after piano lessons, but it is currently on Friday mornings while the older kids are at co-op. (I'd rather have the time to do other things though. Now that my oldest can watch my youngest for bits of time, I could shop by myself on Thursday!) I agree that having a meal plan and groceries makes a huge difference!

 

~ Serve leftovers for lunch most days. Even dh is fine with leftovers (generally once per meal). Everyone gets their own breakfast.

 

~ When I think about chores for the kids, I think about what would help me the most. So, ds9 unloads the dishwasher and puts away any handwashed dishes from the night before. Dd12 washes the dishes and cleans up the kitchen after dinner. (I usually handle lunch dishes, and either dh or I help dd with dinner clean up if there is a lot.) Everyone is responsible for putting their own dishes into the dishwasher.

 

~ The kids put away the laundry, but, so far, it's been easier for me to fold it at the dryer and pass it out. I'm going to think about this one though! (Maybe it's time to pass all or part of this one on.) Currently dd sorts the kid laundry from their hamper.

 

~ Ds empties trash cans and puts the recycling out.

 

~ Dd12 writes out her weekly school schedule from my planning notebook and the TOG lesson plans. Ds9 is learning to write out his TOG assignments.

 

~ Kids picking up their things around the house after dinner. (We used to clean up before dh got home, but we got out of the habit because he worked a lot of overtime this year.)

 

~ Kids going to bed to read as close to 8:00 as possible. (8:10 tonight. I guess this lightens my load by giving us time to relax a bit in the evenings? :-) )

Edited December 31, 2008 by profmom

[Laura Corin]

I check it before it runs, as the arrangement isn't always reliable, but they do most of the work. They put away their own clothes, tidy their rooms, tidy up the sitting room before bed, wipe the kitchen table, empty the household bins, bring in the big bin from the road after it has been emptied....

 

I do my weekly shop while the boys are at chess club. The nearest shop is not my favourite, but that time slot is perfect. I sometimes shop from home and get everything delivered, but I find that that uses home time that I'd rather spend on other tasks. I cook from scratch, but often use the slow cooker, or make two meals at once (one for the slow cooker for the next day, one on the stove top). We often eat leftovers.

 

Husband is in charge of the boys from supper time onwards: he makes sure they go to bed clean and happy.

 

ETA: The boys also bring in wood from the pile and collect kindling from the woods.

 

Laura

Edited December 31, 2008 by Laura in China

[6packofun]

I haven't made lunch in a loooong time because I started putting the older kids in charge of that when oldest ds was about 11 or 12. I've given the labor intensive chores to the kids, too, like dishes and yard work and mopping floors, etc. I do more of the tidying and laundry stuff now, plus organization of papers and school stuff.

 

In November, my dh's grandmother (with Alzheimer's) came to live with us and I have a home health aid come in M-F for 3 hours in the morning because I am NOT a morning person and she gets grandma up and bathed and all that stuff I don't want to do because we're doing school!

 

This coming school year we'll be doing more online/computer class options if possible. We have several laptops and that alone makes life much easier or me.

 

I try to plan school 6 weeks at a time and take a weekend here and there throughout the year to do those plans. We have grading times set up where the kids actually help me go over their and younger ones' work. We don't do a ton of quizzes, tests and other mindless grading opportunities, but we're ramping up with more writing so those are a bit time-consuming.

 

Our kids have schedules printed out that my dh created in Excel. Each kid has a color-coded chart of what certain times of the day are for: chores, school work, their scheduled 1-hour block of time when they're responsible for the 2-year old, free time, etc. For chores, if I don't have a list for them, they choose from a pre-made list I have up that shows all of the very regular things that usually need to be done. Pick two and do them. The end. lol

 

We read or listen to books during meals to save time.

[Liz CA]

This can be for homeschooling or homemaking or other areas. For example, a friend says she doesn't cook on the weekends (although I'm not sure what they do instead -- eat out, sandwiches?). I'm also thinking about the kids' chores and evaluating what and how we school.

 

Please share what you have done to lighten your workload or make things easier at your house! :bigear:

 

Ds cleans up after dinner - admittedly this is not always to my standard but better than not at all. He has been doing his own laundry since he was thirteen or so ( I had cards taped above washer & dryer with detailed instructions), ds and dh take turns bringing in the wood for the woodstove, chopping kindling and stacking logs. Ds also feeds horse & chicken while I feed dog.

I still do most of the cleaning as in dusting, mopping etc but ds is cleaning his bathroom and his own room (occasionally) SIGH.

Overall, I get help if I ask. Without asking, the guys can step over just about anything...

[Laura Corin]

DH has a desk job, so he often just wears the same thing for more than one day. If the kids don't dirty their clothing, they wear it for more than one day.

 

Trousers we wear for two or three days; sweaters until they seem dirty; shirts, underwear and socks one day. I do find that living in the country adds to the washing though: lovely long country walks see us gathering a lot of mud.

 

Laura

[Trivium Academy]

-One load of laundry a day instead of doing it all in a day.

-Minimize clutter- less decor = more time and it looks cleaner longer

-Picking up daily is essential, 2x a day (esp. before bedtime)

-Teaching the kids to wipe down their bathroom after hygiene. They use the same washcloth they wash their face with to wipe down the baseboards, light switch, sink & counter that night. I have my own bath routine at night so that takes care of 2 bathrooms nightly.

-Toys that aren't picked up are taken away for a period of time.

-Kitchen is cleaned 2x a day, after breakfast and after dinner. Every surface is washed, floor swept nightly. Spending a little bit of time (5-10 min) sweeping and wiping down exterior cabinets makes a huge difference.

-I've put plastic bins inside our cabinets to store things, we can take out the bathroom cleaning supplies easily and move them to where we need them without carrying individual bottles. The kids have their own plastic gloves, ds4 has a bottle of water to spray (his cleaner ;) ) so the kids LIKE cleaning.

-Praise is given for all efforts, gratitude is expressed daily.

- Turning a blind eye at times really helps.

[kalanamak]

I dropped my hobbies. I view this like a high school romance. If we still love each other after the grammar phase (like coming home after college), it was true love. If not, such is life.

[Peela]

My kids have alternate weeks on different chores

Week 1- all pets, doggy poo pick up

Week 2- ALL kitchen washup and dishwasher duty

 

Dd14 takes care of pool maintenance now- Dh trained her.

Ds13 does all bins weekly.

 

Both kids do their own washing, including bedding. It still takes reminders from me, though. The benefit is never having to sort washing- dh has always done his own, too, since he was housetrained long before me.

 

I just don't cook nightly. I do cook for "work" though, twice a week, and we often have leftovers from that. My family is fussy, dh keeps himself loaded up on TV dinners for those nights we eat meat or something he doesnt like. The kids can get themselves pasta or microwave a pie. I cook maybe 5 nights a week.

 

I do the aeroplane thing- when I am feeling tired, run down, overwhelmed, too busy- I make myself food that I feel I need (fish, salad, sometimes red meat), I go to my room, I nap, whatever I need to do. Everyone can fend for themselves while I recuperate.

 

I get up first and early, so I get "me" time- that leaves me "filled up" and ready to do what need to be done the rest of the day.

 

Generally once a week I will grab the kids and we will do the basic cleaning, vacuuming etc. Doesnt take long when we all do it.

 

Training the kids really helps. It takes effort to train them, but the pay off is great. It is really dh who is consistent with it. I would often prefer to do it myself than nag them yet again- but he will drag them away from whatever they are doing and demand they do or complete a chore NOW. It works.

[sweetbaby]

I use some of the things suggested here already. Dad brings the bacon so the care of the house has always been on me.

 

I cook simple meals and we eat left overs for the next day's lunch.

 

I assign the children chores. They help with folding the laundry and loading/putting away dishes, vacuuming and dusting, and cleaning the bathrooms and their bedrooms.

 

I try not to schedule more than one outing or even on the same days.

I cook weekends but it's usually light except Sundays. We love traditional home cooked meals on Sundays.

[HappyGrace]

1. Consolidate all errands-I grocery shop every other Sat and do any other errands at that time too. Usually more errands will come up in between, and I try to plan them all in the same afternoon so we're running less.

 

2. Limited activities-this is new this year-we used to be "runners", always at this or that. The gas prices and finances were our motivation, but it has helped in a lot of ways to be out less. Kids have once a wk co-op, Awana, and church/Sunday school-that's it. It's sometimes hard to turn down good activities-our area is full of them! We do occasionally add in a special single event that comes up like a puppet show or whatever.

 

3. Planned leftovers-for example, make plenty of potato/leek soup for dinner day before co-op; dinner is done for after co-op!

 

4. Lowering standards on cleaning-beds get changed less often, floor isn't mopped often, etc. This was a hard transition since I'm anal about cleaning, but I'm used to it now and okay with it!

 

5. Lesson planning in summer, as much as possible, including lessons for the class I teach at co-op. And planned down to even what books I need for what week from the library. This was the first yr I did this, and it's a huge help! I just have to look it over on Sun night and I'm good to go.

 

6. Training kids to help. We don't have any chore lists, etc.-I just expect them to keep their rooms clean, beds made, and do whatever chores I need done at the time and ask them to do. This was purposeful so I don't hear, "That's not my chore," etc.

 

7. Things go much more smoothly when I stay off this stinkin' computer!

[lllll]

This can be for homeschooling or homemaking or other areas. For example, a friend says she doesn't cook on the weekends (although I'm not sure what they do instead -- eat out, sandwiches?). I'm also thinking about the kids' chores and evaluating what and how we school.

 

Please share what you have done to lighten your workload or make things easier at your house! :bigear:

 

These are some of the things I've discovered over the years. Some would have helped lighten my load years ago had I thought to implement them. Specific for our family, as usual, but may be a useful springboard for ideas if anyone is interested.

 

Let dh do the shopping. It took some getting used to, but this alone gives us oodles more time to do school, work around the house, etc. Be sure to make very specific lists.

 

Turn the house/property over to the dc. Seriously. I did this a few years ago and it has worked beautifully (note ages below - your dc may be much younger than mine were at the time ...). They maintain the whole thing now. 18yod even recently began paying all the bills and dh is teaching her to handle all aspects of the money - slowly - then she will teach the next one and so on. One way to think about it is this: if you are planning for your dc to go away in their teens (college or whatever), what will they have to know to function and not be taken advantage of? Another way to look at it is like we did. Should dh and I be killed in an accident tomorrow, what would dc need to know in order to run the house/property? (Our will leaves all of it to the 5 youngest dc.) I found they were much more capable of doing everything that needed to be done than I had realized, once I altered my thinking.

 

Stay home. Cut out all outside activities. This might drive some mad, but it had the opposite effect for me. After a couple of weeks, my brain clears and I can feel the creativity begin to flow. A trip to town really stiffles it. And, of course, there's the obvious time element. Dc even notice the same kinds of things.

 

Cut off the internet. Yep. I'm at the library. Only use it when dc need to do library work. In particular, I found that the more time I spent actually doing school with dc and the less time I spent reading about how to do it (via books, the boards, etc.), the more I got done.

 

We all went vegan. Easier to cook and plan, for us.

 

Now, for a few more simpler things.

 

We all use sleeping bags instead of the traditional top sheet and bedspread. Saved me tons of time when I accidentally discovered this trick.

 

Bought about 20-30 of those plastic, child's cups (hold 8 oz. or so) and a big basket with a handle. When anyone wants a quick drink, they use these. Can fit many more into the dishwasher and easy to unload - just grab the basket and toss them in.

 

Divided the chores into 5 general areas (to equal the number of dc we have) and posted 5 lists on the frig. Dc put their names on magnets and all they have to do is switch the names every week.

 

Let them make up their own schedules. I tell them the group things which must be included and they get together and make up schedules and give them to me so's I know where I have to be when.

 

School year round. We've always done this. I like being able to take off at any time of year.

 

 

Well, ds just informed me he's done, so I have to go. Birthday stuff.

 

HTH.

[phathui5]

I have a mother's helper come once a week to play with the kids and help me clean the house.

[Stacy in NJ]

I have a cleaning lady who comes weekly. She really scrubs the bathrooms and kitchen.

[Desert Rat]

Don't know if this really counts as lightening my load but....

 

I find that keeping a relatively rigid schedule affords me the opportunity to accomplish everything I need to do. If I get overwhelmed I have dh take the kids to evening sports if possible. On occasion I will leave the boys with my dad to do the grocery shopping just for convenience and a little quiet.

The boys help with chores now and help with the weekly cleaning both here and at my folks whose house I clean every other week. Ds8 is taking on more responsiblity as he is able and little one is trying hard to figure out the helping thing.

Dh is great about giving my some down time on the weekends if I need it.

Easy meals when we're in the swing of all the sports and I pack dinners for dh.

I also divide school subjects into must and should. Math, history, writing, spelling and languages are must. The rest are shoulds so if I need to skip a few days or even a week I don't feel badly.

Usually, though I feel like I can handle the running of things here with little problem.

[lmrich]

I had ankle surgery this year so the kids and hubby had to do everything for two months, guess what? They are capable. Even the six year old can sort clothes! My advice, train the kiddos and the hubby, and then hold them accountable. Also, make a menu schedule to follow:

 

Sunday - big meal like a roasted chicken/pork roast

Monday - pasta (we change the topping ham, meatball, ground beef, cheese)

Tuesday - crockpot in the winter/ salad or grill in the summer

Wednesday - Mexican (fajitas, tacos, quesidellas, enchillidas)

Thursday - leftovers or soup and sandwiches

Friday - fish or breakfast food

Saturday - American "fast" food - homemade pizza, hamburgers, hot ham and cheese etc.

 

I also plan the kiddos lunches for the week.

 

And never run out of coffee!

 

Best of luck!

[StaceyinLA]

I have had to make some changes. The biggest change is that I do have a house cleaner coming every 2-3 weeks. She is doing the stuff that I rarely got to before, so I KNOW I won't get to now. I keep a neat house, but I have slate floors that I rarely mop and I have horrible allergies so I HATE dusting. Thankfully, she tends to those things now and I have no guilt!!

 

Otherwise:

 

I do 2 loads of laundry every day (a dark and white batch). Every 3-4 days I'll do a load of nicer clothing that needs the delicate cycle, but I have to let those build up enough to make a load. I try to have one load washed and dried before I leave and the second load in the dryer. I don't go in until noon tu-th so that works well. Fridays I start a batch and have the kids swap them around. The kids generally do the folding.

 

I plan my meals and always keep a stocked kitchen. I buy lots of organic salad fixins each week and we have salad with nearly every supper. DH LOVES salad. I keep it simple with a mix of lettuces and spinach, grape tomatoes, fresh grated parmesan, fresh cracked pepper, diced avocado and raw walnuts. I either make dressings or we use Newman's Light Honey Mustard (it's our fave right now) or a light caesar.

 

I try to cook at least one or two things early in the week that we can use several times. I often do that Mexican roast I learned about here on the boards. I shred it for enchiladas or tacos. We do spaghetti, regular tacos (dh cooks one of these items at least once/week), chili in winter (dh can do this as well), stews, soups, beans/rice, etc.

 

For lunches I keep bagels, sandwich stuff, organic mac and cheese boxes, fruit, pb (kids LOVE apples with pb), pitas and tortillas (for pocket sandwiches, pizzas, quesadillas), and I usually have a stash of a few frozen things (Alexia brand cheese sticks, kashi pizzas, Amy's stuff). My kids generally fend for themselves for lunches since I'm gone from 11:30 - 4:30. Of course, my youngest is nearly 14 so it's a little different than some of your situations.

 

We don't generally do breakfast but, if we do, they can eat any of the above or cereal, oatmeal, luna or clif bars that I keep on hand, egg/toast, just toast, etc.

 

As far as the rest, we just DO NOT DO clutter! I HATE clutter!! I keep a neat house and we don't keep stuff we don't regularly use. I also don't have a lot of little knick-knacks. We just minimize that sort of thing. I like a neater appearance and it's lots easier to clean.

 

I'm sure there is more, but that's a start!!

[NorthwestMom]

I have used a menu planning service for years:

 

http://thescramble.com/

 

They post a new week's worth of menus every Wednesday on their website, but you can go any time and build your own custom menu. You can accommodate all kinds of food preferences with it too, and in the end it will provide you with a grocery list for the meals you have selected. It costs $4.95 a month, but if we go through a drive-thru even once (and trust me, we do) it costs our family 5 times that much for fast food! It is worth the small price for the ability to be organized for minimal effort.

 

There's a free trial at the website, so check it out.

[angela in ohio]

I raise helpful, respectful, obedient children, and all the rest is pretty easy after that, though it is a huge initial investment. :D

[Julpost]

I can't wait to read all of these replies, what an awesome thread.

 

I try not to cook on the weekends. Either dh cooks, we eat sandwiches, or we eat out at Subway or some other inexpensive place.

 

I'm going to try to use my crockpot more this year.

[Murphy101]

reduce/combine

reuse/do without

teach a kid to do it

 

that's pretty much it in a nutshell

 

I think probably 90% of the things people stress over getting done just don't have to be done to begin with. Saying NO is a perfectly valid option.

 

no to stuff you don't need to own

no to doing things perfectly or "just so" when good enough IS good enough

no to doing things for kids that are more than capable of doing it themselves

no to doing more than is neccessary half as well as doing the essentials excellently

 

and priorities make decision easier

 

in our home that means:

family

church

other

 

often times that eliminates a LOT of stuff because they just aren't high enoughon my list of priorities.

Edited January 2, 2009 by Martha

[Mekanamom]

As others have said: decluttering, getting into a solid routine, weekly menu planning and shopping just once/week all make a BIG difference.

 

During really busy times, I also rely on my appliances. The crock pot, the rice cooker, the bread machine, even the coffee maker... they all have timers and I can put the ingredients in when I've got the time and set each one to be finished when I want it to be done. That helps a LOT.

 

The roomba helps to an extent as well.

[stacim]

The kids have chores and we are gradually adding more to what they have to help with. We just need to get better with a consistent schedule. Table cleanup and dishes after dinner are pretty consistent. The big boys have to straighten their room each night before bed and the oldest 3 make their beds daily.

 

One thing that helps a lot with laundry is sorting bins in the basement. The oldest two alternate taking the hamper down daily and sorting. We have a whites bin and a towels bin and the other stuff gets sorted by bedroom. DS1 and DS2 in one bin, DD and DS3 in another, and mom and dad's together. The two oldest (12 and 9) do ALL of the kid laundry one day each week, from start to finish. They don't know it yet, but I am about to have them start doing the whites and towels, since they do such a great job. ;)

 

I really need to do better with the meal planning and cooking. We rarely eat out and cook mainly from scratch. I would do much better with a plan. We don't mind leftovers, so I think I really need to work on bigger batch cooking.

 

Love reading what everyone else is doing!

 

~Staci

[MeanestMomInMidwest]

I pay my kids to do stuff I don't want to do! :D Ds is trying to save $100, he's well on his way b/c he's willing to do all the chores I don't like.

I'll also put on music or a book on tape and we'll all "blitz" on housework. it goes faster and is fun for everyone!

 

I have also learned to squint my eyes just so, in order not to see dust and/or chores not done *exactly* the way I would have done them - This cuts my work in half!

[mrsdrcook]

Pregnant working mom of 2 preschoolers, with disabled husband, so nice ideas but....leftovers once a week and meal planning to avoid grocery trips more than once a week is about all we can do. Oldest is starting to take an interest in cleaning bathrooms but I can still work faster by myself. Nightly clean-up before a one show treat, but Mom has to supervise and do most of this as well.

 

But I love them all, and wish the home was fuller still.

[Jennifer in NH]

The kids do their own laundry. They help with chores and we are starting a new concept this weekend. DD8 and DS6 are cooking. DS6 will be cooking breakfast..I will supervise, and DD8 will be cooking dinner. I am hoping to make this a weekly thing and get them on the track of really learning how to cook. It sure would make life more pleasant. Of course, all this does take time, so in my immediate future, i do still have to be right there...but that was true for the laundry last year, and now I don't need to be there at all.