Friday, October 1, 2010

My Cleaning Routine






  • Wake up as kids are waking up.  Come downstairs & observe mess/ dirty dishes from night before because husband was not home (working) and I was alone with 4 rowdy boys trying to keep the peace.
  • Get kids dressed, fed, packed for school, referee any ensuing arguments.  Send 2 on bus.
  • Feed baby, change diapers, try to eat some breakfast & clear table.  Again observe mess which is now larger
  • Feel overwhelmed.
  • Try to get baby and 2 year old involved in something to keep their attention and start on dishes.
  • One minute later give a cracker to baby who is screaming because he doesn't want to be in his exersaucer, but the floor is too filthy to let him crawl around.
  • Return attention to dishes
  • Help 2 year old who is digging through the refrigerator for something to drink.  Explain that 'No.  We cannot drink soda at 8:30 in the morning.'
  • 10 minutes later once crying and sulking is over, & 2 year old has a drink, attempt to return to the dishes
  • Baby refuses to sit in exersaucer any longer.  Reluctantly set him on the filthy floor.
  • Check facebook.  Type a post about my frustration.
  • Return to dishes.  No longer feel motivated and 2 year old has just spilled his drink and a yogurt that he somehow (most likely in the few minutes I was on facebook) sneaked out of the fridge all over the table.
  • Wipe the table again.
  • Overwhelmed
  • 1 hour later and house still looks much as it did when I awoke
  • Check other blogs to see if anyone else has miraculous household tips.  Become convinced after seeing pictures of everyone's beautiful homes that I am the only one with  a dirty, messy house.
  • Give up until naptime
  • When naptime comes...spend more time on my blog than I meant to. 
  • Big boys come home and refereeing, dinner prep, homework help all ensues.
  • Bedtime  & I'm pooped.


And, there you have my cleaning routine!



1 comment:

  1. You described my house perfectly, except I only have two boys to contend with!

    My solution? I asked my husband what he wanted cleaned, what was important to him. Surprisingly he asked that the kitchen is clean and the toys cleared out of the walking paths. That's it.

    So on days when things are tough I fall back on his "essential list" and forget about the rest. It's been a great blessing. And on days that are so bad I can't even get that done, he knows when he walks in that it was a BAD day and he lends a hand.

    (sorry just had to brag on him a little). The moral of this story is don't worry, you're not alone!

    ReplyDelete

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