Tackling the house

Proverbs 31:27:

She watches over the ways of her household,

And does not eat the bread of idleness.

I’ve never been a super CLEAN person.  (Oh great...Now everyone thinks I’m dirty.)  Let me clarify, in comparison.  I’m not like my mother or my cousin-in-law (you know who you are) that has the little voice inside of them that says, “I can’t go to sleep until all the dishes are done.”  My little voice typically says, “They’ll be there tomorrow.”  And then a few days later…oops!  Why can’t I have the OCD cleaning voice?! 

Here is my other REASON (okay fine…excuse) for not being as clean as I want. It plays into the obsessive thing.  If I’m going to start I want to do it “right.”  And then I don’t know when to stop and it all becomes so very overwhelming…so why start?!

I know it is something I need to be better at...and I want to be better at!  I just have to be so deliberate about it! I’ve put together a system that I have been trying that seems to work.  Well…it helps A LOT anyway!  It has been about 31 days and I’m ready to share…

So here is where I must confess.  Kyle did A LOT of our house cleaning in the past.  And sometimes even the majority of it!  While Kyle’s strength isn’t the details part (wiping down the kitchen cabinets, CLOSING THE CUPBOARD DOORS haha…love you honey!)  He really is amazing at doing things around the house and doesn’t really have a lazy bone in his body!  I AM SO BLESSED!! 

Before I started eating Paleo I didn’t “feel good” all the time…I felt guilty all the time.  I felt overwhelmed. I felt frustrated. I felt trapped. I felt like I wanted to change! Eating Paleo helped give me the energy to change!

Now I've found a system that works for me in regards to managing the home. Now our home is usually pretty clean. I don't have to scramble if we are going to have someone over. I feel empowered. I feel proud. I feel free to do other things. I feel at peace in our home!

So what you were waiting for…let’s get down to the “nitty-gritty”…

Here is what I like about the system:

• It has flexibility.  If something more important comes up and I'm not able to take care of things one day.  I can do them another day.
• It takes away the overwhelming feeling.  I know when you first look at it, it seems like so much to do.  But for me…this helps!
• It has lists!  I get to check things off...FUN!  And I feel like I'm really accomplishing something. 
• It keeps me on track!

The lists:

Daily list: (These are my daily things.  You can choose yours.  These are things that I want to do daily…but aren’t quite a habit for me.)

• Dishes
• Make the bed
• Clean the Stove
• Wipe the counter tops
• Put everything in it's place
• Choose clothes for next day



Every other day things: (The things you don’t quite have to do every day.)

Vacuum and sweep (we had a dog this is very important!!!)

Weekly: (This goes past tidying and into cleaning)

• Cleaning the bathrooms
• Dusting
• Cleaning out the fridge
• Grocery shopping
• Brushing the dog
• Mowing the lawn
• Mopping
• Changing the sheets
• Making the menu
• Etc., etc., etc.



And this is the BEAUTY of the whole thing.  If you have this list from the beginning of the week you can start checking things off as you go.  Maybe you are on the phone with someone...take a look at the list.  (I could dust real quick or clean the downstairs bathroom while I’m on the phone.)  Check a couple things off every day throughout the week on the list and then...VIOLA…you can ENJOY your Saturday! You don't have to feel like your Mother is telling you…”You can’t go outside and play until all your chores are done!” (Love you Mom…trust me…I’m very thankful that you taught me responsibility!)

Monthly things: (The things that you want to do but never really get around to.  The little finishing touches that bring it all together).

• Vacuuming the car
• The Office
• Laundry room
• Etc.

Bi-yearly things: (The bigger projects)

• Garage
• Oven
• Clean carpets
• Etc.
• Each room/closet/drawer and cabinet is also on this list. I plan to go through each and purge a couple times a year; which I have already started doing. (I've never been one to hang onto things and I don't have a lot of clutter around the house so this isn't that big of a project for me. I think it is good to deliberately go through each drawer/cabinet/closet and room in the house and see if there are things you need to part with like clothes, etc.)

Here is the thing...you can check them off throughout the YEAR!!  

This is very cool for 2 reasons:

1 – you don’t feel like you have to do them all at once and get overwhelmed.

2 – you actually DO them and it isn’t 5 years later and you’re still thinking…”I should really…”

Some of you are probably thinking this seems very complicated. It works for me…okay?  What can I say…maybe I’m broken. J

So again…another 31 day challenge accomplished and incorporated into my everyday life. I'll share a couple other with you soon.

What works for you?