Mommy Series : Cleaning Schedule

     This post will be a little different than my previous posts. I've mainly done pregnancy/baby updates and entries on different activities/trips we've taken as a family. I wanted to venture out from my "diary entry" posts and do something a little different. I want to do a little series of posts that will take this blog in a different direction. Today's post is dedicated to explaining how I keep myself sane when it comes to keeping my house clean and not overwhelming myself with too much work on one single day.

     As a stay at home mom, I make my own schedule regarding everything that I need to get done. And I've found that personally, I feel most in control and accomplished when I have a set schedule that I can follow instead of doing chores on a whim. With a schedule I know what needs to be done that day, and plan my time accordingly. I know some mom's like to get all the cleaning done in one day. I Probably would do the same if I didn't have 2 toddlers and was 34 weeks pregnant. I physically can't clean the whole house in one day. Also I like that at any given day, if I'm keeping up with my schedule, my house it somewhat tidy. 

     Obviously I don't always follow the schedule to a T. There are days when one or both of my kids are sick and they need my attention more than the laundry or vacuuming does. Also, being 30+ weeks pregnant and having a 2 year old and 1 year old who are almost fully dependent on me makes me tired. So some days when I can tell my body won't be able to handle doing chores, they get put off for another day. Baby#3 needs a healthy mama and over working myself won't benefit the baby or myself in anyway. But I have come to realize that with my personality type, it's a lot easier to have a schedule written down, even if I can't always follow through with it. 

     I love to watch/read other mom's home duties and how they handle them and schedule them out. Being a stay at home mom is my job, and when I watch or read other mom's ideas and tips/tricks I get insight and better my own job. Hopefully someone can find this useful (= 

     Side note: this schedule is what's working for me at the moment. Like I've mentioned, I'm currently very pregnant and have 2 little ones. In a couple months I will have a newborn who will need to be cared for and nursed often. My cleaning schedule might change at that point, but I wanted to share this one even though it might change. 

Daily

• Make bed. (I TRY to get this done when I first get up. It helps me from feeling like the room is untidy)
• Wipe down table and counter. (The table actually gets wiped down multiple times a day)
• Water herbs (These are outside on the deck and get watered at the end of the day)
• clean up kid's toys. ( Gabriel does a good job at doing his own room, but I still have to do Noelani's room. Most times its the books that are all over the floor)
• Take out trash/indoor compost bowl
• Load and start dishwasher. (I like waking up to a clean kitchen and clean dishes in the dish washer)
• Vacuum kitchen floor. (Gabriel also loves doing this, so he does it quiet a few times a day)

Monday 

• Kitchen: take everything off counters and wipe clean + disinfect. 
• Dust/wipe all appliances that are on the counters. 
• Wash sink really well. 
• Wash kitchen/dining floor. 

Tuesday

• Change/wash bedsheets.
• Laundry (load of regular clothes, load of bedsheets, load of towels if there are enough to wash)
• Water all indoor plants

Wednesday *Swing Day* 

(Each week I do something from the list according to the need. I try to go through the whole list before starting over on it again) 

• Week 1: Clean out fridge/pantry. Wash kitchen trash can
• Week 2: Clean/sort/dust office
• Week 3: Tidy kids' closets and wash all baseboards
• Week 4: Clean/sort kitchen cabinets 
• Week 5: Clean/sort bathroom cabinets 

Thursday 

• Clean bathrooms (we have 3, and 2 of them get used daily)

Friday 

• Laundry (load of regular clothes, load of David's work clothes, load of towels if there is enough) 
• Vacuum and dust furniture 
• Wash Windows/walls/door knobs 

Saturday

     Saturday's I've left for chores that can be left undone some weeks. Saturday is our day to spend with family and sometimes there are activities we like to do together or just relax and rest. On days when I am up for some chores I try to do these

• Weed flower garden
• Mow lawn 
• Take small compost bin to back compost (gets done every Saturday in the evening)
• Wipe down large kitchen appliances (gets done every Saturday in the evening)