The daily grind of being a full time stay at home Mum can be so amazingly rewarding don't get me wrong... but... there are days when it seems like there are endless lists of 'things to do' (didn't I just restock the cupboards two days ago? How can there be no food in the house?!) and you feel like you are chasing your own tail around in circles (probably because you literally are as you pick up those toys, clothes, pencils, shoes for the hundredth time in a matter of hours). I guess for me personally, given that I am not 'working' at the moment and am at home full time, I try to be as conscientious at home as I would be at work. So, I have found my groove and it works for us!
As organised as I like to be I don't actually have a set schedule/list for housework... I have always liked a tidy home so personally don't really feel I need a reminder to get things done... sometimes just the motivation :) I know it sounds corny but organisation, communication and fun are the key. None of what I am about to write is overly profound or a stoke of genius but you asked for my tips on my daily/weekly routine so here they are! ;)
Rise and Shine!
How I start my day more often than not sets the tone for the remainder of the day so for me it's really important to get off to a good start! My girls are generally pretty predictable with their waking times and I'm one of those freaky people who will wake up at the exact same time every day without an alarm (and usually with around 5-6 hours sleep) so the first thing I do is:
- I ditch the lay in and instead opt to have 20 minutes of peace to get myself ready! I set my alarm (just in case) for 20 mins before my girls usually wake up. I'm usually 3/4 ready by the time they wake so it makes all the difference already being two steps ahead! Giving up that extra half hour of sleep is TOTALLY worth it. AND having that little bit of 'me time' to shower, apply a little make-up and brush your hair etc. can absolutely set your mood for the day. Feeling good about yourself plays a big role in how you tackle everyday, regardless of who you are!
- Once the girls are awake I whizz around the house and make all of the beds. The girls will often ask to help me so I happily let them and then just covertly tidy up their work afterwards hee hee. I make the beds every day without fail because it makes the entire house instantly look and feel about 75% cleaner (and because I'm too much of a clean freak to be able to function properly otherwise). And on the days that Allegra wakes super early (which seems to be the case alot lately) she will often make both hers and Anya's bed all on her own ;)
- We then all have breakfast. When they were younger and messier eaters I used to dress the girls after they had eaten so that their clothes would remain clean but these days they dress themselves :) On the days the girls have school, I check the weather forecast the night before and lay out there clothes, shoes, hair bows etc. so there is no need to scramble in the morning.
- I like to wake to a clean kitchen but if you are still finding you are running late in the mornings, lay out your breakfast items the night before.
Feeding Time at the Zoo!
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Is there nothing worse than walking in the door at the end of the day, walking over to the fridge and thinking 'what the hell am I going to feed everyone?'. Meal planning and food prep is the answer. I know this might sound like a lot of work initially, however, the few minutes you spend on putting thought into what your weekly meals will consist of and how to help make the preparation of these meals easier, will be totally worth it! The weekends are easy for us as we tend to grab a late lunch/early dinner whilst we are out and about, however, when it comes to our Monday to Friday meals, here's what I do to make life easier:
- On a Saturday or Sunday I will have a think about what our schedules look for the coming week ie. which nights won't I have to factor Mr B into the dinner equation if he is working late or travelling, are there any evenings where we will be home right on dinner time etc. meaning I will either need a quick dish or something I have prepared earlier.
- I will then place an online order for the bulk of the weeks groceries to be delivered on a Sunday or Monday morning... I love having a fully stocked fridge and pantry at the beginning of the week! There are a few fresh items that I prefer to pick up in store during the week as I need them but by ordering the majority of it online means the few things I do need to pick up myself will only take a few minutes instead of hours (those with kiddies will know what a task it can be)!
- On a Monday (usually when the girls are in school for the morning) I take an hour to prep dinner for that night and the following few. Even little things like washing and cutting your veggies ahead of time makes all the difference when it comes to what I like to call 'Happy Hour' aka the daily dinner/bath/bed ritual with children.
- Once I have dinner for that night prepped I will whip up something for the next few nights. Think of things that store well in the fridge for a few days like soups, curries, bolognese, fried rice, falafels etc. and are easily reheated. Being just one step ahead for the following evening will make that day much more stress free.
- To make this whole process a lot more enjoyable, I often prop the iPad up on the kitchen bench and catch up on some of my guilty pleasure (trashy realty) TV shows whilst I cook away :)
- If you are finding the whole 'prepping meals days in advance' a little overwhelming, something else I often do is prepare part of dinner whilst I am making lunch. For example, if we are having pasta or rice for dinner I will pop it on the stove to cook away or I will prep veggies if I haven't already done so, which makes one less thing I have to do later on and also saves on having to clean up twice! Less dishes during 'Happy Hour' is always a plus!
- You can of course cook and freeze although I am not one to do this often. It's just my personal opinion but I don't feel dishes taste as nice once they are defrosted. Plus, I always forget what I have in the freezer :)
- Include your children! Both my girls are already quite eager in the kitchen and grab their stools daily to come over and 'help' me with lunch, dinner or a spot of baking! Under supervision of course, let them help beat the eggs, mix the cake batter or crumb the chicken (Allegra now knows how to make our infamous schnitzels from start to finish on her own!) and talk about the different food groups, where things come from, measurements etc. It might result in a little more tidying up than if you were doing it on your own but it serves as an educational activity you can do together minus the guilt of you feeling like you are neglecting them again because you have mouths to feed!
- Oh and if you have school lunches to make for the following day, try and prepare as much as you can the night before. Once again, this will take the morning madness from a 10 on the stress scale down to at least an 8 hee hee ;)
Washing and Ironing
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The dreaded washing basket!!! Eh, is there anything worse than walking into your laundry to see an overflowing wash basket and then walking straight back out because the thought of tackling it is just too much! I know this is something ALOT of you despise and I know it is also something many outsource to save themselves the time and effort. But if you are like me (slightly old fashioned sometimes hee hee) and still wash and iron everything from the linen to your hubbies work shirts or if outsourcing isn't an option for you due to the cost etc. there are most certainly little things you can do to make this whole process less painful...
- Don't procrastinate!!! As soon as I have washed and dried a load of washing, I quickly pull out all of the things that don't require ironing (towels, underwear, socks, stretchy gym clothes and those magic items that just don't crease etc.) and then fold and put them away. This usually takes all of two minutes and immediately halves your basket load (and your anxiety haha).
- Again, let your little ones help if they please. My girls have lots of fun sorting out what belongs to who and for some reason get a kick out of putting things away in Daddy's drawer :)
- I usually try to do the ironing twice a week, usually on a Wednesday night once the girls are in bed and on a Sunday afternoon/evening. And to make the process an enjoyable one I simple pop the ironing board in front of the TV or pop in my earphones/handfree and call/skype a friend or my Mum... you will be surprised to see how much you can get through whilst chatting away... by the time I hang up the phone my basket is practically empty.
- By doing the ironing twice a week the process never seems overwhelming and also doesn't take very long as the basket is never overflowing.
The Floors
At the moment we are lucky enough to be living in a super functional apartment (perfect for the stage of life we are in with our little ones) so it is a real treat compared to our previous home in Sydney that was spread over five levels with SO many stairs. The only downside is that our beautiful dark timber floors paired with the abundance of natural light (first world problems right) means the floors show up every spill, crumb, dust or bit of fluff... it does drive me nuts some days. Obviously everyone has a different level of clean but here are my tips for floors...
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- I actually have two vacuum cleaners! I have a big powerful one that is heavier to lug around but does and amazing job especially on the carpets but I also invested in a cordless 2-in-1 vacuum (around $90) from Target) and it was the best $90 I have ever spent! I wouldn't recommend it for carpets but if you have floorboards/hard flooring I would absolutely recommend! It is super light and easy to whizz around to suck up those crumbs that are never ending. It also converts into a dust buster (little handheld vacuum). It also feels like less of a chore as it really is super quick!
- I usually run the vacuum over the floor every day but like I said we are on a one level apartment so it's no big deal. I will then mop 2-3 times a week and almost always just after I have popped the girls to bed. That way there are no little feet running around and once I sit down to relax I can do so knowing that the floors are nice and clean and I also wake the next morning with one less thing to do.
The Bathrooms
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We have three bathrooms in our apartment but two of them get used daily... our ensuite and the girls bathroom. Neither are overly difficult to keep clean but here's what I do to make it less of a hassle...
- I recently read a great article here about 'cleaning caddies' which is a similar approach to they way I tackle the bathrooms but again, given our apartment is all on one level, I don't really need several spread out across the home. I do have one just for the bathrooms though which means the sponges, cloths and scrubbing brushes etc. stay separate to those used in other rooms in the house and I stock it with my bathroom cleaning products. It makes it super easy to carry from bathroom to bathroom.
- I don't like leaving the girls unsupervised in the bath (thank-fully the layout of our apartment means if I need to run to the kitchen fro a second to turn the stove down etc. it is only a few steps away and I also have clear view of the bathtub from the dining table) so I find the best time to clean and tidy their bathroom is when they are in the tub! I will do the benches, sink, mirrors etc. whilst they are washing and then once I have pulled them out I will drain the bath and give it a wash while it is all still wet.
- As for cleaning our shower, this is one thing I never really enjoy. To give myself a kick up the bum i simple place the cleaning caddie inside the shower so I have no choice but to be reminded that it needs to be done. Sorry, no real tips for this one haha.
General Tidying
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Ok, this task is never ending, especially if you have children so here are my tips...
- Did I mention procrastination?! It is easy to put things in the 'too hard basket' but instead why don't you put it in the toy basket or the wash basket. More often than not these simple tasks only take a matter of minutes (sometimes seconds) but for some reason we take one look and think 'I'll do it later'. So the next time you are in the bathroom and see an empty toilet roll, just change it (that goes for hubbies too hee hee) or that pile of mail on the bench, just sort through it because more often than not most of it is junk mail anyway. Whatever it is, do it before it gets out of control and becomes a real task!
- Don't let the dishes pile up! Just like a made bed can make a room immediately look 80% cleaner, a clean sink and bench has the same effect on the kitchen! I'm one of those people who washes as I use them or rinse and pop in the dish washer but I never ever leave them to pile up in the sink... and especially over night! I know there are definitely worse things in life but I cannot imagine waking in the morning to a pile of dirty dishes.
- Storage storage storage solutions! This is a big one, again, especially when living with children! I find that if everything has it's own 'place' it makes tidying up super easy. We have several large toy hampers throughout our apartment for all the oversized toys and dolls etc, a lowline unit in the girls play area where their dollhouse, princess castle, beauty parlour and cash register is always left out on top for easy access but underneath we have storage cubes for all their little people and play food etc. along with shelving for their tea sets and books. We also use storage tubs that are labelled with easy to remove lids for inside the girls wardrobes. These house more toys such as lego, their play cookware and crockery, dress ups and dolls clothes. We have a separate cabinet for all of their craft goodies and again everything is in boxes and is labelled i.e. playdoh, paint, stickers, stamps, texts, pencils etc. You can pick up great storage solutions almost anywhere these days. Some go to places for me (some are in the US some are in Australia) are Target, Ikea, Howards Storage World, Bunnings and The Land of Nod.
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- Chore Charts! This is something I have recently introduced at home with my girls. They are generally pretty good and don't need to be asked too many times but I think (despite reading an article two days ago encouraging children NOT to clean) that teaching them the basics of not only how to look after themselves and their belongings but also the importance of work ethics and values.
- De-clutter regularly! We have two large drawers on one side of our kitchen bench that are so good to 'hide' mess. They are mostly filled with mail and bills, pens, loose change, phone chargers and million little knick knacks that belong mostly to the girls that I throw in their as I am on the run during the day. Oh and did I mention the million cards, pictures and letters Allegra draws daily that 'you are not allowed to throw out Mum' that I slip into the draw and keep long enough for her to forget about and then toss them into the recycling hee hee Well, once a week I go through these two draws and give them a tidy.
- It's pretty simple, the more regularly you de-clutter and put things back where they belong will over time reduce the amount ofcrap stuff you have lying around therefore reducing the workload each time.
So there you have it. I'm not sure if you will find any of that helpful but that's how I roll ;)
I'd love to know how you stay on top of things in your home. Do you use a cleaning schedule or list and do certain tasks on certain days? Or do you not bother during the week and then do one quick tidy up over the weekend?
Again, it's each to their own but I personally really do feel more in control and mentally better and on top of things if I am organised and our home is tidy and easy to maintain :) xxx
As organised as I like to be I don't actually have a set schedule/list for housework... I have always liked a tidy home so personally don't really feel I need a reminder to get things done... sometimes just the motivation :) I know it sounds corny but organisation, communication and fun are the key. None of what I am about to write is overly profound or a stoke of genius but you asked for my tips on my daily/weekly routine so here they are! ;)
Rise and Shine!
How I start my day more often than not sets the tone for the remainder of the day so for me it's really important to get off to a good start! My girls are generally pretty predictable with their waking times and I'm one of those freaky people who will wake up at the exact same time every day without an alarm (and usually with around 5-6 hours sleep) so the first thing I do is:
- I ditch the lay in and instead opt to have 20 minutes of peace to get myself ready! I set my alarm (just in case) for 20 mins before my girls usually wake up. I'm usually 3/4 ready by the time they wake so it makes all the difference already being two steps ahead! Giving up that extra half hour of sleep is TOTALLY worth it. AND having that little bit of 'me time' to shower, apply a little make-up and brush your hair etc. can absolutely set your mood for the day. Feeling good about yourself plays a big role in how you tackle everyday, regardless of who you are!
- Once the girls are awake I whizz around the house and make all of the beds. The girls will often ask to help me so I happily let them and then just covertly tidy up their work afterwards hee hee. I make the beds every day without fail because it makes the entire house instantly look and feel about 75% cleaner (and because I'm too much of a clean freak to be able to function properly otherwise). And on the days that Allegra wakes super early (which seems to be the case alot lately) she will often make both hers and Anya's bed all on her own ;)
- We then all have breakfast. When they were younger and messier eaters I used to dress the girls after they had eaten so that their clothes would remain clean but these days they dress themselves :) On the days the girls have school, I check the weather forecast the night before and lay out there clothes, shoes, hair bows etc. so there is no need to scramble in the morning.
- I like to wake to a clean kitchen but if you are still finding you are running late in the mornings, lay out your breakfast items the night before.
Feeding Time at the Zoo!
Is there nothing worse than walking in the door at the end of the day, walking over to the fridge and thinking 'what the hell am I going to feed everyone?'. Meal planning and food prep is the answer. I know this might sound like a lot of work initially, however, the few minutes you spend on putting thought into what your weekly meals will consist of and how to help make the preparation of these meals easier, will be totally worth it! The weekends are easy for us as we tend to grab a late lunch/early dinner whilst we are out and about, however, when it comes to our Monday to Friday meals, here's what I do to make life easier:
- On a Saturday or Sunday I will have a think about what our schedules look for the coming week ie. which nights won't I have to factor Mr B into the dinner equation if he is working late or travelling, are there any evenings where we will be home right on dinner time etc. meaning I will either need a quick dish or something I have prepared earlier.
- I will then place an online order for the bulk of the weeks groceries to be delivered on a Sunday or Monday morning... I love having a fully stocked fridge and pantry at the beginning of the week! There are a few fresh items that I prefer to pick up in store during the week as I need them but by ordering the majority of it online means the few things I do need to pick up myself will only take a few minutes instead of hours (those with kiddies will know what a task it can be)!
- On a Monday (usually when the girls are in school for the morning) I take an hour to prep dinner for that night and the following few. Even little things like washing and cutting your veggies ahead of time makes all the difference when it comes to what I like to call 'Happy Hour' aka the daily dinner/bath/bed ritual with children.
- Once I have dinner for that night prepped I will whip up something for the next few nights. Think of things that store well in the fridge for a few days like soups, curries, bolognese, fried rice, falafels etc. and are easily reheated. Being just one step ahead for the following evening will make that day much more stress free.
- To make this whole process a lot more enjoyable, I often prop the iPad up on the kitchen bench and catch up on some of my guilty pleasure (trashy realty) TV shows whilst I cook away :)
- If you are finding the whole 'prepping meals days in advance' a little overwhelming, something else I often do is prepare part of dinner whilst I am making lunch. For example, if we are having pasta or rice for dinner I will pop it on the stove to cook away or I will prep veggies if I haven't already done so, which makes one less thing I have to do later on and also saves on having to clean up twice! Less dishes during 'Happy Hour' is always a plus!
- You can of course cook and freeze although I am not one to do this often. It's just my personal opinion but I don't feel dishes taste as nice once they are defrosted. Plus, I always forget what I have in the freezer :)
- Include your children! Both my girls are already quite eager in the kitchen and grab their stools daily to come over and 'help' me with lunch, dinner or a spot of baking! Under supervision of course, let them help beat the eggs, mix the cake batter or crumb the chicken (Allegra now knows how to make our infamous schnitzels from start to finish on her own!) and talk about the different food groups, where things come from, measurements etc. It might result in a little more tidying up than if you were doing it on your own but it serves as an educational activity you can do together minus the guilt of you feeling like you are neglecting them again because you have mouths to feed!
- Oh and if you have school lunches to make for the following day, try and prepare as much as you can the night before. Once again, this will take the morning madness from a 10 on the stress scale down to at least an 8 hee hee ;)
Washing and Ironing
The dreaded washing basket!!! Eh, is there anything worse than walking into your laundry to see an overflowing wash basket and then walking straight back out because the thought of tackling it is just too much! I know this is something ALOT of you despise and I know it is also something many outsource to save themselves the time and effort. But if you are like me (slightly old fashioned sometimes hee hee) and still wash and iron everything from the linen to your hubbies work shirts or if outsourcing isn't an option for you due to the cost etc. there are most certainly little things you can do to make this whole process less painful...
- Don't procrastinate!!! As soon as I have washed and dried a load of washing, I quickly pull out all of the things that don't require ironing (towels, underwear, socks, stretchy gym clothes and those magic items that just don't crease etc.) and then fold and put them away. This usually takes all of two minutes and immediately halves your basket load (and your anxiety haha).
- Again, let your little ones help if they please. My girls have lots of fun sorting out what belongs to who and for some reason get a kick out of putting things away in Daddy's drawer :)
- I usually try to do the ironing twice a week, usually on a Wednesday night once the girls are in bed and on a Sunday afternoon/evening. And to make the process an enjoyable one I simple pop the ironing board in front of the TV or pop in my earphones/handfree and call/skype a friend or my Mum... you will be surprised to see how much you can get through whilst chatting away... by the time I hang up the phone my basket is practically empty.
- By doing the ironing twice a week the process never seems overwhelming and also doesn't take very long as the basket is never overflowing.
The Floors
At the moment we are lucky enough to be living in a super functional apartment (perfect for the stage of life we are in with our little ones) so it is a real treat compared to our previous home in Sydney that was spread over five levels with SO many stairs. The only downside is that our beautiful dark timber floors paired with the abundance of natural light (first world problems right) means the floors show up every spill, crumb, dust or bit of fluff... it does drive me nuts some days. Obviously everyone has a different level of clean but here are my tips for floors...
- I actually have two vacuum cleaners! I have a big powerful one that is heavier to lug around but does and amazing job especially on the carpets but I also invested in a cordless 2-in-1 vacuum (around $90) from Target) and it was the best $90 I have ever spent! I wouldn't recommend it for carpets but if you have floorboards/hard flooring I would absolutely recommend! It is super light and easy to whizz around to suck up those crumbs that are never ending. It also converts into a dust buster (little handheld vacuum). It also feels like less of a chore as it really is super quick!
- I usually run the vacuum over the floor every day but like I said we are on a one level apartment so it's no big deal. I will then mop 2-3 times a week and almost always just after I have popped the girls to bed. That way there are no little feet running around and once I sit down to relax I can do so knowing that the floors are nice and clean and I also wake the next morning with one less thing to do.
The Bathrooms
We have three bathrooms in our apartment but two of them get used daily... our ensuite and the girls bathroom. Neither are overly difficult to keep clean but here's what I do to make it less of a hassle...
- I recently read a great article here about 'cleaning caddies' which is a similar approach to they way I tackle the bathrooms but again, given our apartment is all on one level, I don't really need several spread out across the home. I do have one just for the bathrooms though which means the sponges, cloths and scrubbing brushes etc. stay separate to those used in other rooms in the house and I stock it with my bathroom cleaning products. It makes it super easy to carry from bathroom to bathroom.
- I don't like leaving the girls unsupervised in the bath (thank-fully the layout of our apartment means if I need to run to the kitchen fro a second to turn the stove down etc. it is only a few steps away and I also have clear view of the bathtub from the dining table) so I find the best time to clean and tidy their bathroom is when they are in the tub! I will do the benches, sink, mirrors etc. whilst they are washing and then once I have pulled them out I will drain the bath and give it a wash while it is all still wet.
- As for cleaning our shower, this is one thing I never really enjoy. To give myself a kick up the bum i simple place the cleaning caddie inside the shower so I have no choice but to be reminded that it needs to be done. Sorry, no real tips for this one haha.
General Tidying
Ok, this task is never ending, especially if you have children so here are my tips...
- Did I mention procrastination?! It is easy to put things in the 'too hard basket' but instead why don't you put it in the toy basket or the wash basket. More often than not these simple tasks only take a matter of minutes (sometimes seconds) but for some reason we take one look and think 'I'll do it later'. So the next time you are in the bathroom and see an empty toilet roll, just change it (that goes for hubbies too hee hee) or that pile of mail on the bench, just sort through it because more often than not most of it is junk mail anyway. Whatever it is, do it before it gets out of control and becomes a real task!
- Don't let the dishes pile up! Just like a made bed can make a room immediately look 80% cleaner, a clean sink and bench has the same effect on the kitchen! I'm one of those people who washes as I use them or rinse and pop in the dish washer but I never ever leave them to pile up in the sink... and especially over night! I know there are definitely worse things in life but I cannot imagine waking in the morning to a pile of dirty dishes.
- Storage storage storage solutions! This is a big one, again, especially when living with children! I find that if everything has it's own 'place' it makes tidying up super easy. We have several large toy hampers throughout our apartment for all the oversized toys and dolls etc, a lowline unit in the girls play area where their dollhouse, princess castle, beauty parlour and cash register is always left out on top for easy access but underneath we have storage cubes for all their little people and play food etc. along with shelving for their tea sets and books. We also use storage tubs that are labelled with easy to remove lids for inside the girls wardrobes. These house more toys such as lego, their play cookware and crockery, dress ups and dolls clothes. We have a separate cabinet for all of their craft goodies and again everything is in boxes and is labelled i.e. playdoh, paint, stickers, stamps, texts, pencils etc. You can pick up great storage solutions almost anywhere these days. Some go to places for me (some are in the US some are in Australia) are Target, Ikea, Howards Storage World, Bunnings and The Land of Nod.
- Chore Charts! This is something I have recently introduced at home with my girls. They are generally pretty good and don't need to be asked too many times but I think (despite reading an article two days ago encouraging children NOT to clean) that teaching them the basics of not only how to look after themselves and their belongings but also the importance of work ethics and values.
- De-clutter regularly! We have two large drawers on one side of our kitchen bench that are so good to 'hide' mess. They are mostly filled with mail and bills, pens, loose change, phone chargers and million little knick knacks that belong mostly to the girls that I throw in their as I am on the run during the day. Oh and did I mention the million cards, pictures and letters Allegra draws daily that 'you are not allowed to throw out Mum' that I slip into the draw and keep long enough for her to forget about and then toss them into the recycling hee hee Well, once a week I go through these two draws and give them a tidy.
- It's pretty simple, the more regularly you de-clutter and put things back where they belong will over time reduce the amount of
So there you have it. I'm not sure if you will find any of that helpful but that's how I roll ;)
I'd love to know how you stay on top of things in your home. Do you use a cleaning schedule or list and do certain tasks on certain days? Or do you not bother during the week and then do one quick tidy up over the weekend?
Again, it's each to their own but I personally really do feel more in control and mentally better and on top of things if I am organised and our home is tidy and easy to maintain :) xxx