Not long ago, I waned to spend all of my time out and about – shopping, visiting friends’ homes, and attending playdates with my son. I think Zack and I spent more of our day away from home than we did actually being at home.
Much has changed in the last few months. I have started decorating our home with a purpose, instead of buying random home decor items on a whim. I feel like my home is on its way to being welcoming and beautiful instead of piecemeal, and now I have to have a really good excuse to spend all day running around town. I want to be here. I want to enjoy the warm sunlight streaming through our windows. I want to just sit and enjoy this home, this life, my family has created.
Tom gets credit for this photo of the amazing sunset from our backyard.
Other than the decorating, there are a few little changes I’ve made in my life that have helped me get to this point. I decided that it would be no fun to have a beautiful, well decorated home if it was constantly in disarray. I always felt like I had too much laundry to put away, too many toys to pick up, and too many rooms that needed to be cleaned. I have a new routine at home now, and it has definitely made a tremendous difference in my life.
I’ll let you in on a few little secrets, because I like you.
First, there are some easy things I do every single morning:
- Give Zack his juice (aka 8 oz of water with a splash of juice) and cheerios;
- Start a pot of coffee for Tom and myself;
- Put a load of laundry in the washing machine;
- Empty the dishwasher than ran the night before;
- Open the blinds and curtains; and
- Make the beds.
It seems simple, but it gets my day started and helps me to keep on top of the “homemaking” aspect of my life. Plus, since I get up and get moving, I get a lot more accomplished in my day than I used to accomplish.
The other secret is my chart. In order to keep from getting overwhelmed with everything else there is to do in our home, I simply set up a chore chart for myself. All of my tasks are broken down in easy to manage segments, so I don’t feel like I’m doing housework all day.
Click on the above chart to be taken to the full-size version.
It may seem crazy and a little OCD (Hello! Have you ever read my blog before?), but it keeps me calm. I am a much better mother, wife, and Lindsay when I’m calm and relaxed. Plus, there aren’t a zillion mountains of laundry and piles of dust bunnies waiting to attack me as soon as I walk in the door. See why I don’t mind being at home now?
I challenge you to make your own little chart (or use mine) and try this process for two weeks. Start it on Monday – that gives you all weekend to prepare. You know, do your pre-dusting stretches and the like.
Let me know if you accept my challenge. Even if you have a cleaning service (who will never clean your home as well as you do, but that’s a whole different blog post), you can do the daily picking up, kitchen cleaning, and laundry tasks. I’ll be checking in mid-week to see how everyone is doing. You can do it and lead a more beautiful life in the process!
Check out one of my favorite blogs, The Inspired Room, to join in the weekly celebration of living a beautiful life!
The photo is lovely.
Congratulations on your progress.
I love making charts…not so good at following them, though…lol.
Blessings on your day!
Love it! I am not alone! I have a laminated list on my refirg that I made up with a Monday thru Saturday schedule. At the top I have this:
Orderliness vs. Disorganization:
Preparing myself and my surroundings so I will achieve the greatest efficiency.
“Let all things be done decently and in order.”
1 Corinthians 14:40
While efficiency may not be my goal, being effective is. The disorder does have an effect on my mood and the tone of our home so I strive to have some plan to keep the order. I don’t stress over it if something on my list does not get done that day and I don’t try to back tack and play catch up. I just skip it until it comes up the next week but I make sure it does get done next time around. Like you, it helps to eat the elephant one bite at a time rather than swallow it whole! Have a wonderful weekend!
Way to be- great chart. Having things in order around me is the only way I keep sane.
thanks for sharing.
Oh, duchess…I have a Roomba, so I just turn him on and he vacuums for me! Kinda cheating, huh? 😉
Holy crap, Lins, maybe I don’t want you to come to my house…you’d be horrified at the little dusty bits that I don’t clean because no one really can see them! Ha! : )
Found you from Shannon's comments & love this post. I was just thinking yesterday about coming up with a daily schedule for my cleaning. Thanks for helping me out with that.:) (I don't know if I can vacuum 4 days a week, though – more power to ya.)
Aha!! I’m not the only one who has a chart. I knew it. The chart is wonderful and it keeps you from feeling like you have to do “everything” every day doesn’t it? I feel much better when my chart is complete and since I am goal oriented I more apt to get it done ha ha. Great ideas to share with everone. Nice to meet your from the Inspired Room.
I’m tired just looking at your list!
Look at you and your organized list! Great job. I’ve always failed with my chore charts (love the idea, I just fail at them once I make them), but I think it is great to find a system that works for you in your home!
Having little systems, daily routines and just keeping up with things as you see a need makes such a difference in how we feel in our homes!
Thanks for sharing your heart and your attempts at keeping beauty and order. I know it will encourage other women!
blessings,
melissa
You’re dead right, the simple life is the best one. Also, getting those chores out of the way bright an early is the best thing to do and gives you time to spend the rest of the day however you please 🙂
I learnt the lessons about getting up early recently, even at the weekends and I’m loving it so far.
Today’s Creative Blog pointed me in your direction and I’m so glad it did! I am not much of a cleaner . . . I speed clean when I know someone is coming over, but that’s about it! So sad, I know!
Anyway, I took some inspiration from your cleaning chart and morning routine to make my own. I am going to spend the rest of this week to get the house ready and start with the new schedule on Monday.
Check out my blog (laineodle.blogspot.com) sometime next week . . . I’ll blog about how I am doing!
Thank you for your help!
I found you on Today’s Creative Blog – I LOVE this chart!! I have been in need of something just like this in my life- thank you for posting it 🙂
Just found your blog and this post via Nesting place…. I’m going to jump right in and start trying out your chart- hopefully this will help me with that feeling of always working but never getting it done! 🙂
Do you really go to the grocery store 2x a week? or are those just the days you go if you need something? I despise going to the grocery now that I have 2 kids!
Hi,
Just found your chore list so I made my own version in Google docs as you did to put on my fridge – Thanks for the idea – however I cant seem to get the row numbers and column letters off of my print out – would you mind informing my how you did it. Thanks again for the great idea and the great blog.
Best you should edit the webpage subject The Little Secrets of a Relaxing Home to something more specific for your content you create. I loved the post nevertheless.