Or, you know, as clean as it will ever get with a toddler.
I’ve never been a full-blown neat freak, but there are certain things I absolute hate to get messy, like dirty floors, or mis-matched decor. I liked things in their place and the dishes done, somewhat, often. I love doing laundry, like a psychopath, I know, and I like organizing closets. Then, I had a baby and my house exploded in messes and I really stopped caring about all of the above and learned how to just survive.
Once I stopped just trying to survive in day-to-day life, I realized that my house could be a little cleaner, but the idea of trying to keep it clean — and how often I’d have to tidy up — with a toddler exhausted me. Instead, my house grew messier as I felt paralyzed about where to start. Sure, it would become clean in the matters of less than two hours when my toddler wasn’t around, but it didn’t look that way less than two minutes into her being home. It wasn’t sustainable to clean like crazy every week, or three, and then have it be a disaster the rest of the time. So, I made a chore chart.
Yep, a chore chart like I was a child learning responsibilities.
I mapped out everything I needed to do and broke it up into only one or a few tasks a day. I tried it out for the first week and, suddenly, I was getting more done than I had previously. When was the last time I had dusted? Judging from the thick layer on all of my light fixtures, years ago. I felt motivated to do the tasks on my list and didn’t feel stressed or paralyzed when not everything was done at once because I knew it would be my focus a few days from now.
While I had to tweak a few days, making my laundry days a little further in between so I wasn’t completely out of clothes or having to do laundry on ‘off’ days, the schedule worked wonderfully. Now, I only do laundry twice a week, folding and putting away the same day, instead of a mess of laundry every single day, hanging out in baskets for weeks on end. If I don’t finish folding or putting away the clothes, there are no worries, as I will complete the task on the next laundry day.
Yes, I sometimes still have baskets of laundry that aren’t put away. Yes, my house is still a disaster at times (okay, most times with the nugget running around). But, my stress is way down, my floors are clean, my house actually dusted, windows actually washed. The toys strewn about the living room and mittens ripped out of their organized boxes? It won’t be forever and proves that my house is lived in. My house may be cleaner, but a family still lives here, and I’m no longer worried about trying to look like I live in a magazine anymore.
Sample Chore List:
Mondy: free day/project day
Tuesday: laundry & bake
Wednesday: tidy up closet(s), entrances, fridge, pantry
Thursday: vacuum, water plants, dust, wash mirrors and windows
Friday: laundry & bake
Saturday: free day/project day/bathrooms/wash floors
Sunday: free day/project day
Since we are still renovating parts of the house and many parts need mass organization, the weekends are set for larger projects that I can’t get done with a child around, or I need my husband’s help/he needs to get them done while I look after our child. They’re essentially swing days where I can get things done that didn’t get done during the week, or deal with anything that pops up.
The list may look long and like all I do is clean all day, but I don’t need to wash my windows every single week. Dusting happens in chunks around the house. I can flit back and forth between all of the tasks, adding smaller ones if needed and I feel motivated.
Juniper and Daisies 