Routines and Chores

While I was going crazy this past year my husband in his wisdom reminded me of the story of Moses.  Moses was trying to take care of all things all on his own and was being completely unsuccessful in everything.  It was pointed out to him that there was no way he could do it all and then he began to delegate responsibilities.  After he handed out some of his own responsibilities to others, Moses was very successful in the things he had more time for.
This past school year I have spent my week nights exhausted and my weekends even more exhausted because I was cooking, cleaning up, doing laundry, and the housework on my own while working at least 50 hours outside the home.  I absolutely hated to go on family outings because it put me behind on everything.  It isn't really my family's fault, I've never delegated anything to them before.  One of my goals this summer was to create routines and chores for myself and my children and to put them into practice during the summer so they are second nature to us by the time we return to school.
I saw the idea of picture frames somewhere on Pinterest.  They are great because you can use the dry erase markers on them and change out the pages in the frames fairly easily.  I created a frame for each family member and then one for weekly shared household chores.  I've hung these in my kitchen where everyone can easily see their routines and chores.  These could definitely be put on a fancy scrapbooking paper or stationary to make it look fancier.

Dollar Store frames and copy paper written on (don't laugh at my writing or attempt of decoration)

These are my daily routines and a laundry schedule.

Chores - I write names next to the chore weekly.

Claire's daily routines

Cayleen's daily routines with pictures

Cassidy's daily routines

My Favorite Quick Tips for Around the House

Here are some tips for house keeping in general that I like to use around my own home.

-Deodorize your carpet with baking soda.  Sprinkle the baking soda very liberally all over and let sit for 2 or 3 hours.  Then vacum up.  I like this because it can't hurt the baby or the dogs because it is natural and baking soda is a natural deodorizer. 

-No storage for your tupperware?  Use a plastic laundry basket to stack those bowls and lids.  They are all in one place and you can store the basket at the bottom of your pantry or a closet near the kitchen.

-Use a white board that sticks on your fridge.  Keep a monthly calendar on it to keep track of chores, also use it to list your weekly menu, upcoming event, and keep track of meats in the freezer.  A blank whiteboard is really inexpensive and you can make the calendar by hand.

-Don't let those garden weeds get a chance to take over your garden.  Pick a day every week that is your weeding day.  I like to do Friday mornings...if it is done on a weekly basis it should really only take 15-20 minutes weekly.  Tip:  Use a meat fork to loosen up soil around a stubborn weed.

-Do one big glass cleaning trip a week.  Starting on one side of the house start cleaning mirrors, picture frames, windows, tv's, and other glass (including bathroom mirrors)...dirties only one rag or paper towel and this chore really takes only minutes to complete once you start.

-Laundry...keep your laundry on a cycle.  In the morning pull the clothes out of the dryer, fold and put away.  Place a load in the wash, switch over to the dryer at lunch...start over the next day.