Let's Talk Some Dirt

I hate cleaning. I love a clean house, but I hate cleaning. No, wait, I hate cleaning with two toddlers who are jumping on the bed I just made, and walking in the crumb pile I just swept, and pulling down all the clothes in my closet during an exhilarating game of "hide-and-seek." Most days my house is kept "picked up," but on a weekly basis I never get all the "cleaning" done I would like. This doesn't always bother me, but sometimes it does. And usually ever few weeks on a Sunday evening (I like to start new things on Monday) I plan a whole weekly cleaning schedule that I will never accomplish.

But the Word says, "She looks well to the ways of her household, and does not eat the bread of idleness" Proverbs 31:27, so here I am, ready to try again.

Let me say also that this guy (see below) hearts a clean house big time. If the house was clean and the laundry was done (did I say I hate cleaning? I really meant, I hate laundry!) he would be the happiest, hottest doc in all of Texas. Gotta love a guy in some waders and a hat!

So, what's the plan? Great question. I have in the past subscribed to FlyLady.com, and she is great, but despite her best effort she overwhelms me a bit and she will BLOW up your email! Seriously, she sends 10-15 emails a day, it's crazy. I have also, in the past done a "Monday-vacuum, Tuesday-dusting" etc., etc. But this week I am going to try something different (for me). I found the original schedule here and just tweaked it to fit my house/life.

Daily:
Make bed (Harper makes her own bed)
Clean up kitchen after all meals
Pick up toys (with kids) before nap and bedtime
One load of laundry (Monday-Friday)

Weekly:
Monday- Kitchen and Laundry Room
Tuesday- Living Room and Playroom
Wednesday- Master Bedroom and Bath
Thursday- Kids' rooms and office
Friday- Upstairs and downstairs bathrooms

So here's Monday's Schedule- Kitchen and Laundry Room:
Clean sink
Disinfect counters
Wipe down appliances
Clean out fridge
Dust table and chairs
wash high chair liner
Sweep and mop floor
Vacuum/wash rugs
De-clutter top of washer and dryer
Wipe down washer and dryer
Empty laundry of all non-laundry items (tends to be a "catch all")
Sweep and mop floors

I would love for this to take 30 minutes or less, but with my children constantly asking me for a snack, or   to read a book or screaming and running the house, I am sure it will take three times that long. I'll let you know! And if all is well and I haven't quit yet, I'll post Tuesday's cleaning schedule tomorrow.

Also, please don't think that I think you care what my cleaning schedule is. However, I have spent a lot of time looking for someone to just "tell me what to do," or give me ideas of how to keep this toddler filled home clean, maybe you feel the same way...maybe this will help. Maybe you want to tell me what to do! Always open for suggestions!

Home Sweet Home

Hi! Welcome to This Homemade Life! So excited you're here and reading this! (You can tell how excited I am by the over use of exclamation points!!!) If you want to find out more about us, or why this blog came to be please head over to "About This Homemade Life."

And, If you would like to see any items I have made or that I sell in my etsy shop please stop by the New Millie page.

Okay, okay, enough of that, let's start this thing! (More exclamation points)

I thought I would begin by showing a few pictures of our previous little house in St. Louis:

 Cute right? Yeah, I got a little sentimental looking through the photos. This is the first house the Doc and I bought together. Both our kids came home from the hospital to this house. MANY projects were completed in this house. It had a lot of charm and about 85 years of character! While it was "neat" to have stained glass windows in the living and dining room, and beautiful refinished hardwood floors throughout, it also barely had any closet space and the bathroom was pink (no, no, not painted pink. It had pink tile, a pink bathtub, a pink sink and a pink TOLIET! it was upsetting.) There were leaks in the basement, it had virtually no insulation and if you set a ball at the beginning of the hallway it would roll all the way through the kitchen. Needless to say we were super excited when we moved to Pearland, Texas and had the opportunity to buy this:

A brand-new, never been used home! (Side note: please excuse the white interior door on the front and the trash can and no landscaping, this was before the house was finished.) However, now we have a new challenge (read: Steph has a new challenge) to make this builder beige house into something with charm and character. We have been here about 7 months, and while furniture is in and some things are hung up (granted not all frames have photos in them) it's still lacking some greatness, and every home NEEDS some greatness.

So, on a very tight budget I'm trying to make our house special. I started with crazy girl's room. I'll post those pictures and story soon. So get pumped and come on back to check it out!