As I mentioned last week, this fall I'm trying out a very simple (and very generic) weekly schedule of tasks. I debated for a while whether to post this: sometimes I enjoy reading what other people do, gleaning ideas as I go, but sometimes I just feel overwhelmed by what other people are getting done. Right now this is still mostly in "idea" phase, as I haven't yet executed a full week of completed to-dos. For the most part, I anticipate doing these things during nap time (which, in the way naps currently overlap, is usually only about an hour, maybe an hour and fifteen minutes if Levi sleeps).
My Tasks
Monday: meal plan. Because I feel overwhelmed by what I want to accomplish in the mornings, and because I can't leave the house in the afternoons, and because my husband works on Monday evenings, I'm going to try out grocery shopping on Monday evenings. Therefore, my Monday task is to finish up the week's meal plan and make a corresponding grocery list. I try to sketch out two weeks at a time, when I have the opportunity, so ideally I only have a few holes to fill when I make the final list on Monday.
Tuesday: first floor clean. We have Bible studies in our house twice a month on Tuesdays and twice a month on Wednesdays, on alternating weeks, so that there are people in the house once a week. I'm using my Tuesday afternoons to do whatever needs to be done on the first floor. Often that involves mopping, usually a bathroom wipe-down (or more thorough clean, depending on the week), probably a kitchen-counter de-clutter, and perhaps dusting or vacuuming based on need. Serious need, people. I have given up cleaning things because *they* say it should be on the list every week. If it looks dirty, I clean it, and not a day before (but easily up to several days after). I should probably also admit that the Tuesday study is for high school kids, and after five years of hosting them every other week, I've come to the conclusion that they wouldn't notice if the house was falling down as long as I provided a good snack. So really, most of this only gets done in earnest twice a month. Truth.
Wednesday: kids' choir prep. It's possible that those of you who send your children to the choir program that I co-direct don't want to know that I don't lesson plan until the afternoon of, but that's how it is. Since all of the music is chosen and prepared before we ever start, it's really just a matter of jotting down some music activities for the youngest class (4-5-year-olds), and I have oodles of material for that.
Thursday: freezer cooking. I'm taking a cue from Money Saving Mom (who has been doing "freezer cooking in an hour" sessions for a while now, but I couldn't find a link just to those posts) and attempting to do one thing each week that gets food in the freezer for future use. Last week, it simply meant doubling what I was making for dinner anyway. This week I'll probably do another big batch of baked oatmeal, since we're out. I'd like to make a master plan for this, but I don't have one yet, so it's pretty likely there will be weeks ahead when nothing gets done. I really need to think ahead on this, too, so that necessities can be added to Monday's grocery list.
Friday: tidy and relax. I mean, I get to have one day without a big chore, right? If there are things to be done, I'll do them. Usually.
Saturday: second floor clean. Again, this will be on a "needs to be done" basis. Right now the stairs and hallway (the only part of the house with carpet) could use a good vacuum, but my sound-sensitive children scream bloody murder when I run the vacuum, so I save it for when Isaac is home to distract them. There's almost always clean laundry to be put away, and the boys' toilet gets pretty gross, since that's where we dump and swish most diapers. So, you know, basic bed and bath upkeep, the stuff I can't do while the boys are napping but also can't do while they're wreaking havoc without supervision downstairs.
Sunday: weekly school prep. Another reason I give myself Friday afternoons off: Sundays are a work day for our family-in-ministry, and I use the post-bedtime evenings when Isaac is gone to prepare for the week ahead.
I'm not sure anymore: does this sound like a lot or a little? Whatever it is, it's what sounds good to me right now. My expectations are fairly low, especially considering the size of my house, but having a basic plan in place does lend direction to my sometimes-wandering afternoons. And again, the whole point in posting this is NOT to provide yet another list to make you feel like you're not doing something. I'm just hoping to offer an example of how I thought through my own tasks and divided them up by day. Happy housekeeping to you all, in whatever form it takes!
My Tasks
Monday: meal plan. Because I feel overwhelmed by what I want to accomplish in the mornings, and because I can't leave the house in the afternoons, and because my husband works on Monday evenings, I'm going to try out grocery shopping on Monday evenings. Therefore, my Monday task is to finish up the week's meal plan and make a corresponding grocery list. I try to sketch out two weeks at a time, when I have the opportunity, so ideally I only have a few holes to fill when I make the final list on Monday.
Tuesday: first floor clean. We have Bible studies in our house twice a month on Tuesdays and twice a month on Wednesdays, on alternating weeks, so that there are people in the house once a week. I'm using my Tuesday afternoons to do whatever needs to be done on the first floor. Often that involves mopping, usually a bathroom wipe-down (or more thorough clean, depending on the week), probably a kitchen-counter de-clutter, and perhaps dusting or vacuuming based on need. Serious need, people. I have given up cleaning things because *they* say it should be on the list every week. If it looks dirty, I clean it, and not a day before (but easily up to several days after). I should probably also admit that the Tuesday study is for high school kids, and after five years of hosting them every other week, I've come to the conclusion that they wouldn't notice if the house was falling down as long as I provided a good snack. So really, most of this only gets done in earnest twice a month. Truth.
Wednesday: kids' choir prep. It's possible that those of you who send your children to the choir program that I co-direct don't want to know that I don't lesson plan until the afternoon of, but that's how it is. Since all of the music is chosen and prepared before we ever start, it's really just a matter of jotting down some music activities for the youngest class (4-5-year-olds), and I have oodles of material for that.
Thursday: freezer cooking. I'm taking a cue from Money Saving Mom (who has been doing "freezer cooking in an hour" sessions for a while now, but I couldn't find a link just to those posts) and attempting to do one thing each week that gets food in the freezer for future use. Last week, it simply meant doubling what I was making for dinner anyway. This week I'll probably do another big batch of baked oatmeal, since we're out. I'd like to make a master plan for this, but I don't have one yet, so it's pretty likely there will be weeks ahead when nothing gets done. I really need to think ahead on this, too, so that necessities can be added to Monday's grocery list.
Friday: tidy and relax. I mean, I get to have one day without a big chore, right? If there are things to be done, I'll do them. Usually.
Saturday: second floor clean. Again, this will be on a "needs to be done" basis. Right now the stairs and hallway (the only part of the house with carpet) could use a good vacuum, but my sound-sensitive children scream bloody murder when I run the vacuum, so I save it for when Isaac is home to distract them. There's almost always clean laundry to be put away, and the boys' toilet gets pretty gross, since that's where we dump and swish most diapers. So, you know, basic bed and bath upkeep, the stuff I can't do while the boys are napping but also can't do while they're wreaking havoc without supervision downstairs.
Sunday: weekly school prep. Another reason I give myself Friday afternoons off: Sundays are a work day for our family-in-ministry, and I use the post-bedtime evenings when Isaac is gone to prepare for the week ahead.
I'm not sure anymore: does this sound like a lot or a little? Whatever it is, it's what sounds good to me right now. My expectations are fairly low, especially considering the size of my house, but having a basic plan in place does lend direction to my sometimes-wandering afternoons. And again, the whole point in posting this is NOT to provide yet another list to make you feel like you're not doing something. I'm just hoping to offer an example of how I thought through my own tasks and divided them up by day. Happy housekeeping to you all, in whatever form it takes!
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