Today, I am so glad that I didn't fall off the bandwagon last night, because waking up to a clean house, clean counters, and empty sink (with breakfast already made) set the tone for another great day like yesterday. I cleaned up from breakfast, then the kids and I went out for a playdate, then went to the store and foraging, and then came home and did projects while I made lunch. I cleaned up as I went along when making lunch, something I rarely ever do, but it was easier to motivate myself to do that when the sinks started off empty and I wanted to keep them that way.
Here's the kitchen. All clean. Counters freed of clutter and cleaned, sinks empty, and DISHRACKS EMPTY!!! Woohoo!!!
Dining room table cleaned and floor cleaned! Yay!
Through the door, you can see the beds were made in the master bedroom. :-D
So, thus far, I've managed to keep the place to the standards I set for myself 4 out of the 60 total times, and 4 out of the 4 chances so far! I'm really proud of myself!
Bonus points today as well!
+1 for bathtub cleaned
+1 for dish rack emptied
+1 for master bedroom beds made
+1 for kid's bed's made
+1 for sorting and putting away all the clean laundry
+1 for tidying up the master bedroom
For a total of 6 bonus points in addition to the 8 bonus points I earned yesterday for a total of 14 bonus points so far!
Because I'm doing such a good job so far, I realized there's a chance that I will be getting the place perfect 60 out of the 60 possible times, and if I manage that, I'll reward myself by buying myself those nice earrings in addition to taking myself out for sushi.
Today, I was talking with a friend of mine who started reading this blog and was cheering me on (you know who you are!) who is very much "queen of neat", who gave me some tips for some of my messiness downfalls- cooking. She gave me tips how to not get the sinks entirely full while cooking meals, and I applied then when making lunch today and they worked out terrifically.
I also had a talk with my kids about bad habits, bad habits that I have, bad habits that they have, and how its important to break bad habits. I mentioned to them that messiness was one of my bad habits, that leaving things lying around was one of my bad habits, as well as dropping things on the floor and not picking them up. We decided to work on our bad habit of messiness as a family, and when they leave things lying around, I just mention "bad habits" and ask then if they see what bad habits they're doing, and then cheerfully they go up and pick up the things they left lying around on the floor.
I think part of the reason the place would get so messy is that I wasn't good about having the kids clean up after themselves, and then I'd resent having to clean their mess, so I'd just leave it. By working on our habits as a family, I think it'll be less work in general for everyone, and less feeling overwhelmed because no mess is building up.
How was your house today? Did you manage to keep it clean?
Do your kids clean up after themselves or are you always picking up the things they leave lying around?
Penny-great job so far! I would love to hear your friend's "clean the kitchen as you go tips." I do pretty well with the dishes, but my counters cellect junk from every other part of the house. The rest of the house can look ok, but the counters are awful all of the time!
ReplyDeleteSo far it's good, but it's only the early afternoon for me. The real mess comes later! I don't have any kids now, so that makes it easier to maintain, so hopefully if I can get these habits in now it will help then!
ReplyDeleteAnd I am definitely a dropper. I drop by bag by the door when I come in, and my dishes in the sink after I eat, and my pajamas on the floor...I am learning that it doesn't take too much to just put them away right the first time.
Here's so far: http://ericas30days.blogspot.com/2011/11/day-1-morning-check-11292011.html
I love this idea!
ReplyDeleteGetting my kids to pitch in is important to me (it's not just the child labor aspect!). Even when they were small they had tasks. I don't get caught up on how well the towels are folded but focus on them helping out. When they go do a chore without being asked tears run down my face!