Routine, House Chores, Lists

I am FAR from the queen of organization. I am more of a weed puller at her castle. I don't even get to see the inside of her courts. I just see it from the outside and try to learn what I can... in other words, I have NO idea how to be organized. But I have learned a few things:


**Daily Schedules/Routines: I tend to get crabby with set time scheduals. I get to care more about the task then the people. Because of this I have come up with my own scheduling tactic: routine. I know that after I wake up (whether it's 7am or 10am) I do my quick morning devotions, followed by breakfast, followed by school, followed by lunch, followed by chores and naptime, followed by more devotions and studies ect. This opens us up for much flexibility and ministry!


**House Chores: I always wondered, "How the heck do women with more then one child keep their house clean?!?" "Do they REALLY mop their floors too?!?" Once again, I came up with a routine list of chores. I simply do this:

• After each meal, clean the kitchen! Throw dirty dishes in the washer, wipe tables, sweep. Really only takes about 15 minutes.
• Daily Chore: 
• Monday -- Pick-up and vacuum whole house
• Tuesday -- Laundry (wash & fold)
• Wednesday -- Put Laundry Away; Bathroom
• Thursday -- Dust, Water Plants, Clean Rooms
• Friday -- Laundry (wash & fold), Mop Kitchen Floor
• Saturday -- Meal Planning, Grocery Shopping, Food Prep
• Sunday -- Nothing!
• Before Bed: Just spend a good 20 minutes or so doing a quick pick up and straightening up the kitchen. It's so worth it to not start tomorrow with left over noodles or meatloaf in your sink... yuk!

**Toiletry List: I either write 7 different lists in 7 different rooms of the house of things that I need, or I say, "I'll write it down later" and forget. So now, I have a Master List of things that I know I need. It's organized according to room. You can print this out, laminate it, and use a marker to circle or mark what you need. After you shop, erase the maker off what you don't need anymore. Or you can print a new sheet and just write with a pen on it. Here is my list:

Kitchen

• Garbage Bags
• Ziplock Bags
• Snack
• Sandwich
• 40-Gallon

• Plastic Wrap
• Aluminum Foil
• Wax Paper
• Dish Soap
• Sponges
• Dishwasher Tablets

Bathroom

• Toilet Paper
• Paper Towels
• Q- Tips
• Toothpaste
• Floss
• Toilet Bowl Cleaner
• Hair Binders
• Hair Clips
• Hair Spray
• Hair Gel
• Shampoo
• Conditioner
• Body Wash
• Lotion
• Deodorant
• Cologne/Perfume

Living Room

• Kleenex
• Light Bulbs

**Meal Plans: I have NOT mastered the meal planning and grocery lists yet, but so far what has worked best is if I have a core of 10 staple meals (dinners) and a few dessert ideas. I know those meals inside and out. The family all loves them. Then when it comes time to grocery shop I just rotate those meals every week and write down what I don't have in my fridge or cupboard. I make these meals big enough for left overs for either lunches, or dinner the following day.


I also try to add one new thing (at least) a week to try out: A new dessert, a new snack for the kids, a new main course meal... ect.
For some meal ideas check out this post.

**Baby/Kid's Clothes: I pretty much follow the same thing I did way back when the girls were first born. You can check that out here.