One of the hardest things about being a momma is the fact that there is work that must be done. I'd rather spend my days reading to the kids, playing at the park, blowing bubbles and generally acting silly. Thing is, I must also keep some of the laundry clean, cook, clean the house, and keep up with outside chores. It's a fact of life that isn't going to change unless we somehow hit it big and get to hire a maid. That isn't going to happen. We don't even have an ambition to make something like that happen, as we enjoy the day-to-day tasks and the life we live.
I've been thinking about ways to be more productive during my working hours so that I can have more playing hours. Before we had so many kiddos, I could usually keep up fairly well. With four kids, age 6 and under, getting things done has become very difficult. Overwhelming. Stressful.
I've been doing some evaluating, looking for the things that slow me down and the ways to improve in those areas. For the next few days, I'm going to be exploring this topic. I'm hoping you'll join me in a conversation about getting the work done and leaving some time for playing.
Our first topic will be managing clutter. Sometimes I feel as if my house has been taken over by all the stuff we own. It slows me down, makes it hard to clean, and generally frustrates me. I've been looking for ways to simplify and organize. Hope you'll take some time to think about how you manage all the "stuff" in your home and join me for the discussion in the next post. I need all the help I can get!
color code your kids :) Seriously, Kendall is blue and Jaidyn is green. They each have a basket that sits in the living room and as life happens during the week and things get left laying around I pick them up as I see them and put them in the appropriate basket. Then on Saturdays one of their jobs is to take their basket around and put things back WHERE IT GOES (that's the hard part it seems). If it's a new happy meal toy or something that doesn't have a place we discuss whether it's really something they want to keep and if so what toys does it go with most. They also have color coded towels so if someone doesn't put their dirty towel in the basket or hang it up I instantly know who's it is. These are a few things that I've found to help. Your oldest two at least should be able to do this without much help and either they can help the younger two or at least it would only be 2 you have to help, and they will quickly catch on as they grow.
ReplyDeleteI know with having to do all that stuff and work I've been looking for ways to simplify all those processes too. I've tried many. Some have worked, some didn't. It's all still a work in progress and probably always will be...at least until I get that maid! :D
I wrote a message here yesterday,but for some reason it didn't post. I relate to this post. I always wish I could just sit and play or read with the kids all day,but I have too much that has to be done. It's all I can do to keep up with the basics, laundry, dishes, vacuuming. I never even get around to the organizing, etc. Most days I feel like I live in chaos and my house is never clean anymore. I was able to keep up with it when it was just 2 kids, but for some reason with 3 kids I can't seem to get anything done. I'm big on baskets. I have tons of them and I throw everything in them so at least it's off the floor and hidden. I agree about the clutter.I so need to declutter, now to find the time... I have a website that I love that is all about decluttering. You should check out flylady.net
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