My best days don't start until all of the beds are made. Once I shoo the kids off to school, I clean up the breakfast dishes and then I make the beds. All of them. Even when I know that Elliot is going to crawl right back into mine to watch a show on my phone. It sets my day on the right course. If I start with a tidy house, then I can better handle whatever other business the day will bring. Is this true for you, too? I talked a little bit about my house cleaning schedule back here. A cleaning schedule is one of the smartest things I ever did for myself, as it completely takes the stress out of maintaining my home.
I am thankful for a house to tidy, and for the peace that tidiness brings.
Bonus gratitude: In the wee hours of this morning, I found myself stripping Elliot's bed and throwing his sheets in the wash. I was sort of put out by it all as I crawled back into my own bed. But then I realized how lucky I am to have a washer and dryer. In my house, even! Just think if I had lived 100 years ago. Oh, that would have been such a pain. Instead, I was able to toss the sheets in the washer, and when I woke up this morning, they were magically clean. What a blessing!
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We were doing the same thing at 2 am. It's the night-time "witching" hour. gaaaah.
ReplyDeleteI am really enjoying your thankful posts. I agree about a tidy house making everything else easier to handle. I'm not much of a bed maker though, so I avoid the second floor during the day. *smile*
ReplyDeletePictures of your tidy house always inspire me! I have a question, though...your children's rooms always look so clutter-free! Do you really limit the amount of toys and books that they have? Maybe it is just because we are forced to have all four of our children share one large bedroom, but even though I think they don't really have that many toys, the toys and blocks and books and dolls and Legos seems to be constantly scattered all over the bedroom floor (and from there they migrate through the house). Random pieces of paper and scribbles and books and errant crayons and action figures...everywhere. Sigh. :)
ReplyDeletehello laura! I spend a lot of time straightening the house and throwing things away. my kids keep their toys in their closets. their rooms are so small, that not much can be out at one time. we try hard to clean up before they get something else out. they also all have a spot for their junk- the stuff that they can't bear to part with but that doesn't need to be seen by everyone who comes to our home. it is either in a special box under their bed or in a cupboard. for drawings, i throw all of the ones they think they want to save or that i think are worthy of saving in a drawer. the rest go in the trash. every few months i go through the drawer and get rid of the ones i don't think make the cut. one thing that has helped me, is making sure their rooms are clean before they go to bed at night. but there are definitely times when legos cover the family room floor for days on end. i just don't take pictures when that happens. :)
DeleteToday I am thankful for a home, after the disaster in the Philippines x
ReplyDeleteRelating to your cleaning schedule that I love and try to do something similar, I have a question, do you have any tips for me with a little 18month busy boy toddler who naps in the afternoon when big sister is just home from school and we do homework and spend time together and make dinner. I find I am using 8-9pm to do my chores and it is wearing me thin. Do you have any tricks that might allow me to do a little chore or two with a climbing, running full speed little one!
hello rach1005! sometimes i wake up really early and do my housework before the kids wake up. sometimes i have my little guy help me. for instance, if i am dusting, i will give him a duster, too. sometimes he loves to help. but most of the time i do it by myself as quickly as i can while he watches sesame street or plays nearby. once my jobs are done, we are free to go to the park, or read books, or play cars, or whatever, but he knows that i have my work to do first. however, he is three years old, so i don't know if any of this is helpful for you. i don't even remember what it was like when he was 18 months old. isn't that terrible?
DeleteI also feel that my best days are when my beds are all made and the home picked up. I usually manage to have it all done myself, but every once in a while I call on my favorite cleaning service to help me out.
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