Housekeeping/home organization is not my jam. I wish it was my jam (my husband REALLY wishes it was my jam), but it is not. If you would like for me to tell you a story, I will happily weave a tale for you. If you would like for me to make you dinner, go on a walk, sit and chat for hours — I’m your gal. But if you ask me to help you organize your linen closet, your pantry, or — heaven forbid — your clothes closet, my eyes will glaze over, I’ll start to twitch, and I’ll mumble something about the cat needing a bath while I high tail it out the door.
Like I said, that’s not my jam.
However, I have been blessed with a husband and a few friends who excel in this particular area, and who, on more than one occasion, have taken pity on me and helped me out. (My husband could tell you many stories about this. Luckily it’s my blog, and not his. Although I will share that one day when we were just settling into our first home, I spent SEVERAL hours trying to organize the spice drawer. He came home from work, took one look, and in about 5 minutes had it done. He also managed to lose 10 pounds at the same time, because, men.)
When I first started staying at home with babies, I was shocked at all the papers and clothes and stuff that comes along in a steady stream after they’re born. At one point I was talking to one of my super-organized friends about it. Her helpful advice: “You should have another baby. The more kids you have, the more organized you become.”
Well.
We had another baby, but that only created MORE papers and clothes and stuff. It turned out to be terrible advice, but we were thrilled with the baby, so we forgave our friend.
Fast forward a few years, and not only were there organizational issues, there were keeping-up-with-the-cleaning issues. Small children were making BIG messes at my house. Messes I cleaned up day … after day … after day. Until one day I had a great idea that had to have been the result of a miraculous intervention.
It had to have been a miraculous intervention because, while it is far from genius, the idea was genius for me (see first paragraph). These were the pre-mommy blogger, pre-Pinterest, pre-Facebook days, you understand, so basically we were all cave men, scratching notes to one another on rocks, hoping someone would come along to read them before we were eaten by woolly mammoths.
Maybe I’m exaggerating, but some of you know what I’m talking about.
The point is, I came up with an idea that I thought would not only help me keep things tidy, but would also teach my young children some important life skills. Like how to dust, clean windows, and sweep/mop the floor. Breaking the overwhelming amount of chores into just one small task at at time seemed doable for them … and for me.
I got some little strips of paper and wrote one chore on each. Things like: wipe the kitchen counter, pick up 5 things that belong to you, and clean the bathroom mirror. I also wrote down some surprise “chores,” like: play a game with Mommy, read a book with Mommy, and jump on the trampoline. I tossed all of these strips of paper into a plastic container, and when the kids didn’t know what to do, I pulled out the container and they pulled out a strip of paper.
Guess what? They loved it.
It was a win-win-win all the way around. They felt like they were contributing, I felt like I was being productive and adult-like, and our home was getting picked up a little bit more than usual. Also, we got to read books and play games. Another win!
Fast forward a few more years, and we totally forgot about the strips of paper. They had lost their allure, if you will, so one day we put them away and never got them out again. Out of sight, out of mind.
Then, the internet*, and those craft sticks. You’ve seen the photos, right? If not, here’s mine:
It’s the exact same concept as the strips of paper! When I saw the photos floating around of basic “to dos” written on craft sticks, I remembered those long ago days of little kids helping with little chores. How could I have forgotten? I had become so busy with wife-ing, parenting, working, friending, volunteering, driving, cooking, writing, and all the other -ings we all do every day, I had allowed some things to fall through the cracks, and this was one of them.
This time around I upped my game a little bit, and created a “To Do” jar and a “Ta Da!” jar. It’s pretty simple: pull a stick from the To Do jar, complete the chore, and deposit it in the Ta Da! jar. It is a great, easy way to see what has been done, what needs to be done, and what chores you forgot to write down on a craft stick. Grin.
There are lots of ways to tweak this so it works for your family. I have seen people linking completed chores to minutes of screen time for their kids, or giving some chores a dollar amount so kids can earn extra money. I hope you find this chore idea helpful. Let me know what great, easy ideas you have for keeping your home clean/organized. I can use all the help I can get!
Now, for an announcement:
Beginning today, I am going to take a little “blog break,” and post just every few weeks until we go back to school. I have some projects I am working on during the next few months, and I need to free up some time. Also, summer.
However, I do have some special guest bloggers lined up, and I know you will enjoy reading their wit and wisdom. Make sure to give them a warm, Mom Jeans welcome.
So remember, when you don’t hear from me next week, don’t worry, because:
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Happy summer!
(*Punctuation and grammar ARE my jam. So it’s important for me to let you know that the word ‘internet,’ according to an April announcement by the Associated Press, is no longer capitalized. You know, in case you were wondering.)