The Anti-Schedule Schedule

I am not a scheduled person. I don't like feeling like I don't have time for the things that come up because I can't fit them in my schedule. I want my kids to hove lots of free-play-explore-time and be ready to do something new at the drop of a hat (or all the toys in hand at the moment). But realizing that I need a more proactive plan than Scarlett O'Hara's tomorrow-is-another-day plan, I have implemented a new flexible weekly plan of household tasks.

What I like about this is that things get done fairly regularly and I don't have to feel guilty for what is not getting done on that day, because another day is assigned to that task. Now I still do a load a towels or sweep the floor on other days as needed, but if my kitchen floor needs mopping on Monday, I spot clean and do not feel guilty for waiting till Wednesday. And, of course, I still have my daily tasks each day.

Also as a part of this, we have started the kids on Money chores. They have one Money chore per weekday which will earn them a quarter if completed well. (They get a raise at age 5 to 1 dollar!) They have other things they do just because they are a part of the family. These are more the weekly tasks.

Here is the breakdown.

SUNDAY--Do nothing--I mean unless you count getting the kids ready for and to church all by myself, napping/watching NASCAR or football in season, and sponsoring the preschool part of the Children's Choir. Otherwise it is a day of rest.

MONDAY--Straighten/Vacuum (In response to Sunday's non-work)

Kids--Clean bedrooms and vacuum them as needed. (Yes, they pick up their rooms throughout the week, but this is the day we put everything in place.)

TUESDAY--Blog or do some other writing, like in my kids forgotten journals.

Kids--Backyard cleanup--Reed--dootie duty--Ash--Toys
(Reed just did this one for the first time yesterday and was utterly disgusted.)

WEDNESDAY--Clean Kitchen/Mop floor as needed--This is a good day for this because we eat at church on Wed. night and my kitchen can stay fairly clean for a few hours at least. My goals on this day are things like wiping down cabinets or chairs (yuck!), cleaning out the fridge, clearing the clutter from counters, hiding old Sunday School papers in the trash, etc.

Work on a Project from "the list" (i.e.--storing outgrown/out-of-season clothes, cleaning out cabinets, make curtains for Ashton's room, etc.)

Kids--Reed clean his fish tank--Ash--Dust (They haven't tried these yet, we'll see.)

THURSDAY--Laundry--Alternate kids' one week, adult's the next. Way less overwhelming for me.

Grocery shop--This is the beginning of our money week, so it's good to stock up before we blow all the money in our food budget eating out.

Kids--Put away their own laundry. (There is always some of theirs in ours.)

FRIDAY--Clean a bathroom--Since we only really use two this works out well. I have also done things like scrub all the toilets and do nothing else.

Kids--Reed--Take out trash from bathrooms and his room--Ash--Clean Mirror (closet doors in my room) or backyard door windows.

SATURDAY--Blog/Writing again


So that's the current plan! I have been doing it for a month or so and it has helped.