The Chores Must Go On

In this blog post, I am going to share my philosophy on doing chores.  

Chores are not fun, and sometimes can be frustrating, especially if I am cleaning up a mess I didn't make.  But, chores are necessary and important for having a happier and healthier life. 

My mom taught me through example the importance of chores.  I also learned how important chores are from living with roommates in college dorm rooms, houses, and apartments.

This week I finally got ahead on my chores in the classroom and at home.  

Every class period, I stop the students 2-3 minutes before the bell to put their materials away.  Also, I have them straighten desks, straighten the books, and pick up trash around them.  

How do I get students to comply?  Well, they cannot leave the room until all of these things are cleaned up and they are back in their seats.  They do this quickly because they don't want to be late to their next class.  

The "clean up time" has really helped the students KEEP the room clean because they know if they KEEP it clean, then it saves them time at the end of class.  It helps the NEXT CLASS because they get to walk into a clean, organized classroom.  It helps ME because I don't have to clean up their messes.  Finally, it helps the JANITORS because they don't have to spend extra time picking up things around the room.  

Now everyone is happy, happy, happy!

At home, the chores must go on.  I'm sure some things could hold off for weeks at a time.  However, instead of letting things build up over time, I like to do a little household maintenance each week.

Here's my cleaning routine:

1. Organizing the pantry space.  

Every week I straighten up the pantry space.  It usually takes less than 5 minutes, but throughout the week, it saves me time because I can easily see everything and can grab what I need quickly.

Shelf 1: breakfast items

Shelf 2: snacks on left, dessert mixes on right

Shelf 3: baking products on left, dinner side items on right

Shelf 4: quick/instant meals on left, canned soup/sauces on right

Floor: canned beans/Mexican foods on left, canned vegetables/large pack of noodles on right

2. Cleaning the freezer/refrigerator.
Every week I take a look through the deep freeze and the refrigerator to straighten up.  I also clean out old food or leftovers that I know we can't eat.  This usually takes 5 minutes or less to throw out old food.  It also prevents the refrigerator from being over crowded and prevents some food from being forgotten.

Shelf 1: ground moose meat
Shelf 2: bread and milk
Shelf 3: frozen salmon
Shelf 4: a moose hide
Shelf 5: moose steaks/roasts
Door shelves: frozen fruits

3. Vacuuming the carpets/rugs.
I vacuum at least once a week.  This takes about 5-10 minutes.  There's nothing better than walking around in socks on freshly vacuumed lines.  Even though we don't wear shoes in the house, dust, dirt, and hair builds up pretty fast on the carpet.






4. Sweeping the floors.
I do this daily.  It takes about 10 seconds to sweep the dirt from the entry way into the corner.  Once a week, I scoop up the dirt pile and throw it away.  It really helps prevent us from tracking dirt into the house.





5. Cleaning the bathroom. 
I do this once a week.  It usually takes 10-15 minutes.  I wipe down the sink with a disinfectant wipe, vacuum the rugs, take out the trash, quickly scrub the toilet, wipe the toilet seat/lid with a disinfectant wipe, spray down the shower with cleaner, and change out the hand towel.  I do this more than once a week if we have been sick.

It's easier to do a quick cleaning once a week than it is to have to do hard scrubbing after it gets too dirty!

6. Organize the mail/bills.
Once a week, I check through our mail basket and make sure we took care of everything.  Since we are out in the bush with no banks, I keep track of our credit card and banking accounts online.  This usually takes less than 30 minutes.

7. Making the bed.
I make the bed every day.  This is something that might seem unnecessary, but I've read some mental health articles and other blogs about it.

Here are some good reasons for making the bed:
-because it looks nice
-it will prevent things from being lost or overlooked
-it is more relaxing to climb into a neatly made bed rather than having to straighten out the sheets
-you are more likely to welcome people over spur-of-the-moment if you know your house is tidied up
-it is more cozy for taking quick naps or reading a book

8. Sweeping/mopping the kitchen.
I make sure the sweep and mop the kitchen at least once a week.  This usually takes 10-15 minutes.  Since I don't have a mopping bucket, I use this sponge mop.  I spray the floor with diluted bleach and spray-and-wipe the floor after sweeping.  When I'm done I rinse the sponge out in the bathtub.









9. Making the coffee. 
We were not daily coffee drinkers until we worked full time jobs.  Every day at lunch, (we get to go home for lunch!)  I throw away the filter and prepare the coffee for the next day.  This coffee maker has a timer on it so it starts making the coffee when we wake up!  This takes less than two minutes to prep for the next day.  Once a month, I usually run just plain hot water through it and clean out the glass pot.







10. Doing the dishes.
I despise doing the dishes!  We have no dishwasher (and no garbage disposal) so we do them all by hand.

I quickly figured out that I need to do this everyday because they can pile up.  If I make sure they are done every night before I go to bed, it usually takes 5-10 minutes to do... verses 30-45 minutes if I wait all week to do them!


11. Hanging up important items.
It's easy to throw keys, phones, and wallets anywhere in the house when we get home, but what is more frustrating is when you can't find them and you're in a hurry.

I like to designate a spot for these important items: like keys hooks right by the door (so we can grab them on the way out the door without getting our muddy boots on the carpet).

• Have a basket for all the important mail/bills.
• Have a basket for all the remotes.

I also like to lay out the next day's outfit the night before.  I have been doing this ever since my mom did it for me when I was in kindergarten.  It really saves time to lay out your complete outfit, so in the morning there is no thought about it, just throw it on!

12. Totes for seasonal clothing.
We filled the space under our hanging clothes with seasonal shoes and clothing.  The hanging clothes right now are for fall.  As it gets colder, we will take out our winter gear from the totes below.

13. Stocking up on toiletries.

Since we live in such an isolated place, and the village stores are so expensive, we buy most of the items we need online.  

However, on the morning we run out of deodorant, we don't want to wait two weeks for it to come in the mail.  So, I stocked up on a year's worth of essentials before we came back this year (with the help of my couponing sister-in-law). 

14. Writing everything on a calendar. 

I actually write everything on a dry-erase calendar in our kitchen, but I hang calendars in other rooms too.  I put everything from school events, to bill due dates, to TV shows we want to watch on our calendar.   This helps us out a lot when things get busy and helps us not to double-book ourselves.

That's a picture of my older brother David and I.  I don't know why I'm holding up cherries, or why he has a paper bag on his back, but I sure am rocking the bowl cut hair-do and the lace bib dress.

15. De-cluttering the living room.
I try to simplify or "put away" things in the living room (where we spend most of our time in the evenings).  When I get home from school, I spend about 5 minutes walking through the living room, putting things back in their designated spot.

Having a simple, clear space helps me relax and prevents things from getting lost.





16.  Making lists.
I am constantly making lists, especially for shopping or groceries.  As I cook or am in the kitchen, and we run out of something, I immediately put it on the list.  That way when it's time to shop, I get only the things we need, and it helps cut down on unnecessary items.

I also have a dry erase board standing on the kitchen counter that I write a To-Do list on, and even a list of things that we borrow from people, so we don't forget to return them!

Of course I am not perfect, and our house is not always tidy, but there has to be compromise.  Unlike my OCD self, my husband doesn't have the obsession to keep everything in order (which helps me stay balanced too!)

It is important to give him, as well as myself designated "space." ...meaning I can't pick at how he keeps up with these spaces.  Here is my side of the bed on the left, and his on the right.  Do I care about the clothes on the floor?  No, because I don't have to walk over them.  As long as his dirty clothes make it to the laundry basket, I don't need to even touch those clothes on the floor.  Also, I have baskets, decorative boxes, and other pretty things to hold all those random items. 

I hope you enjoyed my little blurb about doing chores.  I really love keeping a clean house because I feel like I am helping out my husband (he helps me a lot too!) and it helps me be more efficient with my time, so I can enjoy the other things in life :)