Managing the Week: Link up to 4 Moms

The 4 Moms have been discussing large family logistics and today’s topic is managing your week. We probably aren’t considered that large of a family, only 3 children, but this series is great for anyone with homemaking responsibilities.  I find that large families come up with the best ideas for staying organized. Kim Brenneman, whose book the 4 Moms are reviewing, Large Family Logistics , suggests assigning each day of the week an important homemaking task.  I haven’t read Kim’s book, but with the reviews the 4 Moms have given, I find Kim to be a kindred spirit.  For instance:

• Laundry Day
• Kitchen Day
• Office Day
• Town Day
• Cleaning
• Gardening Day
• The Lord’s Day

I had heard of this type of routine before and I remember my Grandmother even having specific days of the week that she did important tasks. To the best of my memory her days were:

·         Monday – Cleaning and Laundry (she would change sheets and wash them while she was cleaning).

·         Wednesday – Errands and Books (she would go to the business she and my Grandpa owned and do the bookkeeping in the morning, then run her errands to the bank and stores).

There may have been other days that she designated, but I was just unaware of them.

On my homemaking journey I reflected on the fact that she was the only person in my life that really was a full-time housewife and a good one at that.  She was so clean; in fact, you would have never known she was a smoker.  Her house was always fresh and clean.  Trying to emulate her, what I found was that I fall short of the glory of Grandma, to put it mildly.

I assigned my week much like Kim suggests.  However, I found that I just didn’t keep up with it.  It didn’t become a habit for me so I didn’t end up maintaining it.  Looking back, I think it was because I didn’t follow the natural flow of our normal routine; I randomly assigned days.  Not only did they not tap into the natural flow of our weeks, making them a habit was made difficult.

If at first you do not succeed… I have been able to tap into that natural flow and discover that I do, in fact of point, assign days to important tasks in a more natural way.  I don’t have these posted anywhere, but in my mind I know that tasks have times when they need to be performed.  Knowing this helps me to stay organized in my cleaning routines and not get overburdened with tasks that I know I will be doing on another day.  Plus, when that day comes, I know that those tasks take priority for the day.

Monday – bedroom cleaning.  I only venture into my kids’ bedrooms once a week.  I know, it seems crazy doesn’t it? But, you know what I discovered? I could have them clean their bedrooms every single day of the week and it would still be trashed the next day.  So, to save myself some time and prevent headaches, I only offer my help once a week.  The rest of the week it is on them to bring down laundry, trash, and make deliveries to their room.  On Friday, we have another cleaning day, and the rooms get cleaned again, but with different purpose.

Thursday – Shopping: I like to get shopping done before the weekend, but close enough to it that I have all the supplies I will need for all our meals or special get-togethers.  We eat more food on the weekends because Hubs is home for all meals.

Friday –cleaning day. I like a clean house before the weekend starts.  We focus on the main living areas, declutter, dust, sweep, and mop.  The other rooms usually get touched on as I mentioned before, but not a deep clean, just a quick decluttering.

Friday – financials. Because we get paid every other Friday, this is a good day for me to check in with the budget, make sure we are on track, and pay any bills that aren’t auto (we pay most everything automatically through our account).

Town day - anytime I am going into town for a specific reason.  I try to double up on errands. What helps me in this area is having a place where I put items for those errands or a post-it to remind me that the errand is necessary next time I am out.  I have shelf on my desk were these items are placed.  Then when I am going out, I can grab the stack. 

Laundry day – part of a daily routine.  I don’t have a special day where I wash sheets.  Like Raising Arrows mentioned, with bed wetters you have to do laundry every day, or at least unexpectedly, so I just go with the flow there (pun intended). 

Kitchen day – part of a daily routine.  We are eating at home for almost every meal so we are cooking frequently through the week.  I have been trying to double up on meals so that I can freeze the doubled portion for later.  Even so, we still have a lot to cook every day.  I would really like to assign a baking day, but that may just have to remain random for a little while.   

Sunday – The Lords Day. We do attend church every Sunday and often have fellowship time afterwards.  We aren’t perfect at keeping this day holy, but often these days are very laid back and restful, not to mentioned filled with God honoring activities.

What we must remember is that we all have different seasons in our lives.  What worked great for my Grandma once she was an empty nester isn’t going to work for me with a full nest.  What works great for Kim in her extra-large family won’t fit the lives of an average family.  The point is to tap into that natural flow of your week and give purpose to it.  We can so easily get out of that natural flow because of distractions.  Giving purpose to each day will help ward off those distractions and keep our days efficient and effective.