Life with Little Ones

Lately I have talked to a few moms that have recently gone from 1 child to 2 and are just struggling to determine what to let go and what to make time for.  Several of you are alot like me in personality and you not only enjoy a clean house but you really don't mind the cleaning itself.   I wanted to encourage you that this is just a short season of life but that from this point on your seasons will come and go in short burst for a little while.  Earlier this spring I shared on here my cleaning schedule.  At that point, Jake was home 3 out of 5 days and life was a little less committed.  This semester (yes I know i am not is college but planning for me works best by semester thinking - I am not a college wantabe - not most of the time :)) life for us has a few more commitments and some specific goals so it doesn't allow for me to be as committed to my house.  Always remember that when you say yes to one thing there are at least 3-4 things you have to say no to.  As a family we are committed to not living busy lives but sometimes for the sake of priorities life has busy seasons.  So I just thought that I would post my cleaning schedule for this season of life.  It is alot different than from the spring and really looks alot like what I did shortly after Brady was born.  Super cleanliness in the house right now is not a yes for me.  Because of my personality it will come around again I am sure.

Morning Routine: (about 30 minutes)

-start load of laundry

-make my bed

-empty dishwasher

-meal preps (includes Jake's school snack, Brady's gym snack, lunch and dinner preps)

-cook breakfast

Evening Routine: (about 10 min for boys and 20 for me)

-Boys (John too) - go through entire house and pick up things laying out and put up (it is mainly toys

-Me: clean kitchen from dinner. I don't clean the kitchen right after we eat.  This is our family time.  I do it while John is doing Bed time routine with the boys and then I join in for parts of the routine and then come back and finish up.

Tuesday Mornings: (about 1.5 hour)

-1st and 3rd Tuesdays:

  - clean living and dining room (dust and vacuum)

  - any cleaning in kitchen & mop

  - clean both bathrooms (scrub and mop)

  - change sheets on beds

-2nd & 4th Tuesdays:

  - clean all 3 bedrooms (dust & vacuum)

  - tidy up bathrooms (wipe off counters, clean toilet)

  - change sheets on the bed

Sometimes in between our bedroom furniture will get dusty and it drives me crazy so I grab a rag and spend 2 minutes dusting off the top.  

So other than my morning routine of about 30 minutes I don't do anything to my house except on Tuesdays. Yes the baseboards need cleaning, the window could defiantly use a cleaning and yes some days I notice and for a moment it makes me crazy but I just have to remind myself of 2 things (really I do have to stop and tell myself this) 1. this is only for a season and my house is not dirty I just see things that could be cleaner 2. the investments that I am making in people will not burn up one day and my house will.

I encourage you not to feel defeated because you just can't do what you could.  Our measuring stick as moms and wives has to be how we glorify God with our time by loving and serving the people he places in our care.