My 3 Monsters: Housekeeping

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9.12.2011

Housekeeping

Yesterday's post was about homemaking -- the art of creating a comforting environment for your family.  Today I want to talk a little bit about housekeeping -- the vast ocean of work that needs to be done around the house.  Never ending.  Seriously, I could do laundry all day long, every single day, to the exclusion of all else and still never find the bottom of the hamper.  That's probably not true, but it feels that way.  Lest you read yesterday's post and got the mistaken impression that my home is peaceful and smells of cinnamon apples with harp music playing quietly in the background, I feel the need for full disclosure.  Our house is loud and rowdy and smells like dog and burnt eggs much of the time.  If you dropped in unannounced before 2:00 p.m. you'd usually find me in my pajamas watching re-runs of The Hills with a 44 ounce Coke in hand.  That's probably not true, either.  Sometimes I have meetings for church. And sometimes I watch Lifetime TV movies.  I'm not good at housekeeping.

Like, REALLY not good at it.  I don't like it.  I remember a talk in our church's General Conference several years ago about a woman who prayed daily that she would learn to like housework.  {There was more of a point to the message than that, but that's the practical message I took from it.}  I went home and tried that.  It didn't stick.  I've tried to focus on how much I love serving my family while I work.  No go.  I've tried to be purely selfish and do it just for my own sanity.  I've tried waiting for someone else to do it.  I've tried paying my kids to do it.  {I mean to do MY work in addition to their own chores.} I've tried doing it first thing in the morning.  Didn't click. Saving it for the end of the day didn't work either, because I would inevitably think, "I'll do it first thing in the morning."

Surprisingly, I was much better about keeping up with the cleaning when my kids were very small.  Then, I felt like I was on the job twenty four hours a day.  Now that my kids are all in school it's tempting {and really easy} to "clock out" from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.  So when I came across a system on Pinterest the other day that claimed you could have a clean home in less than an hour a day, my interest was piqued.  You make a list of chores that need to be done on a daily basis -- doing the dishes and picking up clutter, for instance -- and you spend 30 minutes a day getting those things done.  Then you go through each room of your house and list the tasks that need to be done for deep cleaning {dusting blinds, wiping down walls and doors, etc.}and assign each room a day of the week. Spend 15-30 minutes each day working on that day's room.  This works great if you have a small house like me because you can hit every room every week.  If your house is larger, you may have to do a two-week-long rotation, hitting each room twice a month.  You don't have to do every job on your list for that day's room.  Work for 15 minutes or so, do what you can, and then stop.  Pick up where you left off the next time that room comes up in the rotation.  Easy cheesy, right?

There a couple of things I'm noticing with this system.  First, you'll find you can have a CLEAN home in less than an hour a day, not a SPOTLESS home.  I'm OK with that.  Second, I find that 30 minutes is not quite enough time for me to get my daily chores done, even with the kids' help, because I have to clean my floor every day.  But I can also break it up and do 10 minutes here and there, rather than doing it all at once so it kind-of feels like no time at all.  Third, I need to figure out how to work laundry into this system because I still can't get a handle on that. 

Overall, however, I think this may be something I can do long-term.  Yippee!  Because I'm a visual person, and everything is more fun with a pretty list, I created this list I can print out every month and cross things off as I go:
Maybe I'll laminate it so I can use dry erase markers . . . I DO love to laminate things . . .  If you like cute lists of chores, too, I created some blank images you can download and make your own lists on.  One has the days of the week and one just has the cute header.

*TO DOWNLOAD & USE FILES:  Hold down the CONTROL key while clicking on the image to open it in a new tab at full size, then right click and choose Save As or Save Image As {whatever it says that applies}.*

Happy housekeeping, friends!

96 comments:

  1. This is super helpful! Since I'm in school and work and so does my husband we're splitting up all of these chores. But we really need to keep our apartment cleaner for my sanity!

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  2. I love this idea! I try to take the "get it all over with quickly" approach and get it all done in one day. But I'll be 100% honest: That doesn't really work. The 'extras' don't seem to get done. I'll have to try this method.

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  3. I love this! I want my "to do" list to match! Do u mind sharing what font this is? Thx so much!!!! Love it!

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  4. The font I used for the headings is called Sketchblock. You can download it free here:

    http://www.dafont.com/sketch-block.font

    The other font is just courier new, which I think is pretty standard on most computers.

    Thanks for the nice comments, everyone!

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  5. Thanks so much for your inspiration!!! My 3rd kiddo is 3 weeks old & I'm transitioning to a stay at home mom. I've never been "domestic" so this list is great for someone feeling as overwhelmed as I am.

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  6. I see some major flaws with your schedule... 1) There is no way that any of those lists of chores can be done in 30 minutes unless you live in a tiny house or an apartment 2) If you have a Kids bathroom I'm assuming you have kids bedrooms when are those getting cleaned? 3) Again if you have a guest bathroom do you have a guest room when does that get cleaned? 4) If you have not done the daily chores on the weekend then clearly your Monday chores are going to take longer. It feels like this schedule is saying that a women should clean the house durning the day and that your husband and children have no cleaning responsibilities. I know this is suppose to be helpful but it feels more stereotypical and insulting that helpful!

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  7. @ Anonymous: You're absolutely right. You can't do all of any of these lists in 30 minutes, even if you live in a tiny house like I do. Did you read the post? I just work for 30 minutes, do what I can, and pick up where I left off the next week. I also mentioned that my daily chores have ended up taking longer than 30 minutes a day, but I can do little bits of work here and there and get it all done without it feeling like a burden.

    Thank you for your concern about my kids' bedrooms. Those are being cleaned by the children themselves. Because I decidedly DO NOT feel like a woman should clean all day while her children have no responsibilities. The kids are also responsible for wiping down the bathroom countertops and mirror after their baths, which helps with the daily chore list. They also pick up their own clutter and put it away before their dad gets home from work -- another thing from the daily chore list. This is in addition to them helping to fold and put away laundry, set and clear the table, and take care of the dog. My husband doesn't get off scott-free either. He does the dishes after dinner every night. . . because he's grateful for everything else I have done.

    To put your further concerns to rest, my guest bathroom is a half-bath off of the living room. No guest bedroom to speak of. I'm not trying to trick anyone here by claiming to do less work than I actually do.

    Mondays don't require much more work than usual because I continue to do my daily chores on the weekend. I don't just let the dishes pile up in the sink -- very often.

    I'm sorry if my personal cleaning schedule for my personal home is offensive to you. That was certainly NOT my intention. If it doesn't seem like something that would work for you, don't do it. If it's stereotypical and insulting, CERTAINLY don't do it. I am CHOOSING to do these things for my family, often with the help of my family, but I never claimed that any woman SHOULD do these things.

    I've just decided FOR MYSELF that I would rather try to take care of the cleaning while my kids are in school {using as little of my personal time as possible} so that we can enjoy more fun family time when we are all home together. My husband works long days and commutes an hour each way. I feel like his time at home is better spent hanging out with our children than scrubbing the toilets.

    That's what works for our family. Every family needs to find their own balance. I don't feel at all diminished by doing more of the housework. I feel empowered. I feel like I am in control of the work rather than it controlling me and my family. That feeling of empowerment is what I wanted to share more than a strict list of things a woman should do to keep a tidy home for her family. That's why I shared the blank lists -- so people could decide what worked for them and make their own lists.

    For what it's worth . . .

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  8. I love this! Thanks so much! And thanks for the printable too! You are awesome! I am now your newest follower and would love for you to stop by my blog as well when you get a chance! junkintheirtrunk.blogspot.com

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  9. Love, love, love your chore lists! They are adorable! I am your newest follower, found you on Pinterest (your chore list was pinned)! Can I ask how you created the header on your list? Btw, loved your reply to anonymous...I can't stand it when people are so rude and hide behind their comments. If they don't like it, then they can go blog hop somewhere else!! You go girl!! I'm looking forward to reading your posts!

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  10. I, too, got here b/c the chore list was pinned on Pinterest -- so THANK YOU! It's similar to what Flylady would have us do, minus 10 gazillion emails every day.

    Laundry is something I actually have a handle on fairly well, if I will "work the system" -- it's when those Lifetime movies reach out and grab me that the laundry languishes in the dryer and the systems falls to pieces. I have a 3-bin sorter in my laundry room and each bedroom and bathroom has a hamper. Twice a week I have the kids sort their dirty clothes and at some other point I sort ours (my kids are adult-sized now, so if all of us have our dirty clothes in their at once, it just doesn't work). Whichever of the 3 bins is most full -- it's ALWAYS darks, BTW -- I toss that in in the morning when I get up, throw it in the dryer after I everyone goes to school, and fold/ put away around lunch time (in a perfect world). Put away really means leave in a "laundry cubby" for my kids to put away. This way, if something doesn't get washed -- it's because it is on your floor/ under your bed/ between couch cushions. It's not my fault. Guilt-free.

    And... P.S. I also thought your response to anonymous was gracious, which is hard to be when anon was less than gracious to you. My husband, also, works hard and just recently we moved to where he now has the one hour each way commute. Brutal. And he has always been the primary wage earner. It is my joy and privilege to make his home as nice as possible to come home to, and I would rather have him to talk to than scrubbing toilets (he does clean up the kitchen for me because he rocks out loud).

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  11. So excited to have found your blog!! LOVE your chore chart and have emailed it to my sister. I'm always on the lookout for fun blogs to follow ~ looks like I found another. Oh, I found you through Pinterest, my other obsession. :)

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  12. I LOVE THIS! I am filling in the daily one with chores then framing it. Then as the kids do the chores, they can take a dry erase marker and wipe on the glass, crossing off what they have done! At the end of the week, the board can be wiped clean and we start all over again!! :D THANK YOU!!!

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  13. This is fantastic!! I found it on Pinterest and I am printing it as we speak, Here is hoping it will help me the same way it help you because I think you are my long lost twin. I have 4 boys, 2 dogs and 2 birds so my house is NEVER spotless and my laundry is NEVER done. Please let us know how you fit the laundry problem in this schedule, I am curious beyond belief on if you come up with a good solution!!!

    Thanks again - Christine

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  14. Found your chore chart on Pinterest! It's awesome! I could definitely use a little direction cleaning up after my four kiddos. I'm your newest follower.

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  15. Laundry for me has to have a limit. I wash, fold and put away Monday through Wednesday and just get it done. Then I refuse to think about it again until Monday besides making sure it all makes its way to the dirty clothes hamper. Because otherwise it's way too stressful and overwhelming.

    I like this system. It's a more organized version of what I finally found to work for me. In addition to the kids having to clean up their c-rap before I feed them a snack and/or dinner (very motivating, I have found). Thanks for posting this!

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  16. this is just what i was looking for! thank you so much... i also love the idea of laminating (as i LOVE laminating too :))

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  17. Saw this on Pinterest and said "Yes PLEASE!!" Thank You so much for the printable and the inspiration that perhaps a fellow housecleaning= "ugghhhh" person can accomplish this without having to get completely fed up after the whole house is a mess. Then spend three days getting it all back spotless only to get discouraged when the kids and hubby destroy it once again in a matter of hours. LOL

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  18. I really like this chore chart! Thank you so much for sharing. I found it via Pinterest. I want to throw in here to not even pay attention to the negativity that is given to you. My Mom always taught me "if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all". Plus, if people want to give criticism, they could at least do it in a nice way. You didn't have to share this chore chart, but you did and a lot of us are grateful that you did! =) I have one question. I printed the blank chart with the days, however, it printed little and I would like it to print a full page. Do you know how I could get it to do that? Thanks so much!!!

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  19. Right now all I can say is "THANK YOU!" I made a list on my phone earlier this year and stuck it 1 day! ONE DAY!! But now I realize having a printed list will not only help me see it (if I put it on every wall of my house - which is about 50 walls), but it will also help my husband mentally prepare to help me. Yes, he helps. And to be honest he does 80% of the housework. Cuz I ABSOLUTELY hate it. But I do love my family and I do love having a clean home, so I will try my best to follow the list and get my act together.

    Thanks again!

    x0, Damaris

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  20. I came here through Pinterest too. I think you should consider Anonymous calling you "stereotypical" a compliment! We, as a society, have gotten so far away from simplicity that it's tearing us apart. I am 52 and I am retiring in 2 days. I cannot wait to finally get to have the "job" I've always wanted, to take care of our home and him in a manner which I believe he deserves.

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  21. Found you from a Pinterest pin and I'm glad I did! Love this idea... and thank you SO much for the blank ones. I'll tweak it to work for my home.

    One idea to share... I might color code mine so each of us (me, DH and the kids) can have their own color and all of us can work from the list. Although, I suppose you could print one out for each person, but that would take up a lot of space (I envision hanging this list up to be able to see it... out of sight, out of mind, ya know! LOL)

    I would also add 1-2 loads of laundry to the daily list. It doesn't take long to toss in a load and if you have the kids help fold/put away, that cuts down on your time. Our laundry stack is ridiculous, so I can totally relate with you on that one! LOL

    Thanks again! I'm now following!

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  22. That is awesome that your kids are such helpers! Love your list (wish i was that organized), and frankly I'm a new follower because I like the way you responded to such a shallow anonymous comment. Thought I'd stick around! : )

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  23. I am the world's worst housekeeper, but I know what to do (I just don't do it very often).

    The laundry is fairly easy, if you can keep it up. You spend a weekend or a week in my case, doing mega laundry. I have three drying racks I use for catch up. I used to have just one for my good clothes (the rest go in the dryer) but I couldn't catch up fast enough waiting for stuff to dry when I got behind. I have actually taken clothes to my parents if we had plans to visit so that I can continue to catch up.

    Once you have conquered Mt. Washmore, then you just follow some easy steps. Do at least one load a day. Never start a load after lunch time. Get everything put away before it's time to cook or go out for dinner. You know that annoying buzzer on the dryer, keep it on and you can always set a kitchen timer to remind you of the stuff in the washer.

    Sorting is nice, but I don't have any problem digging in the hampers and putting together a dark, light, or white load. It's the getting it done and put away that I always get behind on.

    Oh well, I'm ADD so I might try your chart for a few weeks and see if something new will get me enthusiastic about cleaning this month.

    Brook

    PS: Check out www.flylady.com although be sure to give her some credit if you use her ideas.

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  24. Thank you so much for doing this! I've taken your blank form with days and customized it for my house. I am a horrible cleaner, and I hate it too, but I need to be able to get on top of it and be able to teach my kids how to do so. I never learned, in my house growing up we were last minute and infrequent cleaners. As for anon, I am proud to be stereotypical! Nothing wrong with a mom cleaning and teaching her kids to help!!!

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  25. I found you via Pinterest too. In fact, I commented on my pin "30 minutes, yeah right!", but today I made my way over and read the blog, and loved it. I like your list, the spirit behind it, and the way you dealt with the criticism. Thanks for sharing!

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  26. Hi. I love this schedule and printable. How do I customize this image, how do I put text on it?

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  27. Thank you for creating this! I also found it on Pinterest. I created my own list and added it to my blog and mentioned a link back to your blog. Thanks again! :) http://taviaredburn.blogspot.com

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  28. Found this post via Pinterest, as we just moved for Husband's job, and since he's working six days a week now and I'm working two jobs, I feel the need to manage things like cleaning and cooking so that we have the maximum time to spend together. Your list will definitely help in that respect.

    Also your response to the comment with the nasty criticism was spot on. I think the commenter decided to pick and choose what they wanted to read in your post, instead of reading it in its entirety. Great job!

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  29. Found our chore list on Pinterest- thanks so much. I was able to use Illustrator to use your template and tailor it to my family's needs, printed it off and put it in a clear sheet protector to add to my family binder. That way I can use a dry-erase marker to check things off and then when the week is over- wipe it off and start all over. Thanks again! <3

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  30. I just used your template and added my chores in photoshop! :) I spray painted an old frame shiny red (to match my kitchen) and I'm going to frame it behind glass so I can use a dry erase marker on it. I also left some space at the bottom to write in "special chores". Thank you so much; I hope this whips me into shape!

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  31. I LOVE this idea - thank you for sharing!! I hate spending an entire day ont he weekends cleanign the house. If I follow this plan, the house will always be clean and I will have the weekends to enjoy!

    THANK YOU!!

    Sarah from The House That Ag Built

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  32. Love this idea!!! Found it on Pinterest, but I am not savy with this downloading thing on the computer. Do I need to have Photoshop to edit your template and add my chores onto the blank document? I can't get it to save in Word, and maybe it won't. If you have any solutions, I would love the help:) Thanks

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  33. THANK YOU!! After lots of searching your schedule is the ONLY example I have found that fits what I need (or need to do!), plus it's adorable! Thank you!

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  34. Nice post. I was checking constantly this blog and I am impressed! I care for such information much. Thank you and best of luck.

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  35. Yes, this is another thing that I found on your blog and I will try this. I am working full time, so is my husband, and we moved to this house last year which is huge and I can't possibly keep everything as clean as I would like it to be.

    So I just downloaded your plan, filled in what I think is most necessary to do and will try it for the next few weeks.
    I just hate that our house is not as tidy as I want it to be... maybe this will help.

    I am also thinking of hiring a help who comes and cleans once a week or so... it is just too much for me and I'd be able to spend more time with my daughter, which would be really a lot more important!

    Sometimes I wish I could be a stay at home mom, but on the other hand I really want to work and also we cannot disclaim the money I earn, esp. that I earn lots more than my husband.

    Thanks for sharing the plan and your entire blog, it is so witty and just beautiful.

    Jule

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  36. This is a God send. I'm a terrible housekeeper and have been battling to manage my time properly. Thank you so much for this. I believe its going to make a huge difference :)

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  37. I have tried many different cleaning schedulers with no success when I came across yours on Pinterest. I just printed it off and am excited to start using it! Thank you for sharing it with the blogging world!

    As for your response to Anonymous...brilliant! I am now your newest follower!

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  38. I couldn't download this successfully. Any tips? I just love the bunting at the top.

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  39. Thanks for sharing the chart. I followed from Pinterest and this has been very helpful to my family. I have twin toddlers and I teach while my husband works long hours. I hate spending time doing housework while I have spent all day in a class, I just want family time. This chart makes it seem very easy to do after twins go to bed! Thanks!!

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  40. How do you download the images? I right clicked on them and pasted them into a word document and then enlarged them, but that distorts them. Sorry if I'm missing something.

    Also a new fan and will follow you on Pinterest and facebook. Thanks for the great tip!

    (also love your response to Anonymous!)

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  41. okay ignore part of my first comment, I found the printables section of your blog. Again thank you!

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  42. You are awesome! Thank you for these printables!

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  43. I also jumped here from Pinterest. (stupid addictive site! ;P)

    I use a system similar to this (from time to time...world's greatest procrastinator here) and it works great when I do it!

    I thought I'd mention what I do for laundry...dh and I have 5 kids and a small nations worth of laundry.

    I don't sort. If it can't be washed with everything else, then we don't buy it. Lights, darks, meh! who has the inclination!?

    Everyone has a day and I go in bedroom order (4 bedrooms Mon - Thurs) The kids have to strip their beds the morning of their laundry day. I always have to remind them. Friday I do towels and dish towels, etc. I put the end signals on my washer and dryer on nice a load and nonstop so they keep going until I change it.

    This way I only have to do 1 load of laundry/ day and none on the weekends.

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  44. Awwww shucks, guys. Thanks! I really do appreciate all the kind comments here. I've added directions for downloading into the original post -- I hope that helps!!

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  45. For some reason when I save as and open up the doc on Pages because I have a MAC it will not allow me to open. Am I doing something wrong?

    Can you email me at [email protected]

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  46. Love this and newest follower here. I came from Six Sisters who found you on, where else, Pinterest! Thanks for sharing.

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  47. Awesome...love it! Thanks for sharing!!

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  48. Love your chart, and totally see the concept behind it!

    Laundry: I try to get the "load for the day" sorted the night before and put into the washer. I have a delay start, and set the washer to be done by alarm time. Then I can put the clothes in the dryer when I get up. Everyone has their own laundry basket (if they are the same, then they will stack nicely when empty), and as I fold the clothes, I put them in the respective basket. Everyone is responsible for putting up their own clothes and bringing back the empty basket.

    Sunday is towels, Monday is darks, Tuesday is lights, Wednesday is whites, Thursday is jeans, and Friday is sheets. My kids FINALLY have the concept of different laundry days. Want to wear that dark shirt out on Friday night? Better not wear it during the week.

    Is my system perfect? No, sometimes I get behind on the weekends and play catch up. I might have to do towels and darks on the same day. My kids don't always put up their clothes. But, it works well most of the time!

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  49. Thank you so much for the chart! I always love free printables and can't wait to make one for myself!

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  50. Hey thanks for the printable it's adorable and awesome!
    I have to tell you that I too hated housework until I discovered Podcasts and free audio books from the library! Now I actually kind of like to clean because I get to listen to my "stuff"! Just an idea.

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  51. I have a 5 month old and am loving being a Mum but am terrible at housework! Your printable makes me realise that I can do it by breaking it down into bite sized chunks. Of course my Mum has been telling me this for years but it's your pretty printable that's made me have an 'aha' moment! I hope you can see how much of a blessing your list has been. Thanks for sharing it! It's made it all the way to a home in New Zealand! :)

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  52. Thank you so much for the inspiration!!
    http://www.amytriedit.com/2012/01/my-weekly-chore-list.html

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  53. I came up with something very similar ( trying to prove something to my husband on one of those... "what did you do all day?", days) I like yous better I think... it would take me all morning though not 30 minutes, Maybe I'm just slow and easily distracted :) I have yet to conquer laundry... I just close the laundry room door and pray it stop multiplying

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  54. I'm so glad I stumbled across this on pinterest, and in turn, stumbled across your blog! You now have a new follower :) Thanks for all the inspiration. I hope you don't mind, I just shared this post on my blog for my friends to see!

    Shannon
    www.seriouslysearcy.blogspot.com

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    1. I'm glad you found it helpful! Feel free to share. ☺

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  55. amy, thank you. you may have changed my life. will let you know. :)

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  56. Hi Amy,

    I am wondering if you feel you have been able to stick to this schedule. I think it's great and will probably adopt it with some modifications. All and all it is quite simple and to the point, thanks for sharing.

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  57. Thank you! Your list has been very helpful in getting me on track. I've listed a replica of your chores list on to a dry eraser board to serve as my housekeeping reminder, making it priority for me. Thanks again!

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  58. I saved this file but am wondering where to save it since I would like to type on the file but I know this can't open on word. Thanks :)

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  59. Michelle Pflieger05 April, 2012

    Found this on Pinterest. I had to laugh because I started doing this too and it works great! I actually had started it 5 years ago when my second child was born. I talked about it with a friend from work and they had been doing it for quite a while too-way before me- and it worked for them also. They had one where every family member was assigned a daily task too-they have 5 kids-none of which took very long to do. It kept their house looking great. They also had a rubbermaid bin that the mom threw the kids stuff in if they left it laying around and everynight the kids had to empty it out. I also added to my list a clean out the fridge day (the day before grocery shopping) and grocery shopping to the list(which I made as the day the sale papers came out-Thurs.) and a day to vacuum and wash the car and also a laundry schedule. The best thing about it is that it definitely makes more time for family time! :) I'm glad that you posted this and I hope it helps many others!!

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  60. I am logistically dis-inclined, too! It's actually a fact that there are four types of "minds" and one of them is Logistical. Mine's Diplomacy (people, not things) so the house piles up with clutter and gook and, I just have to say THANK YOU! This gives me hope. A focus. You were extremely gracious to the anonymous poster who declared that it was a flawed schedule, by the way! This at least gives a starting point. And thanks for clarifying that you don't necessarily get everything done. SOME is better than NONE! I have it printed on my fridge, though I lament I couldn't get it to print in a larger size. (Is there something attached somewhere I can use that puts it in the full size?
    Again, THANK YOU! I may be able to feel some peace in my home in the near future.
    Hugs to you,
    Jodi in Denver

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  61. Anonymous is an idiot. Talk about having a chip on her shoulder!! I can only imagine how insulting she finds everything else in life. I'd hate to be in a relationship with her!
    Thank you for your AWESOME chart and your blog! I sincerely think that you are helping the rest of us stay sane and find some help. I don't have any issues with your list because obviously this is a guideline which is meant to be adjusted as per each family. You are doing a great job!

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  62. Anonymous06 May, 2012

    I am NOT the same anonymous that posted earlier!! lol.{I just don't have an account!} But I wanted to say that I loved how you approached your answer to her/him, because it clarified some things and for those who are actually interested, it was perfect. {I had some questions that were answered in your reply.}
    I am in need of your print out!! :) Thanks a million.

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  63. Thank you for sharing this! I am going to recruit my dear hubby and kids on this. It is a great guideline. Again, thanks!!!!!

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  64. Thanks for sharing this! Like other commenters, I found it on Pinterest. I like what you said about picking up where you left off -- even the next week. I just blogged about it: http://addsarah.wordpress.com/2012/07/16/cleaning/

    You posted this over a year ago, how is it going for you now?

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    1. Here's an update I posted not too long ago.

      /2013/03/housekeeping-revisited.html

      When I am consistent with it it REALLY works. I have issues with consistency, though. Still using this system, though. Thanks for the question.

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  65. found u on pinterest. You & your chore list are awesome!! thanks for sharing the pdf/list. I need it!! ---it's a great help for a mer and I will make adjustments as needed. {I wish I had a smaller house and fewer bathrooms.....}

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  66. love this!! i was making a chore list for the kiddos ( i have 4!) and from a idea off pinterest where they pick their chores each day and get paid according, i think it would help with the chores plus teach them responsibility of money and working. these ideas for cleaning are pefect! so glad i found this site!

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  67. I adore this and even put what works for us on our dry erase board. Also agree with the other person who said anonymous has a huge chip on her shoulder. She's going to go through life embittered if she keeps that up!

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  68. I am going to frame it and hang it up in the kitchen then I can use the dry erase markers and it looks a little more put together than the laminate that I would usually lose in a pile of papers

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  69. I love this! I made my own list and printed it and hung it in my kitchen. so cute and motivational. You can see mine at my blog: http://curlymo.blogspot.com/2012/11/chores.html

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  70. Thanks for the blank copies. Just filled in what I needed and printed off a copy. Going to tweak it over the next few weeks and when I've got a finalized version I think I'll have a photo-quality one printed.

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  71. Is there anyway you can email the chore sheet to me? [email protected]

    THanks!

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  72. Thank you for sharing this great idea. I am a visual person too so the chart will come in handy. I also wanted to share with you how we do laundry. When my daughters started to argue about everything, such as who gets to bless the food, who gets to unlock the door, or who gets to ride in the front seat, I came up with a "Whose day is it?" chart. I put their names into a bowl and pulled out names for each of the days of the week, except for Sunday, that's my husband's day. So it started out with "it's your day" you get to be the person to unlock the door, check the mailbox, ride in the front, pick where you want to set, bless the food or ask someone to bless the food, push the cart at the store, etc.. It's great to refer to the chart. The chart has solved so many arguments. TO bring this back to laundry...each girl has their own laundry basket...depending on whose day it is will determine who is doing/helping with their laundry. Since I have three daughters, each girl gets two days out of the week.

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    1. My mom did that exact same thing with us growing up. There were seven of us so we each got one day a week to be "in charge". It worked like a charm. I had never thought of applying that concept to laundry, too. Brilliant!! Thanks for the tip.

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  73. This is great - found it on Pinterest :) Do you mind if I use the chore chart in my blog? I will include the link below the picture to make sure credit is given where it is due!

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    1. Absolutely!! Share away. A link back would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

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  74. This is great! I love it! I know you said there is a link to the blank one so we can create our own, but for some reason I don't see it, could you tell me where I can find the download?

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    1. I'm so glad you like it! All you have to do to download is hold down the CONTROL key while clicking on the image you want to download. That should open it up in a new tab at full size. Then simply right click and save the image to your computer. Hope that helps!

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    2. This saves it as a .jpg picture. Is there a way to save it as an editable file so that I can type on it like you did? Thank you!

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    3. Ryan, if you upload the jpeg file into a photo editing program, like Photoshop, or to a website, like picmonkey.com, you can add text to it. That's how I did it. Hope that helps!

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  75. Hi there! Just wanted to thank you for this! I love it so much I wrote about it! http://www.snipitsofme.com/2013/08/chore.html

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    1. Thanks! I'm glad you found it helpful.

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  76. I HATE housework and now have 3 Littles under 4. So haven't conquered having the children help with laundry yet. Daughter does put it in the bag tho so at least it's not lying around on the floor...but we live in a condo so I have to schlep it-but, I can do 5 loads at once! It's the folding and putting away...
    I love this chore chart, and the grace to not do it all at once? Pick up where I left off next week? Brilliant! Thanks! My hubby laughed at me and said"I guess some people need that". Yes, it's nice to know I'm not alone. (he's quite the neat freak-his mom will spend 24 hrs cleaning before we arrive, so it's not totally his fault.) *sigh, thank you again. Very encouraged.

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    1. "the grace to not do it all at once? Pick up where I left off next week? Brilliant!"
      This part won me over too. I never realized how much anxiety I had over cleaning. This got rid of that barrier to doing SOMETHING. This simple little thing. Who'da thunkit?

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  77. I love this!!! I have been trying to find a way to keep up with the housework (with two grown messy men and two long haired pets), work out, get work done for school (I'm a teacher), and cook dinner. I used the blank list and added in the things I need to do differently. Trying it starting today (Monday) and hope it helps! Thanks!

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    1. Thanks! It's difficult to try and fit everything into a busy schedule. I hope this helps a little!

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  78. I find this very helpful and think it's really thoughtful of you to provide us with our own templates. I enjoyed your response and think that if you have to post something "Anonymously", maybe you shouldn't say it at all. I'm excited to start this. I'm a bit of a control freak so while I love a clean house I hate cleaning, but don't like the way anyone else does it either. They don't do it "right." Lol.

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    1. Oh Candy -- we must be kindred spirits! My husband is out of work right now so he has taken on a lot of the chores so I can work more. I love him for it -- really -- but it has taken me a while to let go and let him do things his way. It still gets done, but sometimes it;s painful for me to watch. His brain works so differently from mine. I'm really trying to be less of a control freak!

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  79. Found this on Pinterest. I shared on my blog. http://emergingas.com/2014/11/a-place-for-everything/ This really works for us. the visual is key(and cute). Thanks for creating this. I hate cleaning, but I'm not scared of 30 minutes!

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