1 hour challenge

I am very proud of myself so I thought I'd post about my accomplishment. :-)

About a year ago or so I discovered flylady.com. I really enjoy her website and implemented a lot of her cleaning tips. Then I got a book at the library called "A house that cleans itself" and I really, really enjoyed it. I felt like it was the missing link for me. I liked flylady's tips but I didn't feel like I was on top everything all at once. I always felt like there was a room or area or spot that was not done. "A house that cleans itself" really focuses on getting each room of your home decluttered, cleaned, organized, etc. and THEN do your daily routine. I like how flylady has you work on your entire house each month, but I always felt behind with it. I felt like I hadn't really accomplished everything I wanted to get done in one room when it was time to move on to another room.

So I've done two things:
1) I made a weekly chore sheet with my daily tasks and LAMINATED it! That made it more permanent and real. Then I put it on my fridge. I simply put a little dot w/ a dry erase marker by each task as I complete it. This list covers ALL my basic weekly chores like dishes, floors, bathroom, kids' rooms, trash, etc. Then on Wednesday I focus on paperwork first and foremost before anything else and Thursday is laundry day. I do loads throughout the week, but Thursday is the BIG day that everything has to be washed, folded, and put away. Every Monday I have a different "monthly" task like clean out the fridge, clean the carpets, etc.

2) I broke my house down room by room and focus on just ONE room per week. This is where I veered off of the flylady schedule although I still love her lists and helps. Trying to get my whole house deepcleaned in a month wasn't working, but I can focus on one room per week. It only takes about 3 months to get everything done then I can rotate through again. I just officially started this process although I've been kindof doing it for a few months now. My goal is to simply start at one end of the house and work my way to the other end. I want to treat each room with love and respect on it's week. :-) If something needs a repair, I want to tend to it. If pans need organized, I'm going to organize them. (etc.)Here's my areas:
1) Laundry Room
2) Kitchen
3) Dining Room (school area)
4) Living Room and Entry
5) Javon's Room
6) Bathroom
7) Reagan's Room
8) Hall closet - This is where I keep all my Christmas/bday gifts I've accumulated. So on this week, I want to organize it, write down the new gifts I've purchased in my "gift" notebook, and then with the extra time work on a Christmas craft project with the kids.
9) Office and Den
10) Backyard
11) Front Porch Area

I used to not be as organized and I'm still not as wonderful as my mother at it :-) however I'm learning what a blessing it is not only for me but for the kids and Josh to simply be organized. I used to feel like I didn't have time to get everything done due to working part time, homeschooling my kids, being a pastor's wife, directing children's ministries at our church, and just being a fun mom but now I'm really understanding that I can't NOT stay on top of things.

Anyways, back to my accomplishment. I wanted to be able to clean my ENTIRE house in under 1 hour at ANY given moment (sweep, mom, the kids' rooms, dishes, etc.) and I did it. This Monday I was hosting our monthly Girls' Bible Study and the house was really good so I was doing other things all day. Including taking a meal to a friend who is on bedrest with her pregnancy. Well, I made a bigger mess than I wanted while cooking and stayed longer than I had planned to at her house so as I was driving home I felt my stress starting to rise as I realized that I hadn't really done much in the way of cleaning during the day because I was on top of things. But now I only had 1 hour to actually clean. And I did it! The floors swept, mopped, vacuumed. Bathroom done. Nothing just thrown in closets. But I will have to admit that the dishes where still drying on the counter because I've been trying not to use my dishwasher. AND Reagan had a few articles of clothes on her bed because I'm trying to teach her to clean up and we didn't quite get in there, but after the party we finished up. I hung up her clothes and finished up the last few little things before bed and she dusted, straightened, etc. and felt so good about herself. There is such a peaceful feeling that comes when everything is in it's place.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not Martha Stewart by any means. We live in a fixer-upper that will probably have a project until the day I die, but I'm learning to do what I can to provide a warm and welcoming environment for my family and friends. There may be dry wall in my hall but it is a neatly stacked pile of drywall. :-) I want to make memories of people laughing and loving in my home and this is a way for me to find that road.

Have you found a system that works for you?

Happy cleaning to all you busy moms out there just trying to keep all the balls in the air!!!