As I mentioned in my "Goals" post, I am trying to get more organized with my cleaning and household chores. I found a couple of great lists on Pinterest and have molded them to meet my family's needs.
It's been 1 week since I've started and I have to say that I think it is working well.
Here it is for anyone else who might be looking for something similar!
Feel free to use.
Happy cleaning!
*Daily*
Every Morning
Make the beds (5 minutes)
Wipe down the bathroom counters (2 minutes)
Empty the dishwasher (5 minutes)
Do a quick vacuum (5-10 minutes)
Chore of the day *See below* (15 minutes)
Every Night
Load the dishwasher (2 minutes)
Wipe down kitchen counters (2 minutes)
Take out the trash (5 minutes)
De-clutter the house and put things away (5 minutes)
Chore of the day
Monday - deep vacuum the house and do the babies laundry
Tuesday- Clean all the mirrors and windows and do Reagan's laundry
Wednesday- Scrub the toilets and tubs
Thursday- Mop the floors
Friday -Swing Day (See below)
Saturday - Nick does our laundry
Swing Day Chores
1st Friday of the Month- Dust and wipe down all cabinets and furniture
2nd Friday of the Month- Scrub the fridge, oven, and microwave
3rd Friday of the Month- Wipe down all walls, baseboards, and doors
4th Friday of the Month- Organize pantry and closets
I had a nice and relaxing birthday weekend spent with those that I love.
Thanks for those of you who were sweet enough to wish my a Happy Birthday on Facebook and InstaGram. :) Here is a little recap:
Thursday
Thursday night I met my girlfriends for a birthday dinner.
It was a fun night spent with great girls.
I met and worked with these girls for years and it's always wonderful to get together.
Friday
Friday the twins and I went to our first MOMs twins playdate.
It was pretty crazy to see 6 sets of twins all under 14 months in one room!
Saturday
Saturday morning I woke up and had a massage.
It was so nice to get relaxed and at peace!
After the massage I did a little shopping and ran a few errands.
Sunday
I woke up and my boys brought me some cinnamon rolls for breakfast.
Then we dropped off the kids at my parents' house.
They watched Reagan, Harper, and Hudson so Nick and I could have a little date day.
Honestly that was the best gift of all.
We get so busy that we seem to hardly have enough time to just be us.
Nick and I went to the movies and saw Silver Linings Playbook. It was really quite good! I would definitely recommend it. After the movie we had a delicious sushi lunch at Kona Grill. We ran a few errands and then joined my family back at my parents' house. Both of my sisters were there with there children and we all hung out and caught up.
I know it's been over a week since New Years, but I still wanted to compile a list of goals that I want to aim for in 2013.
(1)
Get more organized with my housekeeping and do a better job of keeping up with my chores.
I found a good little checklist that breaks the household chores up by days, etc. from Pinterest (where else!?) and I've been doing it this week. It's been working!
(2)
Find a way to add some income to our household while I'm at home with the babies. I've gotten a lot of suggestions from many of you from InstaGram and I really appreciate it. I'm not sure selling is the way I want to go but it's still an option. I'm thinking of maybe tutoring , selling lessons on TPT (but I need to figure out how to create them!), and maybe teaching online classes. If you have any suggestions, please let me know!
(3)
Get my professional stuff prepared (ie. resume, letters of rec, etc.)
In case I do return to the classroom next year, I need to make sure that my stuff is all ready!
(4)
Make time for Nick and I. We have only gone out once without kids since we've had the babies- for Nick's birthday in October. I know it's hard to find someone who has time and energy to watch all 3 kids so they may end up being "in home dates". Once the kids go to bed we tend to do our own thing (ie. Nick irons and does reading for his tests and I read or blog). We need to set time up to do things together - ie games, movies, desserts, etc.
(5)
Have more patience with Reagan and give him time to be a kid. Since the babies have been born I feel like I have a majorly short fuse and just don't have time to do the fun things with him that I used to do.
(6)
Start attending church more regularly.
(7)
Read!
I love to read and need to find the time to continue this love!
(8)
Get out of the house more!
Since the babies have been born I am really overwhelmed with the task of leaving the house.
Baby-steps... but I need to get more comfortable running errands and such with the twins and with all 3 kids.
(9)
Be responsible with our money.
I want to start couponing and being a bargain shopper. Any tips?
(10)
Live in the present.
I'm a big planner and seem to always be thinking/worrying about tomorrow.
I really want to start focusing and enjoying today!
I realized today that I haven't done an update on our baby must-haves since the twins were 1 month old. Click here for that blog post.
Things have sure changed since Harper and Hudson were 1 month and so have the items we use and love daily. Here are a few things we are loving lately!
(1)
Baby Einstein Baby Neptune Ocean Adventure Play Gym
Holy smokes do the babies love this!
(2)
Bright Stars Links
We have also added these that hang down from the play gym and the babies LOVE to pull and swing them. They have great textures and bright colors.
(3)
Boppy Pillows
The babies are really getting into using their boppy pillows for tummy time. I love to set them up facing each other and the babies talk and play.
(4)
Keep It Up Bottle Holder
These babies have been really helpful lately. It seems the babies go ape crazy if I don't feed them the minute they want to eat. (And you may remember I am trying to pump while I feed them.) So I got this to help prop up a bottle in their mouths while I set up the pump. It gives me a few minutes free without screaming kids. I still prefer to hold the bottle while I pump (I've got my pump-bra on) but this helps me get situated first!
You may remember that my parents gifted the three older grand kids a trip to Disneyland for Christmas.
It was such a wonderful present that the kids can't wait for!
Click on the above video to watch.
My mom asked me to help with the actual "giving" of the gift and you know me-
I jumped right on that!
I decided that Sadie and Sawyer were at a great age to do a scavenger hunt and being the sweet cousins they are, I knew that they would help Reagan along the way.
Here is what I did in case you ever want to do something similar as a gift.
I first typed up all the clues and numbered them.
I put the first clue in a Christmas bag and placed it under the tree.
The other clues I hid around the house (as per the clues) when no one was paying attention.
My parents got a big box and put a large Mickey Mouse balloon in it earlier that day. When no one was looking they put the box/balloon in the laundry room (as per the clue) and covered it with a towel or something.
Here are the clues:
(1)
"You present from Mimi and Papa this year , stated quite simply isn't here. Not under the tree where it's easy to see. But hidden somewhere ... oh where could it be? To find your gift, you'll have to look. Maybe you should start where Jocelyn likes to cook."
The kids then ran to the kitchen and looked in all of the cabinets to find the next clue.
(2)
"Ta-Da you found me!
Let's try it again.
Find your next clue where Sadie keeps her pen."
The kids all ran upstairs to my niece's desk where she keeps her pens.
(3)
"What good detectives you are!
Your next clue isn't hidden too far.
You use this to keep your teeth squeaky clean.
It gives you a smile like a king or a queen."
The kids next ran to the nearby bathroom and found the clue near the toothbrushes.
(4)
"I wonder where your next clue lies.
You three kids are giving it your best tries.
Find something white that comes on a roll.
You usually find it near a toilet bowl."
The looked near the toilet in that same bathroom but then ran to the master bathroom.
(5)
"Your getting close to finding your gift.
To find your next clue you better be swift.
The box is hiding where you keep the broom.
Go find it and bring it to the living room.
Be careful when opening it and make sure you all can see why this gift is so special it couldn't be left under the tree."
Inside the box was the large balloon.
I had also made 3 totally dinky tickets with the kids' names on them.
I tried and tried to find cute ticket templates but couldn't!
I also made a little sign.
The kids are so excited for their trip and I'm glad I could help!
