How do you get the "big chores" done????

Pick one Saturday a month, get a mother’s helper (teen girls at church or homeschool group?) and do whatever is most important all day that day.  Relax the other Saturdays, and pray for peace to leave the rest alone.  It can be hard and take some retraining of you and dh (that sounds better than “lowering standards” lol) but childhood is SO VERY BRIEF.  Don’t spend all your time frantically cleaning.  TOMORROW (and that is exactly what it is going to feel like) they will be leaving and you can clean all you want.  (You won’t want, all the mess will remind you of them.)  You are already getting an immense amount done.  Read over what you wrote again and really feel and experience what Heavenly Father is helping you do each day.  Isn’t that amazing?  Then remember that when you see Him on that day of judgment, I don’t know anyone who truly believes that His first questions of us will involve how often we repainted the bedrooms or planted big flower beds or had yard sales.  🙂 

If your vacuum isn’t too big your DS is old enough to start vacuuming.  My DD started vacuuming at 4.  She didn’t do the greatest job and often I’d do a quick over when she was done.  Even on the days that I didn’t have time to do quick over after her, at least something got done!!  Also, pick one chore and work on it bit by bit until it is done even if it takes all week, like sorting the kids clothes or toys.  Are your kids up before your DH leaves for work?  I don’t always have much time before the kids get up but its amazing what can be done in 30 minutes while the kids sleep!! 

I loved Boomworm’s advice and I took that to heart.  I have seen, and been inspired, by your blog, Questa7.  You are inspiring!

In addition, I just wanted to express another vote for an Ergo!  My little ones lived in the moby wrap until they were a few months old, then I moved them into the ergo baby carrier.  They’re in there all the time until they’re a year old.  Once they are old enough to start grabbing at things while I cook, I move them to my back.  You can get a lot of chores done this way!  I vacuum with a baby in a carrier from birth on.  Even my 13-month-old is still in the ergo for part of every day.  (Especially when I clean the bathroom, otherwise she’d be playing in the toilet!)

I also wanted to chime in that the regular chore-per-day is the method that works best for us, too.  One day is floors, one is bathrooms, etc.  Whatever gets done that day is great, and if it doesn’t get done then it has to wait for the next week.  Otherwise I found I was getting stressed about the tasks piling up.  

Best wishes!

This is something we struggle with as well.  I keep wishing for about 3 ‘kid-free’ days just to get ahead of the storm.  It never happens, though.

My key is to try to streamline everything, reducing the amount we need to do.  For example, I use paper towels instead of plates for everything I possibly can (snacks and most lunches.)  It costs a bit more, but saves on many dishes, so it’s worth it in my life.  (We do compost the paper towels, to try to stay as environmentally friendly as possible.)

We never eat anywhere except at the table and wear only slippers or indoor shoes in the house, so we don’t have to vacuum as often. 

Whenever I’m cooking something freezable, I make at least triple what we need (I own 4 crockpots, collected at garage sales.)  1 batch gets frozen for another meal and 1 batch gets separated and frozen for grab-and-go lunches for DH.

I asked for a good mixer for my birthday present so that I could do away with manually kneading bread.  Now it’s simple to make 4 loaves at a time and freeze the extra.  This saves me about 20 minutes, twice a week.  (I’ve been told I shouldn’t ask for ‘practical’ gifts, but something ‘for me’, but the practical gifts that make my life easier are much more worth it ‘for me’ than anything else.)

These examples might not work for you, but the point is to think about everything you do and see if it could be easier.  Simple changes can make a big difference when they add up.

My second tip is to have your child(ren) do what they are capable of.  My kids (ages 7, 5, 4, and 3) earn ‘screen time’ 5 minutes at a time by doing voluntary ‘jobs’, beyond things like dishes or keeping their rooms clean, which are expected.  Some things they’ve done this week:  wiped all doorknobs and light switches with a disinfectant wipe, wiped the railings (just a wet rag), wiped the fronts of cupboards/fridge/freezer/pantry, emptied the recycle and trash, vacuumed the couch (7yo did that one), washed the stairs, washed walls, took laundry to their dressers, wiped down the piano legs, wiped down kitchen chair and table legs, cleared and washed the pantry shelves (one shelf at a time), etc.  I have a container with slips of paper with job ideas on it.  It’s a game to them!  Many of these are things that I might only rarely get to.  Even if they are not perfectly done, even a child’s effort is better than nothing at all.  Plus they do them frequently, so things stay cleaner and are easier to clean.  And on top of all that, they are developing skills such as attention to detail (did you get ALL the spots?), fine and large muscle control, and appreciation for orderliness and cleanliness.

Joanne