I have been wondering exactly this same thing – how DO you all do the cleaning?? I just have one 3yo DD right now (well, also a 14yo DSD, but that’s another story entirely…she’s not much help in the chore area…). Anyway, soon after DD turned 3, I started her having regular chores each day. Now, it’s only 3 a day, and they’re very simple chores – make bed, feed cat, clean up toys, help sort laundry, etc. Everyday there’s make bed and feed cat, so she can always expect the 2 same things, and I still have to help her but soon enough she’ll be independent.
Then, I throw in something different for a third chore. A favorite so far is cleaning the doors with Lysol wipes. I still have to help her, but it does have to be done, right? as she gets older, I figure we’ll keep teaching her more chores, and she will be expected to do more and more of them.
Oh right, when do *I* do cleaning? I stink at cleaning. No seriously, I was never taught how, and sadly my mom never expected me to either. so now, as an adult, I am completely overwhelmed with what to do, how to do it, and when to do it. I had to go and make myself a chore chart – seriously. It’s just handwritten, but I worked it out with my work schedule, and I try to stick to them. Even with that I’m not 100%. I honestly had to start making myself make the bed each morning (it’s a big one for hubby). Then each day has a different midday chore – toilets/mirrors/wastebaskets, or clean kitchen appliances, or dust, etc. One of the days that I work outside the home, my ‘chore’ is simply to clean the kitchen windows. That’s it.
Luckily, neither of us have to live in a spotless home; however, I really have to do much better about the dirt AND the clutter. But I do also realize that in this season of life, it’s important for me to teach my DD to do her chores, and that in itself is a chore for me!