Tackle it Tuesday: Chore Charts

It has been over a week that I have been home and on a new schedule.  The schedule is working beautifully for us.

In the morning I wake up, do my morning chores, and get everyone breakfast.  I then have a few chores I do (which changes each day of the week) as well as a chore that happens once a month.  During the morning hours I also get out and do any errands that need to happen.  I try to get all my housework done by lunch so that I can homeschool Sebastian while Kaelyn is taking a nap and then after his school work is done I can relax for a little until Kaelyn wakes up from her nap.  Then it is all play until dinner time.

This system seems to be working very well for me.  I made a chore chart for myself and also for Sebastian (he has jobs like feed the dog, brush teeth, get dressed, etc.).  I laminated them and just use a dry erase pen to mark off when jobs have been finished.  It is making the housecleaning SO much easier for me.  I know what to do everyday and I know that in a month my house is going to be spotless!

Here is what I use for my own chores:

Morning Routine

○ make bed, ○ brush teeth, ○ wash face, ○ get dressed, ○ pick up any clutter from bedroom and bathroom,

○ take laundry to laundry room and start a load, ○ tidy living room, ○ tidy dining room, ○ breakfast ○ school duties

Weekly Schedule

Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
○ Church	○ Strip all the beds and wash sheets	○ Dust Furniture	○ Clean all 3 bathrooms: toilets, sinks, floors, tubs	○ Deep clean kitchen	○ Sweep porches	○ Extra laundry
○ Plan meals and make list	○ Vacuum LR, DR, Den, and Office	○ Sweep and mop Kitchen & front hallway	○ Declutter one room	○ Vacuum LR, DR, and stairs	○ Gardening	○ Declutter 1 room
○ Take out garbage/recycl	○ Food Shopping	○ Project	○ CSA pick-up	○ Sweep bedroom floors

Monthly Schedule

	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
1st week	○ Wash mattress pads and blankets	○ Hands and knees kitchen floor	○ Straighten book cases	○ Clean out fridge	○ Clean out drawers in LR	○ Clean out my closet
2nd week	○ wash pillows and stuffed animals	○ Wash windows and doors	○ clean a light fixture	○ Mop bedroom floors	○ Clean baseboard heat in bathrooms, den, and office	○ Clean out Kae's closet
3rd week	○ Iron clothes ○ clothing repair	○ Clean/dust knick-knacks	○ clean vacuum filter	○ Vacuum furniture	○ Clean baseboard heat in LR, DR, Kitchen	○ Clean out Seb's closet
4th week	○ Clean AC filters	○ Dust picture frames		○ Clean out drawers in kitchen	○ Clean baseboard heat in bedrooms	○ Clean out hallway/den/office closets

Seasonal

January	Wash carpets	Vacuum behind furniture
February	Wash Curtains			Rotate Mattress
March	Start plants indoors	Defrost Freezer	Plan 4th Quarter
April	Clean Gutters	Open pool
May	Mulch garden	Plant veggies	Plan Summer Session	Flip Mattress
June	Vacuum beds		Plan next year
July	Clean out garage
August	Clean basement		Plan 1st Quarter	Rotate Mattress
September	Switch clothes
October	Clean Gutters	Rake Leaves	Plan 2nd quarter
November	Clean Gutters	Rake Leaves	Family Newsletter	Flip Mattress
December	Vacuum beds		Plan 3rd Quarter

Some of the seasonal chores happen more than just once a year, but less often than once a month, so I put them in the seasonal area just to remind me to do them every so often.

I decided not to do a project today. Instead I went to the farmer's market and bought fresh fruit. I want to finish painting Kaelyn's room, but the only time I have available to do it is when she is sleeping.  In her room.  You can see why that won't happen until Friday when Matt can watch Kaelyn for me.  Bad planning on my part, lol.

Sebastian's chore chart is simple and he is doing a good job with his responsibilities.  He earns points when he does his chores, and he then trades in his points for things he wants (pins at Hershey Park, going to McD's, etc.).

The house isn't perfect, but at least I feel like I now have a handle on it.