I have finally found a way to maintain a relatively clean home.
And when I say finally, I mean FINALLY.
No, I didn’t hire a maid. But I seriously considered it.
Because I have searched and searched for ways to make cleaning and maintaining a clean home with the help of my children a reality around here.
I have tried various chore charts.
I’ve even made my own chore chart for my children.
I’ve read blog posts, magazine articles, and heard advice from friends.
But nothing has worked.
Until now…
I got the initial idea from Courtney at Women Living Well Blog.
Then I made lots of changes and adjusted it for our family.
I made a list of all the chores that my girls and even Will can help with.
Part of the list was written down and I’ll be honest….parts are only listed within my mommy brain….but it is a list nonetheless.
Every morning my girls are given four…only four…chores that they are responsible for.
Getting dressed
Making their beds
Brushing their teeth
and
Brushing their hair
That’s all…this has become quite routine. They do it every single day without fail after breakfast.
It has become so routine that I can send them upstairs to do their morning chores and they know exactly what they are expected to do.
And then every afternoon at 4:00 we have a time of doing afternoon chores.
We call it a clean-up party.
Because everything is so much more enjoyable when you call it a party.
It may only be a matter of semantics, but these semantics make a huge difference in attitudes.
During the clean-up party, everyone stops what they are doing (unless I’m nursing the baby…that doesn’t stop) and cleans up.
The first chore the girls and Will are responsible for during this time is to clean their rooms.
And after that they are given “special choresâ€.
Again, they’re called “special†because word choice makes a huge difference in our home.
If you call a chore special, then it must be….special.
These special chores include…
dusting
wiping down the bathroom counters
putting everything in it’s right place (called a treasure hunt)
wiping down the breakfast table
taking out trash
cleaning the sun room
putting away laundry
Everyone cleans for one hour, and at 5:00 the cleaning stops.
Our “cleaning party†is actually a happy time that is looked forward to.
It helps that my husband and I clean up right alongside the kids.
And it helps that there is a definite starting and ending time.
My home is dusted and cleaned on a daily basis and I can tell a big difference in it’s maintenance.
How do you maintain a clean home and get your kids to pitch in with a cheerful heart?
Having a “clean-up party†works for us!
What works for you?
Post linked to: Works for Me Wednesday at We Are THAT Family
Sherry says
What a cool and fun idea! I bet the children love getting in on that. 😀
.-= Sherry ´s last blog ..Teenagers are a blessing What =-.
Bonni says
Great post! I have a similar system, but I’ve added an hour a day of extra-special chores for the summer! It’s been a blast! We’ve cleaned the basement, done LOTS of gardening, and we are now organizing everyone’s photo albums!
.-= Bonni´s last blog ..Raising responsive children! =-.
Erin @ Closing Time says
This is the best post I have read on keeping a home clean, and it’s all because of one little word…PARTY!! I think this will work for us too! 🙂
.-= Erin @ Closing Time´s last blog ..Friday Favorites =-.
Elaine H says
That is a great idea! I am wondering though just how old are your kids. I have 2 teenagers that I homeschool and am thinking that if I do something like this, make certain times for actual cleaning for everyone that this would help our situation out as well.
Thanks. 🙂
.-= Elaine H´s last blog ..WFMW Home Alone =-.
Scentsy says
Currently my routine consists of saying brush your teeth, comb your hair, clean your room at least 20 times before it actually happens. 🙂 I really like the idea of implimenting, party and special into tomorrow’s routine to see if we notice a difference.