Catching up when you're behind on housework

I'm normally a fairly routine and scheduled person. First thing every morning I sit down and make my "To Do List" for the day. I have a notebook that I use specifically for that purpose, and I've done it for so long that it's become a habit. For the past three weeks, while babysitting for my grandson, my daily list has been comprised of ways to keep him busy and having fun, with little mention of housework. I find myself in a position that I know many people find themselves in. I love my house to be clean and organized -- and it's not right now. Some clutter has crept in, particularly in my "office" where my bookshelves became a stash area for craft items I didn't want within Brayden's reach (playdoh, markers, crayons, etc.). My family room became a catch-all for toys and books. The refrigerator, which normally gets cleaned out every week on trash day, has a stale smell to it. Although my guest room isn't cluttered, I do have company coming next week and would like to freshen everything up -- wash windows and curtains, change linens, dust, and generally give the room a good sprucing up and cleaning out. So how do you get your house "back" once it's in a state of clutter and dust? Similar to the philosophical question "How do you eat an elephant?" ... One bite at a time. I walked around the house yesterday afternoon and made a list of everything I needed (and wanted) to get done in the next week before my son and DIL arrive for a visit. As I tell my husband, they are not the King and Queen of England stopping by, so perfection is not my goal here. However, having a clean and clutter free house is important to me, and even more important when I have visitors coming. The list I made was a bit daunting. But I made a second list, and took the tasks "one bite at a time" and now it all seems not only possible, but not that big of a deal. My second list was a list of days between now and when company arrives. I looked at my list of "need to do's" and decided what needed to be done closest to their arrival day -- clean the bathrooms, wash the kitchen floor, etc -- and what I could do beforehand that would stay clean (declutter, wash curtains and windows). And I assigned a reasonable amount of tasks to each day. Here's my list: Wednesday Errands: Buy fabric for kitchen valances, new flowers for entry way, get a haircut Declutter office desk and bookcases, dust Clean refrigerator, take out all trash Thursday Wash upstairs curtains Wash windows upstairs Declutter family room bookcase (while laundry is running) Move all toys to playroom in basement Friday (babysitting day) Clean and sweep deck, patio, front porch and walkway Plant flowers Saturday Put up new valances in kitchen Organize kitchen food and dish cupboards Polish counters Sunday Shampoo carpets (Jeff) Dust and clean dining room, including china hutch Re-arrange furniture in family room Monday Wipe down stairs, all baseboards Dust/polish family room, office Tuesday Dust and vac guest room, upstairs hallway, upstairs bathrooms Change linens in guest room and master bedroom Straighten linen closet Wednesday Clean all bathrooms (toilet, tub, tile, sink) Restock guest bathroom (soap, TP, clean towels) Wash Kitchen floor Clean fridge, take out all trash Thursday Last minute tidying What seemed daunting and impossible, now seems possible (and, to be honest, a bit exciting because I love it when my house is clean!). I don't see any day that is more than three hours of work, with the exception of shampoo'ing carpets, a task which I've gladly delegated to my husband. I have some sewing I want to do, and see plenty of time in the afternoons and evenings to get it done! So don't let getting behind on your housework be overwhelming. Go from room to room and make a list of everything you need and want to do, break it down into "bites" and give yourself permission to get things completed over a fairly long period of time, but with a deadline. You'll get it done!

Catching up on life

I have to laugh. I'm so far behind on so many things after babysitting for three weeks. I guess I've forgotten how I stayed organized and kept a clean house when I had two toddlers (mumblemumble) years ago. Two year old Brayden was here from 7am to 5:30 pm, five days a week, and absolutely nothing got done around here, with the exception of making the bed every morning and doing quick pick-ups at night. As I always say, there's a reason God invented menopause -- 'cause us ol' ladies don't have the energy needed to take care of toddlers! I spent all day Saturday pretty much in recovery-mode. Putting toys away, wiping up the nastiest of the spills and handprints, and generally just relaxing and unwinding. Jeff and I did go out to check a few yard sales, and I found a wonderful sale with vintage linens -- hand embroidered pillowcases and great colorful 1950's tablecloths -- the lady only wanted .25 cents apiece! I've got them washed, but still need to iron them and will then put up some pictures. Wonderful find. On Sunday, Jeff and I spent the morning in the vegetable garden, roto-tilling and pulling weeds and, yes, picking my first red tomatoes! The garden is loving this rainy summer, though I did lose about 3/4's of my green beans -- I imagine the seeds rotted in the ground. But tomato plants look great -- some higher than four feet! -- green peppers have baby peppers on them, eggplants have baby eggplants, green beans have flowers, and zucchini's should be here in another week or so. Monday was my first real day without anyone else in the house, and I used it to get caught up on some paperwork, do a little blog reading, downloaded some audio books (Jeff surprised me with an 8 gig MP3 player!), washed the linens bought on Saturday, did some laundry, deadheaded some flowers, and pretty much had an easy day of it. Today, daughter Mary stopped by for a quick visit in the A.M., then I headed to my friend Lynn's house to bring her a housewarming gift. Lynn's new house is a great house, but the piece de resistance is her finished basement -- about 1200 square feet of beautifully finished basement that is her new sewing studio, complete with full kitchen, bathroom, laundry room (in addition to the ones upstairs), fabric storage, and patio! It's full of all her wonderful antique sewing machines and quilting and sewing supplies -- and is one of the most comfortable places I've ever visited. Love it love it love it and happy for her. She's a wonderfully creative person and her "studio" is a place for that creativity to thrive. Go Lynn! After visiting with Lynn, I headed out grocery shopping ($54!!!), then home to visit with my neighbor, Michelle, for a bit. She's the wife of the neighbor who is/was so mad at me for not letting him cut down my trees. He did wave to me last week, so perhaps all will heal eventually. My trees didn't get cut, so I'm not holding a grudge. The rest of the day was spent doing more laundry, and making a list of things I need to get done before my son and his wife come to visit next week. Three weeks behind on house cleaning and company coming for the first time in a year -- it figures, doesn't it?? LOL But, I always work best with a deadline, so I'll get it done! Tomorrow I'm going to start washing curtains and windows. Really all the house needs is a good dusting, vac'ing, shampoo the family room carpet, and do some more fingerprint (and nose print) patrol on windows and doors. The inside of the fridge needs a good cleaning, and the entire house needs one more good "picking up" of toys and items that have been moved from their home. JJ and Lisa will be here for a few hours on Thursday, but won't be staying overnight with us until Sunday night (her family is in this area as well). I can't wait to see them! So if I'm not blogging as much, you know I'm either stretched out on the couch still recovering from the shock of having a 2 yr old in the house for 3 weeks, or I'm wiping down baseboards and scrubbing bathroom floors!

Menu Planning Monday - Hot Summer Days

With the exception of Monday and Tuesday, this week's forecast is hot, hot and hotter! Temps will be in the mid 90's and high humidity. I am planning on cooking meals on Monday and Tuesday that will give me leftovers to use the rest of the week.

Monday Pork roast Browned potatoes - cook extra for homefries Fresh brocolli Tuesday Spaghetti, Meatballs (Make extra meatballs for freezer) Green salad Wednesday Chef Salad Leftover pork, lettuce, tomatoes from garden, green pepper, radishes Onions, croutons, chopped egg Thursday Meatball subs Green salad w/garden tomatoes Friday Breakfast for Dinner Omelettes w/cheese, onions & leftover veggies Bacon, home fries Saturday Grilled meatball veggie pizza (I'll try and post the recipe that day) Sunday Hot dogs on grill Homemade cole slaw Baked beans (canned)

Ahhhh -- good news. With the exception of a few items (bread, milk, eggs, cole slaw mix , lettuce), I don't have to go grocery shopping this week! And that's after three weeks of spending under $70 per week!

Something to think about

I woke up early today, excited about all I get to do before the clock strikes midnight. I have responsibilities to fulfill today. My job is to choose what kind of day I'm going to have. I can complain because the weather is rainy, or I can be thankful that the grass is getting watered for free. Today I can feel sad that I don't have more money, or be glad that my finances encourage me to plan my purchases wisely and to guide me away from waste. Today I can grumble about my health, or I can rejoice that I am alive. Today I can lament all my parents didn't give me when I was a child, or I can be grateful that they allowed me to be born. Today I can cry because roses have thorns, or I can celebrate that thorns have roses. Today I can whine because I have a job, or I can shout for joy because I have a job to do. Today I can complain because I have to go to school, Or I can eagerly open my mind and fill it with tidbits of knowledge. Today I can murmer dejectedly because I have to do housework, Or I can feel honored because the Lord provided shelter for my mind and body and soul. Today stretches ahead of me waiting to be shaped and here I am -- the sculptor who gets to do the shaping. What today is like is up to me. I get to choose what kind of day I will have. So have a great day -- unless you have other plans. -- author unknown

How to be a Grandmother

1. Be willing to do anything, including going outside in the pouring rain so your grandchild can play in the puddles. 2. Be prepared to meet and greet all your neighbors, including children, because they will all want to come to your yard and play with and/or discuss the cutie patootie you're hanging out with now. 3. Be willing to forget about the cost of gas so you can visit playgrounds, libraries, farms and more so your grandchild can get out and have some fun. 4. Be willing to live with toy clutter, crumbs, spills and the smell of dirty diapers in your trash can in the 95 degree garage. 5. Be willing to demonstrate patience patience and more patience because you will have to explain the difference between "shredder" (what we spent the morning using yesterday) and "spreader" (which Umpa has hanging in the shed) at least 100 times. 6. Be willing to explain at least 100 times why the green grapes in the yard need to be purple before we can eat them, but the grapes in the grocery store are OK to eat when they're green. 7. Be willing to go outside in 90 degree heat with high humidity and push tricycles, start pretend lawnmowers and teach your grandson the difference between weeds and flowers. (Take full advantage of his willingness to pull weeds!) 8. Convince your 2 yr old grandchild to be patient while you try and figure out some of the words he's saying. For example: Sondo = Thunder. "No sondo?" Means "It's raining but I don't have to be scared, right?" 9. Understand that every button to every appliance, gizmo and on/off switch in the house will be pushed at least 10 times every day. 10. Know that potty training is only as successful as the participant is willing. And when he IS willing, place towels in every square inch of a two foot square space around the potty chair. 11. Understand it's OK not to eat any meat of any kind, cheese has protein, bananas are our friend, and sugar is our enemy if you value your sanity. 12. Understand that for a two year old, there is no such thing as quiet time, and he will be 100% go go go up to the milli-second his eyes close for nap time. 13. Lights are for turning on. Darkness has nothing to do with it. 14. You are, at all times, second choice. Umpa (grandfather) and Mama will always come first. 15. The attention span of a two year old is about 3 seconds shorter than the time it takes to glue a sticker on a weather calender. 16. Know that a 2 yr old must repeat every new word he learns at least 100 times to make sure he's got it right. He learns approximately 20 new words a day. You do the math. 17. A very heartfelt "Thank you, Umma" wipes away every finger smudge, every spilled juice, and every toe run over by a tricycle.