Tackle It Tuesday: The Simple Solution Of Room Lists

As any mom knows, a couple weeks of busy family schedule and our whole house can look like a someone came in with a high powered leaf blower. The first emotional reaction we all have if we are honest, is defeat. We are overwhelmed just looking at it. So, for a day or two we may come up with errands we "need" to do that get us away from the house, or we just ignore it. Still, like a drippy faucet that somehow does not get louder but increasingly grates on your nerves, housework will eventually drive you to insanity of "dig in or die!". Once you have decided to act, there is one big question "Where do I start!!!!!". That is why I came by today.

I thought this was a good one to share real quick because it's what I'm doing this morning. It's helpful because it allows you to get the stress of the clean up off your brain and give yourself the freedom to plug away at it bit by bit. It works for delegating too because you can specify what parts the kids can do and what you need you husband to help with as well.

So, grab a notebook and at the top of each page write the name of each room in your house. Yes, include the laundry room and your garage if you have one (for me I just put "shed"). Also make a page for your yard or even different sections of your yard as in "front" and "back". Now you will make a professionals tour of your own house. Let's say you start in the kitchen. Write down EVERYTHING that needs to be done in that room. Whether it's little like "put away cereal boxes" or "repair broken cabinet", write it down. Put a small check box at the end of each item on your list. Any of these items that are the kids responsibility (such as "put away art paints", as ours are in the kitchen cabinets and have been left out by the kids on the counter) mark with a specific colored star. Make sure THEY do it. Then, check it off. Be sure also to put what needs to be done in that room to make it perfect like "sweep and mop the floor" or "dust top of cabinets". EVERYTHING. Stand there for a while and really look around. Don't just write down what you can get to today, write down all ways the room would be made perfect. If you don't have money for a repair or project, write it down anyway and use this spot to get a price figure for that job.

Do this for each area and room.

From here, decide which page to start with. Go in that room and do the items on the list. Mark them off when you are done. You may not get to all of them but you can keep coming back to the list later. Of course some are repeats daily but you get the idea.

With the kids rooms, this really helps when you have a child who says "I don't know what to do!". Remember that you feel that way too and just give them one item on the list at a time to do. For instance my sons list will look something like this:

• Put all dirty clothes in the hamper


• Put all clean clothes in drawers


• Hang up clean hang up clothes


• gather all papers in a stack


• Throw away trash papers


• Put away keep papers in drawers


• Pick up all pencils and crayons and put in cubbie


• Pick up all rocks and take back outside


• Pick up all suerhero toys and put in box


• Pick up all legos and put in lego compartment


• Clean off dresser top


• Clean off desk top


• Put away all books


• Place stuffed animals on bed


• Put away shoes


• Hang backpack
• Dust Furniture
• Mommy vacuum

That gives you an idea. The child is much less frustrated when they can check things off a list. Plus, they can go away from it and come back seeing exactly what is left to do. You will feel the same way about your housework.

Outside, you can do the same.

• Sweep deck


• Wash patio furniture off


• Pull weeds in side yard


• Mow grass


• Weed eat fence line


• Pick up trash and throw away


• Fix broken stairs


• Replace broken railing


• Sand deck


• Repaint


• Build deck covering


• Put up two hanging plants


• Install privacy shade

Notice that I've put things at the end of the list that I don't have money to do all at once but I can write them down and get prices for them till we can do them.

Anyway, you get the idea. If it helps use it, if not, move on:).

Tackle It Tuesday: Summer Game Plan

Slowly but surely making more TOPS progress. This week I only lost .8 of a lb. but it's a LOSS! I've been realizing that my kids only have a few weeks till school is out and last summer I gained weight. For people in different climates that may seem odd. Wouldn't you be out doing more in the summer? Aren't you MORE active? Well, we can be till about mid June. Our summer may as well be the North Pole because being snowed in would be similar. With temps that get up to 110* and one year even 115* (that was CRAZY hot), you don't go out much. So, we stayed home and were too sedentary and the kids were constantly hungry which put me in front of food more and more. We did not have money to run around doing activities or even jotting out to the ocean enough to cool off. So, it was movies in the afternoon to wait for the heat to pass and play out late into the night. I was always too tired to exercise in the evenings though.

So, this year I'm thinking ahead to have a game plan to keep my weight loss on a roll. Tomorrow I have an OB appointment and will be finding out exactly what she thinks my healthy weight goal should be. I'm pretty sure I'm getting close. So, I HAVE to keep at it. Here are some of my mental strategies so far:

• "Everybody say Wiiiiiii!" Seriously though, the summer is when we use the game systems more. Last year we only had the kids old V-Smile and my VERY old retro Nintendo original. That broke by the end of the summer and the kids were getting too old for the V-Smile. So, at Christmas we took gift money from my grandma and got the Wii. I don't think we could have done better, we love that thing. We use it for exercise, entertainment, and streaming in our Netflix online options which is awesome. You can even do the Internet on it but without a keyboard, it's too time consuming. So, I plan on making sure we do the active stuff a lot. Even getting out the dance mat and dancing with the girls on their "Dance Dance Revolution" game. I'm determined to learn that this summer. It's good for them too to be doing the active ones and not just Mario.


• Biggest Looser DVD's. I've only got one, but these are great. I have the sculpting one. I hope to do this with Princess also through the summer and am hoping she will enjoy joining me. They are 8 bucks at Walmart and easy to follow.


• Veggies and Fruits. I plan to NOT buy a great deal of the carb snacks we use during the school year. If it's here for them or me, it's not good for us. I plan to buy, wash and chop produce to have in bags on hand for snacks with peanut butter, almond butter and hummus for dipping. In the heat you don't usually feel like eating meals, you tend to want to snack but what you snack on is the key.


• I'm planning a bible time with the kids when we first come in or close up the house. I really have enjoyed reading the bible chronologically and though I don't want to hit them with the law stuff right now or some of the tough reading, I'd like to find a kid friendly plan to go through. I may just do a precept for kids study. I'm looking for something interactive. With kids in public school, it's hard to get that time in on school days. I'm hoping the summer will clear the academics for us to do this.


• Plan one beach outing a paycheck. If I can do two, even better. That would be one a week.


• Mama, get up early! This is my HARDEST part. I love sleeping in and staying up late. I'm very determined this year though to get up and enjoy the quiet and cool before the day. It's important because it's going to be my only time without the kids. I'm hoping to get out and do a morning walk outside to combat being in all day. I also want to have my quiet time out on the deck if I can.


• Last but not least, the evening family outing. I know we won't make this every night but I really want to walk as a family, or bike ride as a family in the evening. It's going to be important for the kids too because they can pudgy up just like me from vegging all summer.

That's what I've come up with so far. We usually have to come in and shut up the house by 10am and don't reopen it until about 7pm. If you have any other ideas for me, I'm listening.

Tackle It Tuesday Tunes

I said two weeks ago that I had some fitness goals. I've done fairly well keeping them. I said I wanted to walk more though and that has not gone well. I did however loose 1.4 lbs at this last TOPS meeting. I'm really desiring to stay focused so reporting here will help. Let me know you're watching cause I need that annoyance too!:)
We talked at our last meeting (TOPS) about motivation. I really liked the inspirational thing the lady speaking said. Motivation is like taking a bath, just because you get it once doesn't mean you don't need to find it again (or something like that). So, I've been thinking of what motivates me.
Music really motivates me, and I enjoy a lot of different kinds. Lately though, I've really been needing spiritual encouragement more so I find that I can't consume a lot of "candy" music (I say this because many of our worldly hobbies, interests, enjoyments are like candy, you are free to partake but make too much will effect your spiritual health).
So, I spent an hour making a new play list. Of course I'm sharing in case any of you also have a long 20 foot headphone extension cord like I do and pipe it into you most booming of boomers. If you don't, get one at Radio shack. It's worth it (try Pandora.com too!). You can also just pipe the computer sound into your headphones for workouts. I don't have an ipod like some people ....;)
Here it is...go tackle something and be refreshed as well. These are some of my tippity top favorites!

Tackle It Tuesday: The Climb

I joined TOPS this time last year. Has it helped me? Yes. I have lost 10 lbs and flirted with a few more pounds that have bounced back way too many times. Still I have to remember that going keeps me from overall gaining. Ever time I get going something happens in life to halt me. I'm sure that happens to everyone though. The surgery has really set me back again and although the nausea and appetite loss helps me at times, the estrogen patch is fighting against me and I can really tell. So, I have to get serious or I'll be in trouble soon. Time to get back climbing.

I told my friend Trish who is in TOPS with me, that we should come up with a few simple goals and hold each other accountable. I tend to go overboard on goals and bury myself in disappointment when I cannot possibly reach them. So, I'm going to start with three and go from there.

1. Breakfast: I don't enjoy breakfast and if I do it's usually carbs that I like. I kind of gag at the thought of eggs in the morning (and I have since I was a kid really). So, for a while I don't want to have to think about it at all. I purchased a big tub of Soy Protein at Trader Joe's and have tons of frozen fruit in the freezer i need to use up. I'm just going to use that and a little yogurt for morning smoothies. Thankfully the weather is warming up!


2. Walk: The most important thing I can do is get more walking. I really wanted to be running a 5k by now but I'll have to be patient and build back up now. My goal is 20-30 min 6 days a week.


3. Evening Eating: I'm making a goal to only have herbal tea or water after 7pm except for one night a week (Monday's when I go to TOPS and don't eat until I get home).

It's hard to believe I only have about 20 lb to the top end of my healthy weight. The last 20 are so hard and I know they are going to take sheer warfare! I'm praying my hormones don't get in my way too much either. I'm drinking lots of ginseng, decaf green, and tension taming herbal teas to help with all that.

Every time I come back to this goal I am encouraged by this song. It reminds me of many good things. It's a good walking warm up song too. Though it's a cute little teen song, it's got a lot of truth to it. There is always going to be a struggle, a goal, a battle. Thinking that getting through one will make everything in life good is not true but that doesn't mean it's not important.

Tackle It Tuesday: SAHM Gameplan

My first post for Tackle it Tuesday is just getting my week on a game plan. One of the biggest challenges of a SAHM (which right now I am not a 100% candidate for that but I only work an hour and a half a day at a daycare) is to not let your time go down the toilet. When no one is watching and no boss is checking on you, it can be so easy to procrastinate over and over. Well, at least I do. Maybe you are more of a superwoman than me.

So, I tried this out last year and it worked when I kept it. Don't be discouraged (I tell myself) when life messes it up, just get back on track. Usually I'll get it going and it will be time for a big holiday, or kids get sick, or the car breaks down and something in this is really thrown off. The important thing is doing the next thing and not giving up.

Sometimes housekeeping is simply doing the next thing. Eventually you will get a lot done. Rarely do you get it ALL done and if you think you have, don't hold your breath.

The plan is to have a ball park idea for each day of the week. Somethings however have to be done every day. I know some mom's do laundry all on one day but I cannot because the stacks that have to be put away are just to overwhelming for me. So, I do a load a day if I can.

Here is my game plan:

Daily: One load of laundry

Keep the heart of the home healthy (see below)

Monday: Kitchen/Laundry room -

(I work an extra two hours on Monday morning before starting this so Monday is a big day I have to stay on task)

Weekly-clean counters, wipe down appliances, mop, clean out bad food in the fridge, wipe the fridge inside, update food inventory, make menus, bake goods for the week.

Monthly- Wipe down counters, vacuum cobwebs, wipe high decor items, pick up counter items and clean under, clean counter items, clean inside of stove, dishwasher, and gunk in washing machine.

Tuesday: Living Room/Dining Room

For me these are one big connected area so I lump them together.

Weekly-dust, vacuum, put away items in an organized way, tidy paperwork at the desk, vacuum, clean glass surfaces.

Monthly-oil wood surfaces, clean out old paperwork at desk, clean out window tracks, clean windows and dust blinds, vacuum cob webs.

Wednesday- Master Bedroom and Bathroom

Weekly- Tidy, dust and vacuum. Wash bedding. Clean shower, tub, sinks, etc, and mop floor.

Monthly- Oil furniture, dust blinds, clean windows, organize closet, vacuum cob webs, dust light fixtures, wash curtains.

Thursday-Paperwork Day

This is the day to do any paperwork I need to do but also look for shopping deals, coupons, and organize my list for needs and groceries. This takes more time than you might think to do well. I might look ahead to the next week for menu ideas and see what I need to pick up for them.

Friday- School Aid/Errands

I am up at the school in Superkid's class ever Friday morning. Then it's a good day to do errands. I have not been on this schedule for a few months because we didn't have a car but now I'm excited to do this. It's my day to be in town after staying on task all week. I get what we need and like to stop at a thrift store for fun while I'm out.

Saturday- Morning off/ Family Chores

We take it very slow Saturday morning. After a week of school schedule the kids really love to have a break and so do I.

Weekly- In the afternoon though they have to clean their bedrooms, and now I'm having them start to share the load of their own bathroom. We have many pick up times during the week though so that this task is not long and drawn out. The also vacuum and dust their rooms and wash their bedding.

Monthly-I try to clean their windows and vacuum cob webs. Sometimes some re-organizing of items is needed too.

We are also going to have them vacuum and wash one vehicle every other weekend together. This is a new development and we'll see how it goes.

I'm hoping to start some gardening chores on Saturday afternoons when they are out playing as the weather gets better.

Sunday- Church/Family Outings/Community Group

Sunday is are only real day as a family as Rick works most Saturday's. The important thing about the above routine is that by the time we get to Sunday, we can enjoy each other and just relax.

This is easy to put into a chart and print from a simple computer program. Once it's set up, it can go in your notebook for running the house. I'm hoping to complete mine soon and share about it.

Within all this is of course a keep up plan. The kids unload the dishes and put them away every morning, they pick up their stuff and dirty clothes etc. Otherwise, you don't have time to get through the daily tasks.

When I refer to keep the heart of the home healthy I mean keeping the kitchen tidy. I have found that if the kitchen does not get done first and kept running well, we spend more money on easy dinners and lunches. I also will get discouraged and not want to get up to hit my day if the kitchen is a mess. Every meal, a little work has to be done.