• Home
  • Get Started!
  • Speaking
  • Blog
    • Cleaning
    • decluttering
    • organization
    • All posts
  • Podcast
  • Books
    • Jesus Doesn't Care About Your Messy House
      • Get a Discussion Guide
    • Organizing for the Rest of Us
    • Decluttering at the Speed of Life
    • How to Manage Your Home Without Losing Your Mind
  • Video
  • Shortcut Solutions
    • 14 Days to Opening Your Front Door to Guests e-book
    • Make Dinner Happen
    • The 5 Day Clutter Shakedown Video Course
    • Printable Checklists E-Book from A Slob Comes Clean
    • Teaching Kids to Clean e-book
    • Giving God the Worst of Me - free e-book
    • My Book Publishing Journey
    • Take Your House Back
  • Decluttering Coaches

Dana K. White

A SLOB COMES CLEAN

Reality-Based Cleaning, Decluttering, & Organizing

 

  • About
  • Contact
  • TV & Media

  • Home
  • Get Started!
  • Speaking
  • Blog
    • Cleaning
    • decluttering
    • organization
    • All posts
  • Podcast
  • Books
    • Jesus Doesn't Care About Your Messy House
      • Get a Discussion Guide
    • Organizing for the Rest of Us
    • Decluttering at the Speed of Life
    • How to Manage Your Home Without Losing Your Mind
  • Video
  • Shortcut Solutions
    • 14 Days to Opening Your Front Door to Guests e-book
    • Make Dinner Happen
    • The 5 Day Clutter Shakedown Video Course
    • Printable Checklists E-Book from A Slob Comes Clean
    • Teaching Kids to Clean e-book
    • Giving God the Worst of Me - free e-book
    • My Book Publishing Journey
    • Take Your House Back
  • Decluttering Coaches
Videos
Blog
Podcast
Products & Courses
Books
About
Decluttering Coaches

Here Comes Summer!!!

May 24, 2010 By Dana White | 8 Comments

  • 91shares
  • 89
  • 0
  • 2

Here Comes Summer! at ASlobComesClean.com title

We’re counting down the days until Summer Vacation!!!

I love summertime. I love to relax, sleep a little later, have leisurely breakfasts chatting with the kids, play together at the pool, etc. I truly can’t wait!

But . . . there’s something different for us this year. It’s called, “Mama’s worked really hard to get this house in better shape and she’s not willing to have it slip back into its pre-blog state.”

Going with the flow is my favorite thing about summer. Want to go to the park? Sure! Want to meet us at Chick-fil-a? Sure! Want to spend the day exploring? Sure!

While I’m not willing to give that up, I’m also not willing to give up our peaceful, not-a-constant-disaster home. I’d like to include “Mom, can we invite friends over?” in the list of questions to which I answer, “Sure!”

I tried last year. I made fancy charts and came up with an incentive system and had big dreams. It failed/fizzled/died. Quickly.

This year, I’m gun-shy, but I also have what I believe is some realistic hope. The biggest difference is that we’re not looking at a total life/habits change on the first day of summer. I’ve developed my own habits this school year. The boys have been doing great on their chore charts, so they’re already in a better mindset to take on responsibilities. The house is decluttered to the point where a quick pick-up by a 4, 6, or 8 year old makes a visible difference.

To me, the words summer and schedule go together about as well as peanut butter and pickles. Some people might like it, but the thought of that combo makes me a little sick to my stomach.

But it must be done, to some degree. I have to have a plan. I’m looking at my weekly task schedule and adapting it for summer.

Here’s my basic plan, in its earliest, stream-of-consciousness form.

Keep going with my own daily checklist, but delegate some of the tasks to the kids.

For example, every morning I sweep, load the dishwasher, and wipe down counters. Divide those tasks among the kids, and I’ll supervise.

Use my weekly tasks as teaching opportunities.

I’m actually kind of excited about weekly tasks. (Weird, I know!) I’m excited because I think my boys, 6 and 8, are ready to take on most of them. I am looking forward to teaching them how to do laundry, clean bathrooms, dust and vacuum, etc. I plan to write out detailed, list-form instructions for them on each of these tasks, so they can be primarily self-directed. I think they’ll enjoy the independence of doing it that way instead of having to ask me what to do next.

My basic plan is:

Monday – Laundry. All of the kids (4, 6, and 8) can sort the laundry. The boys can learn how to load and start the washing machine and change it over to the dryer. I think that I’ll declare “Movie Mondays” and we can watch a movie together while we all fold.

Tuesday – Bathrooms. The boys can switch off cleaning the two full baths, and my 4yo can be in charge of the 1/2 bath. This is the task for which I’m going to write out VERY detailed step-by-step instructions. I don’t want someone cleaning behind the toilet and then using that same wipe on the toothbrush holder!

Wednesday – Day off!

Thursday – Mopping the kitchen, Dusting, and Vacuuming. 4yo can dust, and the boys can take turns mopping and vacuuming.

Friday – Daddy’s off on Fridays in the summer, so we’ll not plan any big tasks.

If a non-mom looked at this list, it might appear that I’m going to sit and drink lemonade while my kids keep the house. Maybe by the end of the summer . . . . but probably not. The reality is that I’ll be running all over the house, supervising for thoroughness and safety, threatening a daughter who claims exhaustion or leg pain or a headache when she doesn’t want to do something, etc. etc. etc.

Look for the detailed task-instruction-sheets later this week.

Making a Basic Daily Plan for Summer at ASlobComesClean.com

Save

Related Posts:

Read Newer Post Daily Checklist – Finishing Stuff
Read Older Post Menu Plan Monday

Filed Under: Summer | 8 Comments

Comments

  1. Mar says

    May 25, 2010 at 3:42 am

    What a nice plan. My teenage daughter will be home during the summer and she is definitely going to have a list of chores that need done, although she doesn't know it yet. I like your plan of certain tasks on certain days and including days off. We'll be having the chore conversation this weekend, although she doesn't get out of school until mid-June. It's nice to see that you have a plan and won't be going all slobby on us this summer! 🙂

    Reply
  2. Eos Mom says

    May 25, 2010 at 3:27 pm

    Sounds like a great plan!

    Reply
  3. Leah says

    May 25, 2010 at 7:08 pm

    When my daughter was younger and I was working FT she had specific chores. It wasn't a whole lot but it really did help me keep the house in order 🙂

    Reply
  4. tascha says

    October 24, 2012 at 3:23 pm

    i like pb and pickles 🙂 {seriously, it makes an awesome sandwich!}

    Reply
  5. nikki says

    June 10, 2015 at 11:22 am

    Exhaustion, leg pain, and headache, throw in stomach pain and tired hands and that is my 8 year old daughter to a T. It cracks me up that three minutes of picking up toys wears her out while 40 minutes of running around the house like a maniac doesn’t phase her.

    Reply
    • Diana says

      May 22, 2018 at 2:21 pm

      My 12 year old too! She mysteriously always has to go to the bathroom when asked to do the dishes…

      Reply
  6. Melinda Mitchell says

    June 11, 2016 at 7:27 pm

    I so wish I had done this with my kids. Maybe I can get a do-over with the grands??

    Reply
  7. Jackie says

    November 25, 2019 at 5:39 am

    The leg pain! Oh yes….I hear you! My 5 yrold also gets bachaches. 🙂

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Want solutions to your biggest decluttering problems?

Get my newsletter and we'll start by teaching you how to declutter without making a bigger mess.
* = required field

Popular Posts

Why-I-Have-To-Run-My-Dishwasher-Every-Single-Night-at-ASlobComesClean.com sidebar
Five Truths about a Clean Kitchen even without a dishwasher at ASlobComesClean.com sidebar
How to Clean a Messy House at ASlobComesClean.com sidebar

Topics:

blogcast Cleaning daily checklist decluttering failures figuring myself out kitchen laundry Menu Plan Monday organization parenting podcasts progress random stories reader stories recipes sponsored posts Uncategorized

  • PR/Advertising
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact
  • Website Terms and Conditions
Search

  • About
  • Contact
  • TV & Media

© Dana K. White | Site by Little Leaf Design