Summer vacation begins tomorrow, and I’ve finally finished the printable daily bathroom checklist that I was determined to have ready before the boys got out of school. It shouldn’t have been this difficult.
I tend to over-complicate things.
For all of my loosi-goosiness, I do love making a plan. Often a long, detailed . . . complicated one.
Pre-blog, this was one of my problems.
One of them.
Two summers ago, just a few months before I reached slob-bottom and started this blog, I made a plan. A big one. Charts and stickers and lots of teeny-tiny jobs (that neither my children nor I had ever done consistently before) were involved.
Although the charts were pretty darn fabulous, the intended sudden-life-turn-around didn’t happen.
Shocker.
When I started the blog, I didn’t make any charts or plans until AFTER I started getting things under control. It turns out that the charts don’t keep the house clean.
I have to keep the house clean.
Again . . . shocker.
As we head into summer (the time I love, but which generally makes this slob-recovery thing ever so much harder), I’m determined to make it about the doing, and not as much about the charts.
But I’m still making the charts.
Confused enough? Really, they’re lists. Reminder lists to provide a level of independence for the kids. And as I’ve been working on them, I’ve had to edit and edit and edit some more to keep myself from over-complicating them.
For example, the bathroom list.
I typed it up last night. I do soooo love my detailed bathroom cleaning checklist. Mmm-hmmm. I can rest easily knowing that no detail has been left out.
But if I’m going to focus on daily maintenance of the bathroom this summer, I need to chill. Even I, a trained actor, will not be able to convince my sometimes-irritatingly-perceptive children that I’m only asking them to do a quick wipe-down of the bathroom if the list that’s hanging on the mirror is two pages long.
Everything in my germaphobe brain wanted to spell out every itsy-bitsy detail regarding the . . . toilet.
I made myself edit that step down to – Wipe down toilet, starting at the top. It will be my job to teach them that this means to start with the handle and move down to the pee-collecting spots at the base of the potty.
Because really, that’s what this is all about. Me teaching. Them learning.
All of us together in a livable home.
Here is a printable version of my ever-so-simplified Daily Bathroom Checklist. I’m going to laminate mine. Since, y’know . . . it’s going in the bathroom.
I read both the simple and the detailed bathroom list. I think the simple list is smart for the kids. I have been using the exact time for my girls and they have been cleaning the bathrooms daily for me for the last two years. They do a great job. About once a week, I clean the bathroom just to give it a more through cleaning. I don't really expect them to give the base of the toilet the attention it needs. I also don't let them clean the mirror, since they are not really tall enough to reach it safely.
I homeschool my kids, so a lot of the challenges you are facing this summer are the ones I face year round. How do I involve my kids in cleaning in a way that is realistic for their age and ability? How do I keep cleaning house as a simple part of our day, without taking over our life? How do we have a fun day without coming home to a trashed house? Looking forward to following you this summer for ideas and inspiration, and hopefully I'll have something to add along the way. 🙂
I also meant to add that I really like the detailed list. It's probably more practical for an adult or teen. It would be perfect if you were to hire a teen to help you around the house (like maybe after having a baby or whatever). They would know what to do and how to do it.
FINALLY I got a printer again so I can print out charts I need. I will check out this one too. 🙂
Loved the detailed list!! Think I will print it out for myself. 🙂 Thanks for sharing your journey and your charts and such. I also just read your post about kids chore chart, where you do initials for the day & 10 initials gets them $1.00. Are you still doing this. Sounds really easy and smart. Thanks for the inspiration.
Yay! I think it's going to let me comment for once!
Radel, we still use that chore chart, but it goes in spurts. It seems to work best when the kids are trying to save up money for something . . .
Amanda, I think you are so right that homeschoolers face these challenges all year long. I so admire you! I do think that the lack of routine in the summer makes it harder for everyone.
And the reason my boys have to clean the base of the toilet . . . is that they're boys! It gets disgusting down there, and having them clean it helps motivate them to improve their aim! (hee hee)
And I think it depends on the kid who is using the detailed list. My 8yo LOVED that list last year and was completely self-sufficient cleaning the bathrooms with it. It didn't work as well for the 6yo partly because his reading skills weren't as high but also because of his personality.
Whew! I sure took advantage of the comments working! Hope this one goes through!
Hi, Nony! This has come up in our household lately too, and my kids are plenty old enough to know. Sadly, they don't. I'll be printing your list, thank you very much. =)