Yesterday I shared some of my heart for homemaking, and what the Bible says about keeping a clean house. Please read it! You will see that this is an area God is re-working on in my life, as in many ways, I’ve been slacking off in taking care of our home. {This is when I want to give you my long list of reasonable and unreasonable excuses… and somehow at the same time let you know that our house is by no means in shambles… but, hopefully you realize that I am your everyday mommy, just like many of you, trying to juggle it all, yet continually needing God to work through my weaknesses and to guide me in choosing what is MOST important… sometimes this means putting down the dishrag and the broom, and picking up a Bible and a child!!} For although I am in a season of Cheerio crumbs, kiss-marks on the windows, and moldy bath toys, I want to do my best to build our home!
And I want to do it CHEER-FULL-y! {I think my husband just broke out in the “Halleluiah Chorus” :)} For if my heart is not clean and I’m sporting a dirty-rotten-attitude, instead of pointing others TO Christ, I’m pointing them AWAY from Christ (remember how our homemaking can actually be a reflection on His Word!?), and the hours spent taking care of my home will mean nothing! But, if I “work heartily as unto the Lord” (Colossians 3:23) God will be honored and others will actually be attracted to the gospel.
One thing that helps ME to take care of our home cheerfully, is to have a “Housekeeping Schedule!”
***Please know that this is what works for ME and MY family in MY home, as evidenced by my lack of following it off and on for the past year or so!***
There are a few things that have influenced this schedule…
*PRAYER- I have spent much time praying over how to honor God and serve the precious people in my home in this way. Knowing that clean hearts are more important to God than clean homes!
*MY HUSBAND- I’ve also talked with my husband about what is important to him in my homemaking decisions. This was very helpful. For example, I learned that he likes things uncluttered (just like me- yeah!), appreciates the laundry being done, but doesn’t really care about dusting or dirty windows. Overall, he’s just happy to live in a semi-clean home, and not have to be the one to clean it. :) Thankfully he is much more gracious on me than I am on myself. But, after talking with him, it was easier for me to see what to focus on.
*MY FAMILY- I took note that our family has grown and changed since the last time I made our “cleaning schedule”. We’ve added a little one… there’s more laundry, more crumbs on the floor, more chores that now need to be done daily, and less time to do it all. Yet, I also have more helpers that truly ARE helpful! I also have a husband that has taken on a lot of the meal planning and shopping at this time. (Thank you, honey!)
*MYSELF- I also took note of what is important to me in housekeeping. I am a happier wife and mommy when things are neat and clean. I don’t care to have my bare foot plastered with crushed Cheerio crumbs, but wrinkled laundry doesn’t bother me.
*MY HOUSE- I naturally realized that our house may be very different from others who have more or less bedrooms, more or less bathrooms, etc.
***This schedule reflects those things. YOU and YOUR family and YOUR home are most likely quite different. Your cleaning schedule or methods or lack-there-of should be right for YOU and the family and the home God has blessed YOU with! Take what would be helpful to YOU –and take some time to talk to your husband about it too- and toss the rest!
Today I’m going to share our “Housekeeping Schedule” and then hopefully next week sometime I will get into more details and tips. :)
Get a “Taking Care of Our Home” printable here.
DAILY CHORES:
(Chores that should be done daily… except for Sunday!)
*Make Bed (This makes the whole room seem cleaner.)
*Meal Prep.
*Dishes
*Sweep
*Garbage Out
*Laundry
*Tidy-up (after each meal for about 10-15 minutes and before bed)
*De-clutter As I Go (this is a habit of mine… if I walk by an open cabinet, I close it; if I see something on the floor, I pick it up, etc.)
*Work on Super-Cleaning (more info. below)
WEEKLY CHORES:
*MONDAY: Menus, Meals, Shopping List, & Kitchen Clean-up (plan meals monthly… check on needed items for shopping list… clean microwave & small appliances, check fridge and pantry)
*TUESDAY: Tubs, Toilets & Towels (clean bathrooms… sinks, mirrors, floors, garbage, etc.)
*WEDNESDAY: Wash Windows & Mirrors, & Dust (rotate weeks) & Do Paperwork (bills, appointments, phone calls, etc.)
*THURSDAY: The Bedrooms (rotate bedding, organize, de-clutter)
*FRIDAY: Floors (mop & vacuum)
*SATURDAY: Spend Time Cleaning Outdoors and/or With Family (rake leaves, tackle the garage, clean out the car, pull weeds, wash outside windows, etc.)
*SUNDAY: Rest!
SUPER-CLEANING:
Each week, focus on one room (rotating through all of them: kitchen/dining room, living room, bathrooms, each bedroom, family room, hallways (with closets), laundry room, garage) to do a deep cleaning. This is a great time to do the extra cleaning that doesn’t need to be done weekly… wash the shower curtain, clean out the oven, go through clothes to give/throw away, vacuum behind corners and under furniture, wash blinds and drapes, go through junk drawers, organize closets, etc. It takes me 2-3 months to rotate through all the rooms in our house. This way everything gets really clean at least four times a year.
Using this schedule, I am prayerfully and (hopefully) cheerfully seeking to build our home for the glory of God! Always remembering that some days the floor won’t get swept and the laundry will not get done, but that I can trust God to guide my time, and choose what is MOST important- honoring Him in the process!
Do you have a house-keeping schedule?
How does cleaning get done at your house?
Would you like a Taking Care of Our Home printable!?
I just love the pictures of your cuties! I’ve been a housewife exclusively for 20 years now. I have tried many schedules and finally realized I could never stick to a specific chore scheduled per day. I have daily, weekly, and monthly chores. Daily ~ I just do things automatically. Weekly ~ I have a list of all chores and just check them off as I go. As long as I get all the weekly chores done by the end of Saturday I’m happy. I just could never commit to doing specific chores each day. I also use a modified fly lady system for the extras. I have a 4 year old again after a 15 -year break, and I again know about the Cheerio crumbs…. ;-). I have to share what happened the other night. My neighbor came over about 9pm and my hubby was out of town, so I hadn’t done my pickup before bed yet. Yep, she had taken off her shoes and we both had crumbs stuck to our feet in the kitchen. I was a little embarrassed, as she is retired and her home is always spotless. She just laughed! She knows I have a busy little girl, and yes I should have swept the floor after dinner, but we went outside to catch some daylight before bed. Bless you ~ I am sure you do a great job!
Karen, I SO appreciate your wisdom! Thank you! What a great idea to have a weekly list- checking off as you go! :) And it’s always wonderful to find another mom with Cheerio crumbs covering the floor. Have a blessed day!
Thanks for such encouraging posts! I love the way you are so real! With five boys at home our house always seems a mess and I often feel overwhelmed. Thanks for reminding me about ATTITUDE! :)
Vera, I always appreciate you and your encouragement! Those boys are blessed to have you as a mama- no matter the mess! :) Jessica
I’ve never commented on here before but I just had to this time! Its amazing how Gods timing is always so perfect! With a new baby in the family, plus a five-year-old and a three-year-old, (all boys:)), and starting our first year of homeschooling, I can see that getting some sort of schedule in place is necessary if I want to be able to keep my home in order. I enjoy seeing other peoples schedules and gleaning tips from them, yet keeping in mind that each family is different and what works for one might not work for me. But it is so encouraging to hear of other peoples moldy bath toys and realize I’m not the only one who just doesn’t get everything managed the way I would like to:)
I want to always keep in mind that raising my children for God and being a cheerful wife is more important than having a spotless home. I want my children to grow up and be able to say they had a mom who always had time for them. And yet I also do want to keep my house in a way that can bring glory to God. Finding that balance is my big challenge!:)
So thank you so much for sharing your heart! May we continue to encourage each other as we strive to be the mothers and housekeepers we are called to be. God bless you and your family.
Oh Ruth, I’m so, so blessed to hear from you! God’s timing is perfect, as you sound like a busy, beautiful mama to those 3 precious boys! :) It is encouraging to be reminded that we are not alone as we strive to find that balance, and as we seek to keep God first. I’m praying for you today, that you find peace and joy as you balance time with God, time caring for that precious new baby and his fun brothers (& their daddy), time homeschooling, and time taking care of your home. Thank you for taking the time to encourage me! I look forward to getting to know you even more. :)
Many blessings, Jessica
Thank you for sharing this! Like Karen, I just have a weekly list and mark it off as I go…with the goal to get it all done by Saturday night. I know as my little ones get older and we add schooling into the mix I’ll have to be more organized. :)
Thank for your encouragement!
Kelly, It’s so fun to hear from you! :) I love the weekly list idea- so simple, but helpful!!
Have a great day!
Great post, Jessica! I just pulled out paper and pen, and took a bunch of notes so I won’t forget your great advice. It is so important to remember to take these kinds of concerns to God in prayer; He can shed so much light on our questions and concerns about what is, after all, our calling and vocation. I also really like the idea of finding out what our husbands find important. I might spend my time folding family room blankets and fluffing the pillows (about which he couldn’t care less), but leave three big piles of paper clutter around the family space (which I’m pretty sure drives him crazy after awhile). A lot of good insight here!!
So true- pray, pray, and pray some more… if only I would remember that when I’m feeling overwhelmed and in over my head! :) I’m in the process of making a print-out with this schedule… I’d be happy to share it with you when I’m done. :) Blessings!
Thanks for this post. I felt like I was reading something that could I could have written! I have my schedule and my heart in check, now I just need to get going :) Thanks for the encouragement!
Jessica, this was a great post. I truly struggle with finding the balance of keeping the home clean, and etc… it feels like lately. As a single women, it seems as if all things were in order and I was on top of it. In the 5 years of marriage, 2 beautiful babies came, and my husband I decided I would become a homemaker. OMG! I know it’s the help of God everyday. I find myself trying to do it all but nothing gets finished, and I feel like I’m at square one. Some days I feel so defeated, maybe I should create a cleaning schedule. Thanks for the post…I needed to read it. There is hope.
Thank you, Narva! It is a tricky balance- one that continually needs to be bathed in prayer. For, oh how I understand the never-ending dishes and laundry piles. :) There is hope!! Start with ONE thing. Then move to the next. And the next. Talk to your husband about what is important to him, and tackle those areas and the ones that drive you the most “batty” first. :) Our homes were never meant to be showcases, they are lived in and loved in, and it should show. Praying that God would guide your time and energy!
~Jessica