Our middle daughter turned 3 yesterday! It was an emotional day for me, remembering back to when she was born, all the uncertainties. I'm amazed at how far she's come, we've truly been blessed!

I didn't get to my bedroom closets this weekend, but I did get the entry closet cleaned out and we whipped the rest of the house into shape. Today I've done basically nothing! My mom has my oldest daughter so it's just me and the little ones.

Just call me Suzy

So I think it's pretty well set in stone that my vocation is to the family life, as a wife and mother. While it's generally a pretty wonderful vocation, if I do say so myself, the less savory aspect is, of course, housework. (I can hear you groaning!) It can be irritating, daunting, and mind-numbing.

However, it can also be rewarding. I know, that sounds terribly pathetic, doesn't it? Bear with me! First of all, it helps me to think of it less as "cleaning house" and more as "home making." A house and a home are two different things. A house is an object, home is more like a concept. It involves the house we live in, but it's more than the level of cleanliness and the decorations, it's the feeling of warmth and security, and the love of the people in it.

Every family has a different preference for the outward appearance of the home, some are very tidy, some a little less so. But no one is happy in filth. When our physical house is dark and depressing, it affects our mood and our interactions with each other.

As a stay-at-home mom, I believe that part of my "job" is seeing to the nuts and bolts of making this a home. All members of this little family have a responsibility to do their part, but I'm kind of like the fore(wo)man. Some days I do a great job, sometimes I totally drop ball. My attitude plays a huge part in the attitude of my husband and my children, so I want to start being more accountable to myself and to God with regards to being a better steward of the home He has blessed me with.

I'm trying to get a cleaning schedule going in my head. Starting the day by listing everything that I could do and trying to pick and choose is overwhelming. But I've tried a strict schedule, i.e. Monday- Dust and vacuum; Tuesday- Wash and dry towels and mop, and that mostly just gets on my nerves. I'm thinking of something more general, like delineating daily, weekly, bi-weekly, and monthly chores and keeping track of them daily, with an evaluation of where I stand at the end of every week. I'm also hoping this will help keep me from feeling overwhelmed once we begin homeschooling. Although it's Thursday, it can't hurt to get my toes wet!

Presently, this is what I'm thinking:


Daily

• Vacuum carpets, sweep linoleum
  
• Wash, dry, and fold 1 load of laundry, minimum
• Wash, dry, and put away dishes (Tyson and I take turns on this)
• Once over on bathroom

Weekly

• Scrub bathroom (Tyson and I take turns, though he never does it as well as me!)
  
• Sweep and mop linoleum
  
• Clean our bedroom
• Scrub the stove (I do a once over on the sink, stove, and counters when I do dishes)
• Clean up the computer room

Bi-weekly

• Scrub out the fridge

Monthly

• Soak kitchen sinks in bleach and scrub
  
• Check closets for clutter
• Scrub down the walls
• Scrub out the trash can! (ewww!)

I'm sure I'll come up with more later!

So far today, this is what I've done-

• Swept the kitchen
• Cleaned out entry closest and swept it
• Picked up the living (haven't vacuumed yet)
• Washed, dried, and put away diapers
• Washed and dried 2 other loads, haven't folded yet
• Tyson washed dishes this morning (I'll probably do them again tonight, I usually wash dishes twice a day, with Tyson doing them once every other day)