HELPING YOUR HOME TO SURVIVE AN UNEXPECTED LOCK-DOWN
It is almost Mother’s Day and instead of giving you one million articles about entertaining for Mother’s Day this year; we just want to offer whatever advice we have to offer for making any mother’s life a bit easier and more manageable. So think of this article as one of our little Mother’s Day blessings that we are passing on to you!
WHEN YOU ARE HOME MORE THAN EXPECTED
Most of the country has been enjoying some time at home lately.
Lots of it.
More than we EVER anticipated.
That means for the last few months our whole family; moms, dads, kids, dogs, cats, etc,; have been milling around inside our kitchens, dens, great rooms, sun porches, playrooms, bedrooms and bathrooms for hours on end.
For some family homes this could mean a very hard recovery.
Are you feeling like the cleaning and care for your home has sunk down into a state from which it may never recover?
When you look around and see those piles of dishes stacked in the sink (if you are lucky) and those peanut-butter and jelly sandwiches left on the coffee table, and you notice the laundry room is overflowing into the hallway to the point that you can’t close the door anymore; stop and take a deep breath and take-heart!
We want to help!
THERE IS AN EASIER WAY TO GET THROUGH THIS
The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.
This will only take a little bit of regrouping and team work. Before you know it we will teach you the secret of the house that cleans itself when you are not looking.
YES!
It is real.
There is such a house as this and it can belong to you!
DO NOT FEAR IMPLEMENTING A FEW NEW RULES
You were not expecting this catastophree and you have practiced leniency out of pity to those that you love in order to comfort them.
We understand.
It was so kind of you; and probably a really good thing for awhile; but now it is time to establish some ground rules.
These rules need not be wasted when school starts back and everyone goes back to work and college; they will work just fine on any given day – quarantine, lock-down, or just any old normal day.
Here are eight simple little rules you can teach your family that will change your life forever.
MEAL TIME
Except on very special occasions; no eating anywhere except the kitchen.
Assign a plate, glass, knife, spoon, fork for each person in the household to use for all of your weekday, routine meals. Each person will set out and put away his own dishes. In the course of this action they can learn to clean and rinse off their own dishes after each meal and load them into the dishwasher right after they are done eating. They will unload their own dishes and put them up in the cabinet after the dish-washing is done each time too. No more fusses over who is going to do what when! Dividing up the clean up this way makes what is left over for you a breeze.
Another idea for meal time is to clear a designated section of your kitchen counter-space for serving dishes to live. This section of your counter-space can conveniently hold all of your foods and serving dishes at the beginning of each meal. Hold hands in the center of the kitchen before you sit down to eat and say a blessing together; then let everyone grab their plate and help themselves from this serving area of the kitchen. Let each person fill their own plate and bring it to the table for eating. You will have to be careful and offer adult help to the very little ones of course; but they will learn quickly when everyone else does this.
When you serve the meals this way the table stays uncluttered and you do not have to lug dishes back and forth or wait on each other to be seated or to pass the food. When everyone sits down; the family is ready to eat. If you want to teach good manners make everyone wait until all of the others are seated to begin eating and this will also teach everyone to be on time for meals. One person should be designated as the responsible person for turning on the dishwasher after all have cleaned up their dishes after each meal.
THE LIVING ROOM
If you are fortunate enough to have a separate living room (separate from your great room and den and dining areas) declare that area a no-toys-or-games-area.
Keep that particular part of the house clean and neat for entertaining any unexpected guests.
If the downstairs den is totally destroyed and you can’t even walk through most of the rest of the house; this room is where you will take company to talk and pass the time if they drop in on you unexpectedly. It is also a good place for adults to sneak away and drink coffee, enjoy an alcoholic beverage, have adult conversations and/or read in peace and quiet.
THE GREAT ROOM
If you have a great room where everything is centralized; no worries. Most families prefer this cozy feeling of togetherness these days.
To keep this arrangement in order; just use the following rules: 1) whoever uses something needs to put it back as soon as they are done. This would include crayons, paper, books, magazines, videos, puzzles, etc.
Everything needs its own spot all pre-assigned and everything needs its own case. Whenever that particular thing is used; it goes right back where it belongs before a new thing can be used by that particular person. This rule is helpful in cleaning up after craft sessions, game sessions, movie nights, ect.
BEDROOMS
Each person should have their own sleeping space inside their own room and a place to take their own toys, clothes, shoes, etc.
If something is individually owned; it belongs in that individual’s space and no where else.
Have a designated place in each room for hanging, folding, shelving, etc.
Each closet should have dirty clothes hampers for each individual child or adult. They all should be responsible for leaving their own dirty clothes inside their own hamper until the time designated for laundry.
Twice a day, do a bedroom check to be sure that each person has made their bed, put away their own clothes and toys. Remind the ones who have not done so to complete their assigned tasks.
Each person should be in charge of vacuuming their own bedroom once a week. If two children share a room they get to take turns.
BATHROOMS
Each bathroom should be fully stocked and have a designated space for extra supplies. There should be designated places for toothbrushes, hairbrushes, etc. A towel and wash cloth space should be assigned to each person using that bathroom. This is where each one will pick up their items and put them away each time they use them in the bathroom. Each person should be responsible for taking their dirty clothes out of the bathroom when they are done with bathing and putting them into their own bedroom hampers.
LAUNDRY ROOM/AREA
Laundry Room: Twice a week each child/adult will be responsible for taking their dirty laundry into a designated central laundry area. All they have to do is dump their clothes into a central hamper. Sorting hampers should be put here if there is room. One person a day should be designated to sort the clothes and wash and dry one load of laundry a day. This chore can be rotated and repeated as needed. The little ones will need your assistance; but they will be learning! As children become more mature; you can give them more of the laundry chores. Whatever works for your team is best. When laundry is dry the person designated for that day will fold everything into each person’s basket and return the finished laundry to their room. Each child will take their own cleaned laundry and put it away into a designated place.
Just eight simple little things, but I’ll bet these little things will change your life. Give them a try and see how much easier your days get.
Before you know it you will be longing for another quarantine…..or not!
Okay – let’s not go that far with this progress.
Just this little bit of order now will make Mother’s all over the world smile again.