Help starting a good home system

amother

Mon, Aug 26 2019, 6:47 am

I want to start a good home system I know it won't be easy but it will be good for me and my kids( and dh also) . I plan to start by decluttering ( which I have done a lot already) and organizing our stuff . Then I would like to make a chart of daily chores for us taking turns doing things like cleaning up from dinner, sweeping,..... reg everyday stuff. And then I guess have a list of weekly chores. My issue is I did not grow up in a home where we did stuff like this the house was a disgusting dirty cluttered horded mess. So I try so hard but it's really hard for me I don't want that for my kids. My house is not to bad and depending on different stuff sometimes it's more together then outher. I do know how to deep clean and organize I just don't know how to keep it that way . I also don't have any cleaning help now , and I run a small playgroup out of my living room. My kids hate when they clean up the mess that was made from my work which I get but they redump out the toys all the time. Now is a good time while I am not working and before a new school year in my opinion to make a change. my family is open to the idea I just need to figure out how I can make it work. Also I great at making charts but terrible with keeping up with them my kids are better at that .

amother

Taupe

Mon, Aug 26 2019, 7:05 am

I want to do the same thing but don't know where to start. My issue is that I grew up in an immaculate home because my mother was a stay-at-home mom and only had 1 kid. She did all the cleaning and stuff while I was at school. So I don't know how to create and maintain routines and have everybody in the house involved. And my DH grew up in a home where he wasn't expected to lift a finger, but he's messy. That's a hard combo. I feel very stressed from the mess. Will be following this thread.

southernbubby

Mon, Aug 26 2019, 7:23 am

It was an ongoing struggle when I was raising kids. My laundry room was in the basement so I got a bunch of cheap laundry tubs but didn't hook them up to plumbing but they were working height. As clothes came out of the dryer, they were deposited in each one's tub and there was a tub for sheets and towels. The clothes didn't always make it to the drawers but the kids knew where to find their own.
You can get some ideas for storage systems from the Ikea catalog which you can download and you can use the ideas but find similar products in your local stores. It pays to spend a day every few months sorting and tossing because the junk really piles up when you have kids.

zaq

Mon, Aug 26 2019, 9:20 am

Start by going to a website like Flylady and sign up for daily emails which will give you structure and get you started. Rivka Slatkin, a frum woman, used to have a daily email from her website Jewish-life-organized.com, but it looks as if she is now selling her books of checklists and tips and not doing anything free. The website looks pretty dead, actually, which is a shame. Flylady is good but of course you’ll have to make adjustments for Shabbos and YT.

I am sure there are other similar services online if Flylady doesn’t ring your chimes. Google “Household organization” and then search “cleaning schedules” under each website.

amother

Mustard

Mon, Aug 26 2019, 10:43 am

zaq wrote:

I signed up for this once but got too many emails promoting products and just lots of emails no matter how I changed my preferences. So I unsubscribed pretty fast. Hakol beseder works better for me.

Chana Miriam S

Mon, Aug 26 2019, 10:55 am

Getting rid of stuff is the best place to start. Don’t store things you won’t ever need again. When there’s space to put stuff away,you do. I had to get rid of all my catering and restaurant stuff. It was massive. But now I have room for what I need and use to be put away easily, so I do.

mha3484

Mon, Aug 26 2019, 11:34 am

I find for me, I have to pick the tasks that are the highest priority aka they irritate me the most and then make a routine around them. I also find that picking two days of the week to do a more substantial cleaning helps me and then other days are more straightening up. For me its Sunday and Wednesday.

So on Sunday nights, I make 3 dinners (M,T,W) and then clean the kitchen well as I am going along. I cant make my kids breakfast and go to work right away with a messy kitchen. Also when I get home after work, I want to get dinner warmed up without having to wash pots and pans. Thursday dinner is usually some sort of easy one pot pasta and I cook for shabbos.

I also really dont like when there are piles of laundry everywhere so I do a pass each night from room to room and anything dirty goes down the chute into the laundry room. Best Thing Ever. In the winter I start on the laundry Motzei Shabbos since I have a kid with school on Sundays and he usually needs clothing at that point in the week. In the summer I will do it on Sunday mornings. I may throw in one or two loads towards the middle of the week.

I make laundry folding my relaxing time, I get to sit, shmooze with dh or watch something on my phone etc.

I also really need a clean room for myself so I try to spend some time each day straightening up.

I find with my kids that giving each one a chore does not work so great but if I start picking up toys they are more likely to come over and help me. Sometimes I play a game of who can pick up 15 things off the floor the fastest. My ADHD kid does the best when I work on a task with him then when I give him a task and leave the room. You have to do with what works best for your family.