- Take both boys outside to wait on the stoop for Garrett's bus to come pick him up.
- After we've waved goodbye to Garrett, Caleb and I head back upstairs. I let him watch a show while I tackle my weekly scrubbing of the bathroom.
- Once the bathroom is sparkling (or at least not so gross anymore), it's time to clean the floors: sweep and mop the bathroom and kitchen, then vacuum the rugs, as well the dust and crud that collects around the perimeter of the rooms. Caleb always grabs his "vacuum" and one of the real vacuum attachments so he can help me.
- Whew. By now I'm exhausted. Time to sit down and put the finishing touches on my weekly menu and grocery shopping list.
- By the time our meals are squared away, the alternate side street cleaning is done, so Caleb and I head back outside to move our car to a closer parking spot on our side of the street so we don't have to move it again for tomorrow's street cleaning.
- Instead of going all the way back up to the apartment, after the car's been parked we just grab our shopping cart out of our building's foyer. Then it's off to the grocery store to pick up the things on my list.
- Back home again to haul our purchases up the stairs and find homes for everything in the refrigerator and cupboards.
- I'm exhausted again, and it's just about time to go wait again for Garrett's bus to swing by and drop him off. If it's a nice day, we'll bring the bubbles down with us and I'll sit on the stoop and take a load off while Caleb goes to town blowing, chasing, and popping bubbles.
So there you go: my incredibly thrilling Monday mornings. The afternoons and evenings are usually equally as thrilling, though slightly less structured. They will, however, always consist of lunch, naps (for Caleb and I; Garrett gets quiet time instead), sorting and prepping the laundry for our equally as routinized Tuesday morning, dinner, and Family Home Evening. In between all that we squeeze in an errand or two, a trip to the playground, and/or a whole lot of well-deserved lounging.
It's comforting to know exactly what I expect of myself as I kick-start a new week, and makes getting these otherwise awful household chores easier to get done (and quickly out of the way).
Does anyone else find routines like this as satisfying as I do?
6 comments:
You really accomplish all that in 3 hours?! I've really got to work on my efficiency!
I, too, am amazed at your efficiency. And I do love me a good, structured routine. I think it helps me to feel like I'm accomplishing something and staying on top of all the tasks that I *know* I should be doing. Monday mornings, for as busy as they are, are a good day for routines around here as well. If I can get a good kick-start on my Monday, I find that the rest of the week goes pretty well. :)
Okay, so yes, I am an efficient person (most of the time), but remember, too, that 1) our apartment is really small, and consequently doesn't take all that long to clean; and 2) I do the same cleaning routine every week, so it's not like I have to do much deep cleaning. Also, our grocery store is only 3 short blocks away and is also very tiny, so even if my shopping list is big, it doesn't take very long to find everything, buy it, and get out.
That is an impressive list for one morning, but I am similar in the routine part. Monday in particular is exceptionally structured as I dig out from the weekend and try to tackle bathrooms/laundry/backlogged dishes all in one morning.
Wow, I sure wish I were that organized AND motivated to get things done on a Monday morning. Normally I'm a little sluggish to start a new week though today was different for once. I was able to get four loads of laundry done, two of dishes, clean the living room and dining rooms (sans vacuuming and sweeping...that'll happen tomorrow) and after I read your post, I quickly mopped the upstairs bathroom and water closet. Thanks for inspiring me! I definitely need to establish a routine, as I can tell you can get a lot more done when you know what's expected of you during the days of the week!
Wow I don't think I could get all that done in three hours. I do like to have a routine though. We usually clean a little bit Saturday mornings and then I do a load of laundry each evening, mainly because our dryer is pathetically slow, and a little because it's overwhelming to sit and put away a ton of laundry. But a basket each day isn't so bad.
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