Spring Cleaning 2014

Sometimes I'm organized with my own chores. 

Sometimes I'm organized with my kids' chores.

Sometimes I'm not organized at all.

Sometimes I can't think past each afternoon.

This winter has been one of those times.

I knew, for instnce, in the back of my mind, that in the last month or so,I had two soup suppers for Lent, a baptism church dinner to which I had to bring a GF dessert, and cole slaw to mix up for the electrical co-op annual dinner.  Of those things I've mostly kept the plates spinning, except for the cole slaw which I forgot to mix up and the ladies down at church had to do it for me at the last minute.  Thanks to whoever had to do the extra work.  And my apologies.

I also know in the back of my mind that I have one more soup supper to do; prom coming up, for which Louisa and Elsie have asked me to host the group of friends for lunch and pictures before they go into Oklee.  Within one week in May, I have Clara's confirmation, winkel at Oak Park, and Louisa's graduation. 

The parish board is getting us new carpeting in the living room sometimes soon, so will have the ensuing busyness with that.  And Lana has offered to help with some more painting this spring, if we can work it in. 

I know these things are coming, but when I am at a point at which I can barely handle meals and laundry for the family, ... the extra things get squeezed to the back of my brain.  I know they are there.  And I try to throw everything together at the last minute to accomplish such things.  But I don't always make it.

Today, I took some time to get my head on straight for the coming busyness.  I wrote down all the extra and bigger cleaning type things I want the kids and I to work on in the next several weeks, along with some of the regular-keeping-up-with type things that sometimes get set aside when I'm in one of my low energy states that leave us all flying by the seats of our pants.

For the sake of accountability, I'm going to post it here.

Looks kind of funny squished out long and thin, but it gets the point across.  The kids will be asked to initial those things they accomplish. 

Mudroom bathroom	Main bathroom	kitchen	Dining room	Living room
pick up	pick up	Pick up, sweep, mop	Pick up, sweep, mop	Pick up, vacuum
sweep	sweep	Wipe outside bottom cupboards	Clean and dust inside glass cupboard	dust
Wash counter	Wash counter	Wipe outside top cupboards	window	Wash walls, and hallway walls, front door
Wash toilet	Wash toilet	Clean inside lazy Susan	Scrub walls	Wash windows
Wash walls	Wash shower	Straighten coffee cup and water bottle cupboard	Wipe map	Fix wall behind wooden couch
Mop	mop	Wash and arrange inside silverware drawer	Scrub table legs	Paint wooden couch
Mirror	mirror	Wash and arrange inside utensil drawers- label	Repaint benches	Put pads on back of wooden couch
Toilet paper supply	Toilet paper supply	Sort utensil baskets	Scrub chairs	Order new cushions for wooden couch
Clean towels	Clean towels	Clean /arrange inside upper cupboards	Glue chair	New cushion covers for new cushions for wooden couch
Towel supply	Towel supply	Wipe outside upper cupboards		Move TV to family room
Wash outside of cupboard	Wash outside of cupboard	Scrub wall above counter		Paint shelf
Wash both sides of door	Wash both sides of door	Scrub counter	hallway
	Wash walls	Wash behind oven	Wash walls
		window	Wash front door
		Clean oven	Paint dresser
		counter
		Sort arrange tupperware cupboard
		Sort arrange baking dish cupboard

Wish us well, friends.