Routine

I've had a lot of people lately ask me how I have the time to craft and make stuff for my Etsy shop, so I decided to write a little about it. When I first got married 7 1/2 years ago, my Mom gave me the best piece of advice. She told me to do a little housework each day so that you didn't have to try and tackle it all in one, tiring, overwhelming sweep. Now, I'm typically not a schedule lover, but I have discovered that I do like a bit of routine in my life to keep me sane. Don't get me wrong- I'm spontaneous and I love trying new things and exploring and being adventurous, but when it comes to day to day things, I like to have an idea of what's going to happen when. That said, I took my Mom's advice and have lived by a little cleaning schedule that has been awesome for our family. It's simple, but it keeps me on track. Here it is:

Monday: Clean downstairs bathroom
Tuesday: Laundry
Wednesday: Dust/Clean glass doors and windows (when needed...this does not happen every week)
Thursday: Clean upstairs bathroom
Friday: Laundry
Saturday: Vacuum/Sweep (mop twice a year...basically =0)
Sunday: Lay on the couch =0)

I stick to the schedule and rarely skip doing the job for the day...BUT, if I do (things come up, I get it), it's not a big deal. I just try and make it up the next day, and if I don't....oh, well...it can go another week without a cleaning. We won't die.

I try and do my daily chore in the morning, but if not in the morning, as soon as Elliot goes down for his nap around 1:00. I've found that if my chore isn't done, it's just sitting in the back of my head, irritating me until I do it. If I just get it done and over with as soon as possible, then when Elliot goes down for his nap, I can rest too. This leads to the other part of my routine- I set aside time everyday to rest, relax, and do things that I want to do, i.e. craft =0) This is the time when Levi gets to play on the computer or watch cartoons or color or whatever, and it's my time to chill. I can't tell you how awesome this works for me. I take care of my responsibilities around the house without getting overwhelmed, things get cleaned regularly, and I set aside me time.

I also plan my meals at the beginning of each week, before I go to the store. This helps me buy only what we need for the week (which keeps us on budget) and keeps me from stressing at 5:00 about what to make for dinner. I wake up, take any meat that needs to thaw out, out of the freezer, and prepare accordingly. 

I realize that this kind of thing doesn't work for everyone, nor do some people thrive off of it, but for me, it works. I've had a lot of friends try the cleaning schedule after hearing about it from me and like it a lot. So, this is how I do it folks! I also work on my Etsy stuff after the kids go to bed and John and I are chllin' in front of the TV. But yeah. That's that! I hope this can help some of you who are feeling overwhelmed and have a lot that you want or need to get done.