A Place for Everything

I am a creature of habit, as we all are in one way or another, and I have always set out to structure my time. Everything I do needs its place in my week. I always knew, though, that when I had kids I would seriously have to restructure these weekly routines.

For example, last school year I would fill up my gas tank on Fridays, after I left work, at the same gas station (and often the same pump). Now that Danger will be home waiting for me (even if he doesn't know what time it is), I am going to want to get home right away after work. Therefore, we have changed gas days to Sundays after church, since we always drive past a gas station on our way home. 

One big change I knew would happen was my chore day.

My husband has always worked Saturdays. When I was in Grad school I worked Saturdays as well, but when I started substitute teaching, then teaching full time, I obviously stopped working on Saturdays. Since I have a particular way of cleaning and organizing my living space, Saturday turned into my chore day. I would clean our entire apartment, run errands, grocery shop, and often plan and prep meals for the week. This was a whole-day affair that would start when my husband was off to work, and end whenever everything was finished. 

With Danger, I simply don't have time for that. I suppose if I wasn't working I would ask my mom to come babysit on Saturdays so that I could get everything done, but as she will be watching him four days a week, and I will be working Monday through Friday, I would rather spend the day with Danger myself. 

An easy option would be to hire a house cleaner. If you know me at all, though, or are following my financial posts, that's obviously not an option either. Our goal this year is to pay off our student loans, and that means saving money, not spending it on a house cleaner. 

I could of course, have my son do chores, but he's only 3 months old. (Chores will definitely come later.)

Instead, I have developed a routine that should make things easier on me, even with a baby! 

First, I decided when things would happen. 

Our week starts with Sunday. Sunday is for rest and relationships, as it is our only day off together. We will start with church (maybe after donuts), get gas, grocery shop (because that's fun for us, not a chore), and spend the rest of the day building relationships. Some days it will just be the three of us, some days it will be with family, and still some days with friends. 

Monday through Friday I will be working. Instead of having days when I stay late and days when I leave at 2:30, I will aim to stay at work until 3:00 or 3:30 everyday, so I can get home to nurse Danger. These are also chore days- more on that later. 

My week will end with Saturday, the end of the work week for my husband. This will be my errands and Girl's Day. If I need to run to Target or the mall, get pedicures with my mom, or have girl friends over, Saturday will be the day. 

With a little rearranging, there is still a place for everything in my week. 

Once I decided on a weekly routine, I had to make sure my home stayed in order, as clutter and chaos stress me out. After a little research on Pinterest, I created our weekly chore list. 

This list helps us tackle every area of our home in about 15 minutes a day. We can do 15 minutes a day! Of course, it doesn't include once-in-a-while chores like mopping the kitchen, but it does a great job of keeping out home tidy. If ever we have unexpected guests, I can be at ease knowing our house is (mostly) clean! 

Just like there is a place for everything in my week, I hope to have a place for everything in my home (whenever we are fully unpacked). I love the old saying- a place for everything and everything in its place. 

Do you think you can develop a way to keep your home clean for under 30 minutes a day? 

Are you as crazy about having a weekly routine as I am?