Thursday, July 03, 2014

A Week's Work


•Monday: General Housekeeping and Laundry•

Change all the sheets and towels
Do all the laundry
Make bread
Clean the birdcage
Water the plants
Empty the wastebaskets
Vacuum the whole house
Plan the week's menus


•Tuesday: Cleaning the Kitchen•

Wipe the stovetops
Wipe all the counters
Wipe out the microwave
Wipe out the compost cupboard
Quick wipe in the fridge
Wash the soap dishes
Vacuum and mop the floor
Clean the sinks
Trip to library
Buy groceries for three days


•Wednesday: Ironing and Tidying•

Do the ironing
Put away all the clothes from the utility room
Tidy the utility room
Wipe the washer and dryer
Pick up Daisy's room with her
Tidy the porches and sweep them
Fifteen minutes of deep cleaning off the monthly list
One task I've put off


•Thursday: Deskwork and Hospitality•

Change the birdcage
Dust the living areas of the house
Vacuum the living areas
Change my sheets
Answer all my work emails
Planning and paperwork for volunteer jobs
Visit, entertain, or babysit in the afternoon


•Friday: Loose Ends, and Groceries•

Clean all the bathrooms
Tidy the sewing room
Bake for the weekend
Clean out my purse
Fifteen minutes of deep cleaning off the monthly list
Buy groceries for four days

[Quilt is Encyclopedia of Gemstones; flowers are hydrangeas, asparagus, and cutting garden blooms arranged by Clara]

16 comments:

Rose said...

Thanks for sharing your weekly routine tweaks Anna.

When you are cleaning out the birdcage I'm cleaning out the cat litter. I see that twice a week shopping works better for you these days, I've changed to fortnightly for groceries but still weekly for fresh produce -- of course!

I have been less than conscientious about monthly cleaning tasks of late, you have inspired me to kick them up a notch.

Diana said...

I loved this list. It was copied and made to fit my schedule and needs. Could you share the monthly list? Somehow seeing other's organization motivates me!
Thanks, Diana in Illinois

Rachel said...

*sigh*

You are ALWAYS good medicine for a housework-weary soul.

Love your posts!

Elizabeth said...

Could you share your deep cleaning list?

Tina Foster said...

Yes, yes! I would love to see your monthly, deep-cleaning lists. Your plans are straight-forward, adaptable, but not overwhelming like so many other plans out there. Thank you for posting your routine.

Polly said...

This is so refreshing to read--I love housework routines! Mine are necessarily more streamlined and childcare focused but I love revamping them each season. Here's a reader challenge for you: what did your weekly routine look like when Giles was, say, 7? Was there a routine or was it putting out fires? I've developed a strong routine for tidying, laundering and kitchen work, and try to hit the hot spots by wiping the bathroom down a lot and vacuuming a least once a week, but that is where the 'cleaning' routine ends.

Karen said...

Great organization. I'm tweaking my routines a bit since oldest daughter and family (plus twin boys added in Feb.) moved back in with us. Just curious why you buy groceries twice a week. Is it too much for one trip? That's what I'm dealing with these days.:)

Wendy said...

Thank you for this list -- very helpful and motivating!

Jen said...

I love your posts about housework.

Can you share your monthly deep cleaning list?

I always need ideas on how I can stay on top of my housework:)

Heather said...

Thank you for sharing this list, it is encouraging.

Kate said...

Thank you Anna! We just moved and I have a very spirited 3 month old...needless to say housekeeping has been a bit lacking :) This was the inspiration I needed to make my own weekly list!

Anonymous said...

"Like."

Jane S.

Jen said...

Love this list! I would love to know your rationale behind grocery shopping twice a week. I try to avoid the grocery store as much as possible! Do you go twice a week in order to get fresh fruits/veggies?? Do share!!

Kara said...



Your cleaning lists make me so happy still. I used your last set for several years, and even though at the moment I've hired much appreciated help (It's like hitting refresh on my house every two weeks, plus a large dose of organizational accountability!), we still have our daily, weekly, and monthly chores and routines. It is getting to be time to refresh those, too.

So, my question for you is this: Is this your own personal list, or do you farm out items from it to other family members?

And a bonus: When do you plan your school year?

Warmly,
Kara in Texas

Anna said...

I've changed to shopping for groceries twice a week because it's too hard to come up with a week's worth of menus for now. We're in the middle of health issues that mean no dairy, no gluten, and no red meat or red meat products . . . lots of chicken, fish, and vegetables--things that don't hold well in the fridge for a week.

This is my personal work list. The Composer takes care of lots of things around the house and I don't bother with those schedules. If I have children available though I will grab them and assign them tasks from this list as it seems appropriate, although they have their own work also and I don't think it's right to give them all of mine :)
They do plenty of cooking, laundry, errands, and cleaning on their own.

Kara, my homeschool planning doesn't really take any time, since I've been using online courses for the kids for many years now. It's just a matter of remembering to register them for what we want. And this year, I'm down to just Daisy--unbelievable!

Kara said...

Thank you for your response, Anna. It is hard to believe you are down to just one schooling child already. As a (slightly) younger homeschooling mother, I have been so encouraged these last few years watching your children grow so gracefully into adulthood. Something I would love your thoughts on is how you and the Composer approach sending your children out into the world. Isn't it around age 17 that your children have entered university? My oldest is thirteen, and this is on my mind more and more, the question of when. How do you know when it is time to nudge the fledgling out of the nest?

Warmly,
Kara in Texas

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