Chore Chart Week

Thank you, my lovelies, for missing me while I've been absent. You know who you are, and your emails made me so happy! It is a good feeling when someone lets you know that your absence has been felt. :)

I write this to you from the midst of the wreckage that is our home after a glorious weekend was spent in it: On Friday we had some lovely friends over for dinner (the crockpot is still in the sink), Saturday night was spent lounging around on our new couch (pillows and blankets everywhere), we went for a walk on Sunday after church (the stroller is still out) and then spent the evening relaxing at home (my knitting has taken over half the coffee table). This morning I played with Espen (toys everywhere) and put the oven on self-clean (oven racks taking over my kitchen).

The point is, my friends, that in spite of being a stay at home mom/homemaker/housewife/whatever label you'd like to slap on me, I'm just not all that good at it.

OK, let me explain that a bit. First of all, I think I'm a pretty awesome mom, and make very few apologies for my efforts there. And second, it's not that I'm not capable of cooking and cleaning and taking care of our home, it's just that I don't actually do it.

*sigh*

I start each and every day with good intentions for all of the wonderful things I'm going to accomplish, but then things happen and life just sort of gets in the way, and before you know it, I'm standing in my kitchen looking at all of the things that need doing, and I just feel so tired and so overwhelmed and oh, Espen just woke up from his nap and needs me. And then Nick comes home and all I want to do is be with him. And not in the "let's keep each other company while we scrub the bathtub" sort of way.

So.

This week I am going to rectify this situation by making my self a little chore chart where I will assign myself a task or two each day, and that is it. The chart goes a little something like this (and a-one-and-a-two):

Monday: Kitchen and living room
Tuesday: Bathrooms
Wednesday: Bedrooms
Thursday: Choose your own adventure
Friday: Kitchen and living room - again

The kitchen and living room get cleaned twice because they are the rooms we use the most. Thursday will be for whatever is driving me crazy at the moment, or for things I've been intending to do for ages, but never get around to. Like going through the junk drawer in the laundry room. And of course things like laundry and dishes and taking out the trash will be done as needed.

I'll try to keep you guys updated as I go. What is the bane of your housekeeping existence and can you come up with a snappier title than "chore chart week"?