Ah, no…that’s our shopping (errands/cleaning/visiting) day!
Post written by rayna on 5 March 20127 Comments
One day when I was younger, my parents had to reschedule our piano lessons. My mother asked for a certain day (not sure which anymore – doesn’t quite matter), and the reply was, “Oh, no. Sorry. That’s our shopping day.”
In our great family tradition of then repeating what we deem “quotables” at random times for the next twenty years, we would say, “Oh, no. That’s our shopping day,” – often in a lilting British accent, although that may have just been my father who is not British, but is quite prone to saying fun phrases in a lilting tone.
All kidding aside, Mr. Hall’s little quip reminds us that not so very long ago, households kept certain days for certain chores. There was errands day, laundry day, a day for ironing, baking day, et cetera.
How much easier would it make things if we were to carry on that old tradition and dedicate one day of each week to detail cleaning the house! A home needs more than daily maintenance (sweeping, sorting mail, sweeping the kitchen, picking up toys, making the beds, throwing in a load of laundry) to really be lovely. It’s daunting, to be sure, but it’s true.
Time-consuming, yes, but it’s good for body and soul, saving you time at the gym and (maybe) at the talk therapist’s.
Anyway, what I advise (and what works for me) is this weekly outline:
Mondays: bathrooms
Tuesdays: bedrooms
Wednesdays: laundry room
Thursdays: kitchen
Fridays: living rooms
Saturday: dining room
Sunday: office
If this idea appeals to you, you will of course want to tailor it to your specific needs. If you have a very large house, you might have to stretch it to a week and a half or two weeks. You can also base your schedule on what else is going on in life, or on your energy level.
For example, I work outside the home Mondays and Wednesdays. Those are full days, and so I’ve saved the smallest rooms of our home for those evenings.
I hope you have luck with this system, or that at the very least it sets some housekeeping wheels in motion. We Simplicity Parenting folks appreciate that choosing “less” allows us to “do” more – a welcome paradox.
Good luck, and Happy Cleaning.
Rayna St. Pierre is a wife, mother, language enthusiast (speaks fluent Spanish!), and writer. She is passionate about her pursuit of a simple life with and for her children. You can follow more of her writing at Bright Copper Kettles, her blog dedicated to celebrating days of simplicity, economy, elegance, and ease.
what a fabulous– and manageable– idea! love it. thank you for sharing this simple idea.
In the post, you say that you save the easy rooms for the days you work outside the home. What days does your partner take? I didn’t see that you are a single mother. Why should you be doing all of this daunting work?
Thank you for your kind comment, Eila! Best to you!
We have a schedule. We love it!
Mondays:
- Vacuuming
- Work meeting night (we own a business together)
- Stir-fry night
Tuesdays:
- French language lesson night (we do it together)
Wednesdays:
- Pizza or taco night (for a midweek pickmeup, some fun & fiesta)
Thursdays:
- Curry & a salad (much to my husband’s delight; we can mix it up between thai, cilantro curry, or korma, etc.)
Fridays:
- Fish and a movie night
Sundays:
- Roast for dinner
- Change bedsheets
- House meeting night (where we discuss anything related to chores, house maintenance, or our family and personal lives even)
Hi Hunter!: Good question. You are right – I am fortunate to have a husband who is devoted as both a partner and a father. I’m sure that our arrangement would not work well for everyone, but since I am the one that actually enjoys the domestic aspect of our lives, I’ve chosen to take on the in-house chores. He, on the other hand, does the things that I really don’t like to even think about: the home improvements, fix-it type jobs, and yard work. This is certainly not everyone’s cup of tea, but it works extremely well for us.
Elia at the Full Plate Blog: I’m so glad that you like the idea!
Thank you, Lisa! I’ll bet your curry dishes are delish!
[...] am enjoying the Simplicity Parenting Blog here: http://www.simplicityparenting.com/2012/03/ah-no-thats-our-shopping-errandscleaningvisiting-day/ and a great post for those of thinking about rhythm and schedules for school: [...]
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