A chore a day keeps this mommy willing to play

I knew when I was pregnant with Emmy I would end up being a stay-at-home mom (SAHM) at some point and I dreamt of all the time I would have on my hands.

I think the other SAHMs are rolling on the floor laughing at me right now.  I've been doing the job of SAHM for just under three months now and I had to finally admit to myself and husband last month how surprised I am at how little time I actually have.  OK, OK, I have just as much time as everyone else but being a first time mom to a newborn keeps you hopping!!

I spent the first month or two in my pajamas when I was at home because I decided if I was going to get spat-up on seven times a day why even get dressed.  The house began to look like a bachelor's pad with clean clothes unfolded and dishes constantly in the sink because we unloaded the dishwasher as we needed the dishes that were in there.

I knew something needed to change but what? I was feeding my little for at least 30 minutes every 2-3 hours but it took so much more out of me because after she ate, I had to hold her upright for at least another 30 minutes to keep her from turning into a milk geyser and regurgitating everything she just ate and needing yet another bath.


Luckily though, she does love baths!!

I decided I could spare 30 minutes a day to cleaning (I'm sure I could do more but I needed a slow start).  I timed myself when doing a chore and found that I can dust and clean all the windows and mirrors in 30 minutes.  I can even do a good cleaning of the bathrooms in 30 minutes if I did it once a week.  So, I committed!

Every day, I do one chore, some are easier and quicker than others so on the easier days I run other errands or plan appointments or plan my groceries for the month (that post later) or those are the days I really need to get laundry done.  So here's what I do; maybe it'll work for you too!

On top of the one chore I do each day, I make sure the dishwasher is unloaded (most of the time my husband does it for me, he's so good to me) so when dishes are used they go straight into the dishwasher and when it's full, it gets ran. Is this as mind-blowing for you as it was for me??

When I clean the windows it's the inside of the windows.  I plan on cleaning the outside of the windows during spring and fall cleaning.  I also clean the mirrors in my bedroom and in the bathroom to make cleaning the bathrooms a little easier the next day.  Since I do the dishes as they come up, the kitchen consists of making sure the counters are clean, the table is cleared and clean and the recycling is taken out (yes, I need to be reminded of that sometimes).

After the first couple weeks of completing all my chores during the week so I had nothing to do on Saturday I decided I could add in one of the more difficult chores that needed to be done monthly but could be done easier if my hubby was home to help with Emmy if needed.  That's where the Saturday chores came into play.  This way each month my fridge was cleared of the left-overs that were never going to get eaten and my husband's work clothes that have to be ironed wouldn't wait around forcing him to wear the same five shirts week after week because I stopped once he had enough shirts to get him through a week. When I clean the doors, it's to wipe down any finger or handprints around the knobs and any shoeprints from where we use our feet to close the doors.

It's not perfect and occasionally I still have to remind myself to get up and do my 30 minutes but I feel more accomplished at the end of the day and that gives me more energy and time to play and help Emmy grow and develop.