have any of you suffered the slippery slope of Slackery? you know what i mean... letting things slide more than you normally would - be it housecleaning, discipline, bedtimes, exercise. lately and all of a sudden, i noticed we've hit rock bottom. i have let things go. a bit too many things. and a bit too often. my education and experience in the classroom + as a mother have taught me that when things are off-kilter, people (kids especially) tend to get moody. whining + sassyness is my wake up call.
that subtle shift from "laid back" to "unpredictable" sets life out of balance.
i've been wanting to rethink our housecleaning situation for some time. we have had cleaners come in every other week for the past few years, which was worth every penny pinched because it kept me on top of things. kind of like a personal trainer, except the trouble spots are dust bunnies and bathroom floors. our girls also help out A LOT around here and are almost always willing to lend a hand whenever asked - i love that about them. but they are older now, and i was thinking about what i am teaching them, or not teaching them in this case.
so we got rid of the cleaners.
(...pin...drop...)
i realized certain responsibilities can be handed over to the more-than-capable 7-year olds at this point, and the nagging asking needs to stop. let's take pride in our home, and feel a deeper connection with this space and how it comes together.
now WE clean the house. every weekend.
i bookmarked this terrific multi-age chore list on elsie marley a while back because i was amazed + impressed + inspired by the extent to which her children help out around the house. and as a result, we are finally embracing a new paradigm in the Casa home. and besides, who knew they would love to vacuum?
back-to-school season offers such a great opportunity for a fresh start, and what better time to introduce a new structure to our routine. our weekly "To-Do List" is divided into two sections. one part details a few personal responsibilities that should be automatic at this point (making our beds, cleaning our rooms, putting our dishes into the dishwasher, folding + putting away our own laundry). the second part of the list details a few chores which are how they earn their allowance each week (like sweeping the wood floor after meals, handwashing dishes, folding napkins, unloading the dishwasher, wiping the table, etc.). we all take turns with those and they are switched each week so no one gets bored. a few a la carte tasks pop up from time to time for anyone interested in earning a bit extra, as well.
i feel better about teaching them what goes into taking care of our home, and what cracks me up is that they are "excited to be doing grown-up chores!" granted, i still do not like cleaning bathrooms, and i may never like cleaning bathrooms. i don't need to like it, but i do it because it needs to be done. and guess what? now that they know what is involved, they have started taking better care of their own bathroom. imagine that.
honestly, why haven't we done this sooner? sure, we are still in the honeymoon phase, and i know we'll have some tweaking to do and need to make adjustments over time, but so far all is being embraced which is such a great thing to witness.
thanks, Meg, for the inspiration + kick in the pants. you rock, my friend! xoxo
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