I know…I know…It’s like I fell off the face of the earth. 🙁  So much for my “Getting organized September.”  I do have one more organizational tip I want to share with you before I begin blogging about planning my vacation and walking you through planning yours!  🙂

What my living room looks like right now 🙁

Another area where my life needs organization is in getting basic chores completed around my home and making sure my children pitch in and do the chores they need to do to make this household run a little more smoothly.

I have a system I use for my chores and one I use for the kids.

First…It’s all about ME!  Well, it’s actually about what I need to get done.  I should start by saying that I have a Tuesday/Thursday job.  On those days I get everyone off to school, go to school myself, take care of everyone in the afternoon and cook dinner.  I am thankful to accomplish those things on Tuesdays and Thursdays, but nothing else gets done!

For the rest of the work week, I have a schedule I follow of what to do when (and in my perfect world, it actually all happens!).

• On Mondays, I dust and vacuum downstairs and do my grocery shopping at Kroger.  I also wash socks and underwear and jeans.  (For a complete breakdown on my laundry system see http://lisakillough.com/2013/09/25/september-why-laundry-doest-overwhelm-me/)
• On Wednesdays, I go to lady’s Bible study at church, deep clean the kitchen and wash delicates.  I also grocery shop at Sprouts.
• On Fridays, I clean the downstairs bathrooms and wash sheets and towels.  I also wash darks and lights after Joe Jack gets home from school with his athletics uniform.

I usually have more time on Fridays than other days.  So I have an extra job I try to complete each Friday

• 1st Friday — clean out the master closet and the closet under the stairs
• 2nd Friday — work on the craft area upstairs
• 3rd Friday — Shred documents and filing
• 4th Friday — Clean the fridge, freezer and laundry room

That gets everything taken care of downstairs each month.

This week’s to dos

To do notebook inside cover

I also keep a notebook of to do lists.  I am a list kind of girl.  I love the thrill of crossing things off the list.  I always start with the daily chores and add what ever else needs to be done including phone calls, emails and Facebook messages.  I started a new notebook on the first day of school.  I can go back through out the year and check when certain things happened.

The kids chore lists

Now for the kids….

I have created a chore chart for the kids that I print out each week that lets them know what should be done each day.  Here is the file: Weekly Chores List Excel.  I can change it up each week if I need to, but I usually leave it the same.  I hang the lists up on the fridge so everyone knows where they are.

The kid’s baskets

Also, for my kids, I have “baskets” that I keep at the bottom of the stairs. As I go around the house during the day, I put the items that belong to them in their basket.  (There have been days when I have to switch out their small basket for a laundry basket!) Part of their daily chores is to empty the basket.  I rarely put anything away that belongs to them.  The baskets are also super easy to throw in a closet if company is coming!  🙂

That’s how I attempt to keep my housekeeping under control.  What tricks do you have?