The comments for my last post got me thinking. We all mentioned giving up things that are not top priority in order to accomplish the things that are. Janel said she gives up baking her own bread. I know we all have different priorities. What is important to one person may not be to another.For me, folding laundry is at the bottom of my chore list. While I love a lovely stack of folded jeans and little t shirts as much as anyone, it's just not as important to me as vacuuming and dish washing. So, I sort through the laundry, hand the kids their clothes and tell them to stuff them in their drawer. At some point, they will learn to fold them, but for now this is where we are and it's what we do.
What things do you sacrifice in order to accomplish the more important things? What things are you unwilling to ever compromise on?
One thing I really need to work on is not spending much time on the computer in the morning. Melissa is best at entertaining herself in the mornings, so that's the time I should work. :) Not following it too well this morning. :)
ReplyDeleteDusting and mopping (unless sticky) tend to get pushed to the side soonest. Taking care of Melissa, having food to eat, cleaning the bathrooms and staying on top of the dishes are things I don't want to compromise on. I'd like to do better at keeping up with laundry. I tend to either forget or procrastinate with laundry. :P I often sacrifice having a tidy home for a clean (bathrooms, etc) home or happy baby.
I pretty much try to simplify everything as much as possible. Mopping only happens when the floor is completely gross. I vacuum once a week and otherwise the boys hit the crumbs and dirt with the dust buster. They put their own clothes away, but I do fold them because I never iron. Seriously. Unless we're going to a wedding! I clean the bathrooms on Tuesday and wipe them up again on Friday if they're hairy or embarrassing.
ReplyDeleteWe eat very simply when Brian's not home. Often on paper plates. I usually try to have all the dishes done before I go to bed. The boys are supposed to pick up whatever toys they were playing with before they get out a new set of things. That sort of works, but we still pick up everything before bedtime.
I don't make the boys' beds. They're always just a pile of blankets.
When I do make a meal, I almost always only just put together the main dish. Sides consist of me warming up a can of beans, thawing a bag of corn or a tub of applesauce, or opening a jar of peaches or pears.
I didn't have a garden this year. Still did some canning and freezing, but we bought the produce or used what was given to us from others' excess.
It doesn't bother me if I don't have time to dust. I hate dusting anyway. =)
I usually do all my housework on a weekly rotation, so I do the same thing on the same day every week. I don't usually spend more than about fifteen or twenty minutes a day on the house (dishes aren't part of the schedule, I just do them up after every meal or two).
We don't have any church functions other than Sunday morning. Oh, well, we do have a ladies' Bible study but it is only twice a month and it's at my house so I cancel it if it's too hairy for me.
I don't have any friendships outside of my family, really. None that require me to play "hostess" and have my house tidy for "company." I do have people stopping in on a regular basis, but it's usually for an hour here and there and doesn't generally mean my schedule changes much.
I don't make crafty gifts for people. I have given up scrapbooking, even though I enjoy it. I don't fix clothing unless it's a special item. I toss it out and buy a replacement at a garage sale for 25 cents.
This is a long comment!! I think I'm about done. =)
Loved to talking to you about organization yesterday, Laura. :)
ReplyDeleteJanel, this gave me a lot to think about. Can you elaborate on your meal planning? How many times a week do you usually fix (completely prepare and cook) a meal? I pretty much never fix something from scratch for lunch... just leftovers of sandwiches. But I'm trying to get a feel for how to simplify dinners, especially since Aaron has class three nights a week, which means I have to make supper before he's home for work so it's ready for him to grab real fast before he heads out to school. What kind of meals do you do?