Syndromes and housework

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I like to think of myself as a fairly unstressed person. Yes, there may be a bit of perfectionist mixed in with some oldest sibling syndrome bringing out the bossy/mothering attributes I so wonderfully display at times. Despite all of that... I like to think I can handle things. Juggling schedules, projects and a to-do list that hangs off the fridge, all things = I can do. However, there is one thing that stresses me out. Every time. Without fail. Housework.

Since the Hubs and I got married almost a year ago (yay us!), I have been cultivating and practicing my housewife techniques and skills. Aka: getting the laundry not only washed, but folded and put away; washing the dishes and yes, but back in the cupboards; sweep the floors, clean the bathroom, grocery shopping completed, gardened weeded and back porch swept. None of this is done in a day, nor is it done every week. But when I look at my kitchen that has felt the busyness of a filled week and the pile of laundry calling my name, I can feel my blood pressure start rise. Slowly, it starts down low and as I begin washing my first sink of dishes and throw in the first load of laundry. By the time I finish everything, whether that evening, next day or end of the week, I don't feel as though I'm done. I don't feel as though I've really accomplished anything, because I know next week will be the same story. Not only that, but my blood pressure has risen through the roof and I am not enjoying our tidy home. I'm stressing about the next time I have to clean.  Our home is by no means a pig sty, but as the wife of the house, I see the little things. The little things that others may not notice or ever even care to know about. But I notice.

Where does this pressure come from? Do I need to have a perfect house? Neatly folded piles of laundry? A nicely groomed puppy? Shining floors? Let's not be ridiculous and get carried away.... Perhaps it's the perfectionist-oldest-bossy in me that wants everything put back where it belongs. I purposely try to avoid the extreme characteristics that come with being a type A person. I want to be stress-free. I want to not care. However, housework is the bane of my existence. Or, HAS been the bane of my existence.

No longer. I'm not going to let it. Thanks to my dear cousin, Mel, who referred me to a website:
http://www.flylady.net/ 
It is the most wonderful website. It has cleaning routines and schedules, weekly, for the morning and for the evening. Call me crazy (which some would including my Bestie), but it was a gigantic light bulb going off in my mind showing a whole new world of housework. A couple of different thoughts raced through my mind. I am not alone. I need to schedule housework. I need to establish a routine. I'm sure some of you are screaming, "DUH, YOU SILLY GIRL!" However, it was a fantastic moment.

So, last night, I picked up the whole house. The little things. You know exactly what I'm talking about. They are the little things that accumulate throughout the house, forming bigger piles, which eventually get moved to other piles. Such as mail and extra papers. We always have a stack to go through after a couple of weeks. So, I picked up the little things. Got the small load of laundry folded, before it met another load and begun making more laundry babies. I did the dishes AND (GET READY!) put them away this morning so the sink is ready for the dishes after I make dinner tonight. And since I was feeling so accomplished, I even got dinner ready and in the crockpot. Yes, it is going to be a good day!

It's the little things that help. Pick up the house. Get all the dishes washed. Start or fold some laundry.

Here's one of the lists I found and then tweaked a little bit from FlyLady:


Basic Weekly Plan
Monday: Weekly Home Blessing (7:00am-8:00am)
  1. Get Up and Dress to Shoes
  2. Laundry
  3. Weekly Home "Blessing" Hour 
    1. Change sheets.
    2. Empty all the trash.
    3. Vacuum all rooms.
    4. Clean sink & toilet.
    5. Mop kitchen and bath.
    6. Clean mirrors and doors. 
    7. Sweep kitchen & entry way. 
      1. Wash front of cupboards, stove & refrigerator. 
      2. Sweep/clean Remington’s porch.
 Tuesday: Free Day
  1. Spend 15 minutes in the current zone. 
Wednesday: Zone Clean and Partial Desk Time
  1. Finish Zone Cleaning Chores.
  2. Remainder Weekly Cleaning.
  3. Make sure refrigerator is clean.
  4. Write thank-you notes.
  5. Work on menus and grocery list for next week.
Thursday: Grocery and Errand Day
  1. Make sure menus are planned before you go shopping.
  2. Check grocery list one last time before you walk out the door. Take your list with you.
  3. Grocery Day.
  4. Errand Day:
    1. Bank.
    2. Buy gifts and cards. 
 Friday: Paperwork and Misc.
  1. Be romantic today.
  2. Get food from the freezer for next week.
  3. File papers.
  4. Write letters and cards.
  5. Clean out purse.
  6. Clean out car and check fluids. 

Friday: is "Date Night"
Saturday: is "Family Fun Day"
Sunday: is "Renew Your Spirit Day"

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