How organized are you??(sorry this turned into a rant about myself)

[Gamom3]

I want my life to be more organized and for myself to follow it to a tee and yet know that life happens. I feel like I am lazy and need a good kick in the pants to get going!!!
The main two places I want to get organized is the house and school. I feel if I can do that I can start on other small things.

I have a few friends that homeschool and they are so organized and know that life happens. When life happens it doesn't seem to throw them out of whack, they just re-adjust and move on..house is spotless, school work done, and yet they have time for themselves.

#1.. The house doesn't get cleaned like it should(like I think it should) everyday, not that it is dirty or nasty, but strown. I have older kids 10, 12, & 18, so my house shouldn't look like it does, but it does and unless I walk behind all 3 kids to tell them "pick this up and that" it doesn't get done. The house is cleaned once a day, kids have chores and they do them, then an few hours later, it looks like it did before chores!
Dh doesn't complain at all, but recently were were talking about a friend, whose house is like a tornado, tsunami, hurricane all hit it at one time and he thinks she is the laziest person he has ever met. My house is NO where near hers and I have made a comment to him that I see it like that and he says there is no comparison and he knows that I would never have it. Yet, I think he thinks of me that way, even though he doesn't say it. He works 10 to 17 hours at work and I know he should come home to a clean, tidy house.

#2..School work seems to take FOREVER!! I just can't get on a schedule, I would love to get it to the point were we do this subject for this amount of time and either we finish before or took an extra 5 mins and it's done! I have tried scheduling or even telling them what is left is for you to do on your own after lessons with mom are over, but it never works! The only way it would work, is if I sat with ds/dd and say ok, lets go and get it done as fast as possible(basically doing everything orally) and surprisingly they get everything done in about 2hours. I feel like this does not do them justice when I do that...I use to do this when they were younger and I can see where it has hurt them. English and Math take the longest. I hear a lot of folks on here that do R&S orally with their kids, but I just can't..mine hate handwriting, so this is a chore for them...they are getting better at it, but it still takes FOREVER!



Anyone???
Any advice/suggestions???

Thanks for reading!

[Tonia]

My dd is much younger than your kids so I don't know what it is like raising teens and pre-teens (besides watching my three sisters raise theirs!) - but I think you can and should expect more from them. For housecleaning - have you ever tried flylady? I found it overwhelming the first two or three times I tried, but I liked her principles and they have helped me keep my house more "company ready". It's all in the habits you form - I just focused on those things that bugged me the most (for me it was the kitchen and bathroom). No more dirty dishes in the sink! and then when I got those things under control (and on autopilot) then I started focusing on other areas of the house. I don't think it's chores you need to focus on with your kids but instilling habits - things left around the house, for example. Everything should have a place and if they use something it is their job to put it back in that place (otherwise they don't get access to it). I'd be saying if they can't take care of a certain item, or put it away when they are finished, then they must not be old enough to use it :p

I don't know who it was on the old board that recommended this for schoolwork, but I thought it was a great idea. If you have a certain amount of independent work you expect them to do, tell them it must be done by lunch time or they don't get lunch. I've got that on file in case I ever need to use it! ;)

HTH!

[Riverfront Headmistress]

Get out your boots and whistle and get those kids in order. There is no reason your house shouldn't be up to your expectations. The kids are slacking and you're letting them do so. Assign responsibilities and if they don't do it, then they get more. Example: In my family, we all put our dishes in the dishwasher, by 7 year old sometimes "forgets" to do this, we gently remind her by making her clear the dinner table. When my oldest "forgot" to clean the bathroom (3 days a week cleaning schedule), she was reminded by having to clean it daily.

You'll find that once you streamline the home, school will become more streamlined too. Good luck (and grab your boots!).

[Mx5]

I have a few friends that homeschool and they are so organized and know that life happens. When life happens it doesn't seem to throw them out of whack, they just re-adjust and move on..house is spotless, school work done, and yet they have time for themselves.


My mom kept a very orderly home. It was spotless, and there were 2 siblings plus myself. This spotless home may have impressed the neighbors or my mom's mother-in-law, but it was a very unpleasant atmosphere for children. Why? If mom wasn't cleaning something, she was complaining about what needed to be cleaned. There were days when I would go to school, and everything was fine, then my sister and I would come home to find all our belongings in a heap in front of our bedroom door. Why? Because mom decided our room was too messy - so she angrily cleaned it. I'm talking here about the mattresses being stacked in the hallway and everything!

My husband grew up in the exact opposite situation. He was always afraid to have friends over because his house was always trashed (7 children in 8 yrs, and the father was always working or drinking).

Our solution for our family? Moderation. Understanding that a pleasant home isn't where someone is always stressing & cleaning, yet cleaning & tidying are done quite regularly.

I know that I'll be reminding my kids to clean up after themselves until they leave the nest. When I keep that perspective, remembering that there will be a time when I won't be able to just walk into the next room and hug them, it helps my tone be pleasant when I remind them to be more tidy.

You have a perception that some women you know keep their home spotless. Maybe they do. Maybe they're like my mom. You don't want that. You want your kids to remember you being happy and reading to them, smiling at them WHILE doing the regular chores of life, and having them help.

[Sue G in PA]

That doesn't make sense, I know, but it's true. I get sooo overwhelmed and then I just can't start unless I know it's going to be picture perfect. CRAZY? Yes. I did make a few strides recently and here is what I did. I made a list of "priority areas" in my house. Areas I want kept neat and tidy and somewhat clean. Living room, entry area, school area/dining room and kitchen and the bathroom and hallways. Sounds like a lot, but in our house these areas are TINY! So, when I dole out chores, these areas are always included. The rest of the house looks like you know what, but that's okay with me...for now. The kids have started keeping their rooms clean thanks to the Handipoints website system. Mine are younger (11, 9, 8, 6, 5 and 2). With the new baby coming, I must get better organized to make room for the little guy! Our laundry area/office needs an overhaul as does the playroom/basement. My advice...start small. Pick 3 priority areas and put together a plan to keep those areas clean. Put those kids to work! I'm not one to give advice in an area I need MAJOR help, but this worked for us...for now!

[two2homeschool]

My mom kept a very orderly home. It was spotless, and there were 2 siblings plus myself. This spotless home may have impressed the neighbors or my mom's mother-in-law, but it was a very unpleasant atmosphere for children. Why? If mom wasn't cleaning something, she was complaining about what needed to be cleaned.

That was my childhood too! In fact when my Mom vaccumed she made footprints in the carpet for us to walk in so when wouldn't put "prints" anywhere else!

Now as an adult, I try to have a homey home-comfortable and cozy. I find it a fine balance; if the house is too messy I get very cranky, yet if I spend too much time cleaning (obsessive, like my Mom) then I am equally cranky. So I try to do these two things:
1) clean a room a day. One room I clean very well every day except the weekends. Usually only takes 25 min depending on the size of the room. In this case you could get your children to take turns cleaning a room a day.
2)I like to spend an hour in the afternoon (or before lunch if it is really driving me to distraction) tidying. I find it is the tidying, not the cleaning that takes the time! Also, I find that if I don't do that everyday then it is a real pile-up. Assign this to your children, they can rotate this as well.
3) Night time- this is when I do the laundry and final kitchen clean up (and take out what should be defrosted). I find it is the meals that make me disorganized (I think I am burnt out from cooking!:)).

HTH

[Jolash]

One of the things that has helped us in our homeschool this year has been making a schedule of what needs to be done and a time for each subject. I starting out with specific time (i.e., 8:30 - 8:45 am - Bible, 8:45 - 9:45 math, etc) but found that the schedule was shot if we didn't get started on "time". Now though, no matter what time we start, be it 8:30 (rarely) or 9:30 (usually!) we still have a routine... Bible for 15 minutes, math for an hour, etc etc. It helps my son to know what comes next and it helps me to know how much time I have. Somehow, on most days, we get through most of our schooling in under three hours. (It helps too, that I just have the one second grader!)

As far as housekeeping, if you can get some kind of routine, it helps. For me, I operate better in a tidy house, so if I can do a little each day to keep it that way, everything goes more smoothly. I'm starting to give my ds8 chores that are his responsibility on a daily basis, so that he can learn to help keep the house in order.

HTH

Shari

[WTMindy]

I am an organized person by nature, but I find that when things aren't happening like I want them to happen, I put an accountability system into place. For example, I want to work out in the mornings but I hate getting out of bed and I can think of a million reasons to put it off when the alarm rings. So, I asked my dh to kick me out of bed unless I have discussed it with him the night before. If after I get my gym clothes on I want to go back to bed, I can, but I never do once I'm up.

With housecleaning, I made a Monday checklist that the kids and I work through together. This helps makes sure things I want to get done happen. It isn't a big chore chart or anything like that because I don't follow through on those. It is just a list of the jobs we have to get done. The kids get to watch a short video if they completed school and the checklist. This makes them motivated to get it done, which provides accountability for me.

Ask your dh to help you with accountability. My dh happens to hate a messy house, so I am much more motivated to keep it clean for him, which is built in accountability. I find that without that accountability I do things for a few days and then fall back into laziness.

Best of luck. Most of us struggle with this in some ways, I think. I still have a long way to go, but I really do use my dh a lot for accountability.