Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Back to the Basics

So, on to week two of this OYOL.  She suggests that we should figure out the bare minimum that needs to get done each day & post those things in a prominent place.

I actually have something very similar to the worksheet she offers already in place.  I have an index card box that I have divided into several different categories.....Everyday, Daily, Weekly, Monthly, Seasonally, Twice a Year & Annually.  At this point I just need to implement that which I have written out. 
My everyday tab has things like put away dishes, 2 loads of laundry, sweep kitchen, bedtime pickup, etc.  I do think I am going to add some of the things that are even more basic that I somehow keep forgetting like brushing the kids teeth, bathing them & making sure they take their vitamins. 

Yes, I realize those things should just happen daily but somehow the day will come & go & I will have somehow missed getting those things done.  I will think about having the kids brush their teeth but about that time Sydney will start screaming or Sawyer will need immediate help with something & I just won't ever get back around to helping them get it done.  As far as bathing goes....the reality is that I just hate it.  Finding a time when both girls are awake, Sydney's not eating & I'm not fixing someones breakfast, lunch or dinner has been a challenge in itself.  Then trying to keep the boys occupied & out of the way while the girls get their bath is difficult & fielding Sam's 10,000 questions & taunts from the sidelines while bathing the boys just gets frustrating.  Sometimes I have Sam take a shower with me but then it seems like Syd doesn't end up getting a bath until the next round of girl baths!!!!  If J were home every night baths would not be such a daunting task but the reality is, he's not there 4 nights out of the week.  If only they could go without a bath those 4 nights! 

I could even add "get the kids dressed" to my basics but then I would just feel guilty that I didn't do it & frankly dressing the kids on a day I know we aren't going anywhere just seems counterproductive seeing as I have a hard enough time keeping up with the laundry as it is! (Mom, just hush it)

I'm thinking I might write out a basic daily do-or-die with check boxes, laminate it & put it on the kitchen counter so I can mark off things as I do them.  Simply remembering has been an issue as well.....have the kids brushed their teeth today?....no, that had to have been yesterday......or maybe even the day before.....

My goal this week is to get the bare bones done each day.....& the rest....well, lets hope it happens in time.

2 comments:

Brenners said...

Kids' hygiene is definitely something I have to work on too. It's not that I don't care. It's that I either don't think about it, or the logistics don't work out.

Eos Mom said...

I feel the same way you do about bathing the kids (though I only have 2 to worry about)!

I did a checklist after my second was born (I put the checklist in a sheet protector and used a dry-erase marker) for her feedings and her brother's bottles and each was on a reflux medicine, etc--that was a really helpful system. Good luck!

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