My Clean House...Update

So after being frustrated that all my cleaning never resulted in a really clean house I went looking for solutions, created myself a routine and got me that really clean house!

Now of course you have all been wondering if I have maintained that through the move and after the move.

Well you will be thrilled to know that I succeeded...kinda of.

Yes the house is very clean and I could easily keep it that way. I managed to find all the not so clean parts of our new house and bit by bit get them clean (like under the cupboards etc).

So how is that a kinda of?

Well if you have been following for a while you may or may not remember me deciding to let the kids get up later? And how it didn't work cuz my kids seem to learn better in the morning. Ok in the early afternoon and move with Runner at the speed of dark anytime after 2pm.

So cleaning meant that we started school (at best) by 11am. Often after lunch. This house is almost 3 times the size of the old one. That ment that we were finishing school t 5 pm with little or no recess.

That is another problem.

I believe that free play time (preferably outside) is vitally important. I even think it makes you smarter.

So basically I sacrificed everything for a sparkling clean house.

Back to the old ways...almost.

I will clean during recess, in the evenings, hopefuly after Indy is in bed except for our 5 minute tidy-ups. And it seems we make the same dirt but spread out more so we don't seem to need the living room swept 3 times a day. Also Grandma Claus and I have decided we need a meeting. On my agenda is help...adult help. Yes I work part time and they work full time...at a paid job. But I work full time at home, and not just because I choose to homeschool. I have a toddler too. And i do all the cleaning with the kids to help me. I cook 95% of the meals, with the kids to help me.

Well I have decided:

1. school, kids, then cleaning
2. main clean in the evenings
3. if other adults want the house to stay this clean then they had better work hard with me to keep it this way.
4. a schedule would be nice.

Yes. I am choosing sanity (mine and the kids) over the perfect clean home. Some can do it. I can't. My kids need their schedule, and they need to keep the timing part basically the same. However! I believe WE (as in a collective all 9, mostly those in their 30's and 40's, we) can keep beautifully clean.

So the next update should be how things go from there. It maybe won't look supper fab at all times, but there are some habits I will keep. One of them is the shinny sink and made beds.

ONE BIG HUGE BRILLIANT IDEA!!
Garbage was always an issue for us. Making the two bag limit, we always failed. We excused ourselves based on family size. However in this new house, new neighbours, I did not want to be the family with tons of garbage.

But how to get (un-named) family memeber(s) to recycle, how to get the everyone to recycle all the time...and compost?

I figured it was ease. The large garbage can was always in the hall,almost arms reach from the old tiny kitchen. Recycling and compost were outside. No recycling or compost in the winter. My first plan was to put these things both in the house and in the garage. Ease of use. They would use it if it was beside the garbage right?

Then on New House Day 1 i went to the dollar store for cleaning supplies. I picked up some small pretty garbage cans for the bathrooms. That is when it occurred to me. If the garbage can is small then it will need to be emptied more often. No one wants that...maybe that will encourage recycling and compost use.

It has. It seems they would rather sort their garbage before dumping it rather then take out a full garbage can (no matter how small).

Tomorrow is garbage day. So far this 9 person family has 1 garbage bag. I suspect it will be one and one grocery bag by the end of the day tomorrow. Imagine. A little over a garbage bag in one week for 9 people. The problem is consumerism. It is the cleaning problem, the garbage problem and the moving problem. Do I wish to return to the old days...sometimes, especially if I can do it in my house :)