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{How This Move Has Changed Me + Our Cleaning Schedule}

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Moving.  Moving is so much more than loading a truck full of stuff.

 

I can’t explain to you how life-altering it feels to physically pick up your things and unpack it half way across the country.

 

Only then do you discover that everything around you is totally and utterly brand new.  To you.  To everyone else it is just life as usual.

 

To you, you are learning to take your first steps again.

 

So much has changed in the past month.  I had this primal urge to change.  Not just my environment.  No, I had an urge to change my habits.

 

In a way, I think that it makes sense.  It is so much easier to start fresh when everything is changing.  That’s probably why New Year’s Resolutions are so popular.

 

It is natural to change when things are changing anyway.

 

 

 

Here is a quick list of what has changed in my life in the past 6 weeks.

 

Kitchen Habits

 

No more paper plates at all.

 

I decided to get some new plates, once we moved in.  It was time – and I don’t know whether to trust old plastic ware, anyway.

 

I bought these because they are BPA Free and I love the shape and sections.

 

I also, tossed our old plastic cups for these cute glass ones.   We still like to keep them all together on a tray.  We no longer leave them on the table but on the bar in the kitchen, between the table and the sink.  It is so easy for the kids to grab their cup.  Those became our water cups that we keep filled throughout the day.  For juice or milk, we have these plastic cups.

 

I decided to try out a few of these microfiber cloths to clean more efficiently.  We clean the kitchen twice a day regularly.  In the morning after breakfast my 10 year old wipes the table, cleans off any food or left over dishes and my 12 year old unloads and reloads the dishwasher.  Trash goes out after breakfast.  After dinner, I unload from earlier and then wash the dishes from lunch and dinner.  I sweep and mop around the table.  Trash is checked after I do this.

 

We just bought these glass mugs to use as water cups. We LOVE them. Perfect size-and love the matching lids. #momblogger #mommyblogger

A post shared by Sasha Mills (@suchatimeasthisblog) on Aug 24, 2017 at 12:59pm PDT

 

Organizational Habits

We hung up our calendars on the wall again.  That is one thing I haven’t changed.  I love them.  To update dates and times, I now use chalk pens that are erasable.

Health Habits

Exercising more with the kids has become a priority.   When my big kids were little, I was a member of gym.  Who has time for this anymore?  Seriously, let’s face it – I don’t like working out.  My favorite class was pilates (but I can technically do that at home with a DVD).  I decided that exercise that fits into our lifestyle is imperative to show the kids.  It is the easiest way to teach them healthy living habits.  Plus it is fun and relaxing.  We find ourselves most days walking and doing some bike riding.  I’ve simply used the health app on my phone to track how many miles I’ve gone in a day.

 

Social Habits

I’m working on leaving my phone charging on the kitchen counter when I’m at home with my family.  I’ve decided to only check my messages, email, and calendar first thing in the morning.  The rest of the day, it will sit on the counter.  Note to self: Leave the ringer on.  The bad thing about not having your phone on you is you risk missing important phone calls.  The good thing is you can focus more on those who are in the same room with you and curb that social media addiction that seems to creep up.

Cleaning Schedule and Habits

Our kitchen gets cleaned twice a day.  Our bedrooms are twice a week.  Our bathrooms are once a week (and of course as needed).

Everday:

We’ve started washing the dishes both after breakfast and dinner.  We have so many people home all day that that makes the most sense.

We wash off the table at the same time and sweep under it.

Trash & Recycling goes out after the dishes have been started.

I sweep and mop after dinner along with another load of dishes done.

 

Wednesday & Sunday:

A quick clean up of the bedrooms

 

Wednesday & Friday:

Vacuum, mop, dust (as needed)

Friday:

All of our older kids have a job to do in order to clean our 5 bathrooms.  We plan to switch jobs every month.

5 year old + 2 year old collects bathroom rugs/towels

5 year old mops with Swiffer Sweeper Wet Mop

6 year old collects all the trash from the bathroom trash cans and floor (if needed)

10 year old washes the mirrors and glass doors with special microfiber cloth/polishing cloth

12 year old wipes down the tubs/showers and toilets

Mommy checks, assists, sweeps and wipes sinks with either Clorox wipes or our new microfiber

Saturday:
All Laundry (I only do a random load of kitchen towels once throughout week and bathroom laundry on Friday).