to schedule or not to schedule...

today is wednesday... and that means i cleaned the kitchen... not that i don't clean the kitchen every day, but today i CLEANED the kitchen.

wednesday kitchen cleaning means i clean all of the countertops with disinfectant, and not just the parts that are exposed.... ALL of the countertops. and, any appliances that need cleaning, get cleaned.
as if that wasn't enough, i also cleared off some stuff that had starting hanging around on the counters... too bad i forgot to take a before picture so you can't appreciate how nice and un-cluttered this after picture actually is...

i grew up following a schedule. it was awesome. too bad i didn't realize it at the time. thankfully, i see now just how beneficial it was for me...but somehow, despite knowing the benefits, i have resisted scheduling my time for many, many months. but, several weeks ago (months even!), i took some time on a saturday morning (alone. at panera.) to make a schedule. i made a monthly schedule of the major tasks that i need to accomplish and a daily schedule. the monthly schedule has been great and i follow it most days. the daily schedule was a bit too rigorous for this stage of life and we have more of a "routine" that we usually follow rather than a set "schedule." it works for us. and that's what matters. i still have some tweaking to do, and there are things that i would like to add/improve, but all in time.

so if you're wondering what i'm doing on any particular day....here's a good start at what i'll be hoping to do....

MONDAY: laundry, clean bathrooms (shower/tubs EOW), empty trash

TUESDAY: wash bedding, dust/vacuum, mop EOW

WEDNESDAY: ironing/mending, clean kitchen, coupons

THURSDAY: church work - women's leadership team EOW, missions EOW, empty trash

FRIDAY: vacuum, grocery shopping EOW, projects/fun day EOW

i don't need to mop my floors every week, so i alternate the mopping on the weeks when i don't clean the showers/tubs. my back thanks me for this. i coupon....don't worry there will be posts about this eventually. couponing takes work and that work requires its own place in my schedule. i serve on two committees at our church, the women's leadership team and the missions committee. both of which come with responsibilities. having 2 set days each month for each of these makes them so much more manageable. i grocery shop every 2 weeks. it coincides with payday, i save money by NOT shopping EVERY week, and i only have to get ready to do it 2x/month. the other fridays that we're not shopping, i hope to either work on projects (cleaning out closets, finally learning how to use that sewing machine, etc...) and/or have a fun day with C. saturdays are family days and usually involve some preparation for sundays (especially if we are having people over), and sundays are worship/family/rest days. and that is what a typical week looks like around here....at least the scheduled part... sometime (soon?) i'll post an example of a typical day at the eagle's nest...because i know that would be fascinating for you all. ;) and now, i'm off to clean bathrooms....because, i don't always stick to my schedule...