Ever since the new year, I’ve been feeling a major drive to get organized. I don’t know if it’s that I finally have energy again or what, but I’ve been cleaning out closets and drawers and most recently have scheduled most of my housework. In a way it’s crazy, but I am loving it. I read somewhere about someone who did a load of laundry every day to stay on top of it. I tried this, and it worked, I stayed on top of my laundry. Too much. I didn’t really need to do it every day. So I wrote different things into the schedule. And I’m already loving it. For example, I know that this Thursday I’m doing whites. So I know I can put JJ’s church shirt in the laundry and it will be clean and ready to wear next week, rather than stinky and wrinkled and still in the laundry. I’ve scheduled grocery trips, taking the trash out, some dinners, cleaning–and I’ve only just begun! In a way this sounds crazy, but it has given me so much freedom and relaxation. Instead of feeling overwhelmed at all there is to do, I can look at my schedule and do the few things there and feel good about myself. I help JJ clean his room twice a week. And even though it doesn’t stay clean long, I can relax knowing it gets done. I make necessary adjustments here and there and it’s no big deal. Like on Friday, I had vacuum on the list and decided it didn’t really need to get done too badly and I didn’t really feel like it anyway.

The schedule is just a four week schedule. So every other Wednesday I go grocery shopping, and every other Tuesday I plan meals and make a list. Saturdays have a checklist of things to make Sunday mornings not quite so crazy, and every Friday has pizza dinner scheduled.

This past week I went to a class on Speed Cleaning. I’ve been telling people it changed my life. It’s based on a book, Speed Cleaning by Jeff Campbell, and has actually made me excited to clean. That, folks, is nothing short of a miracle. Essentially, it’s a system where you tote your cleaning supplies around in a fancy apron and your cleaning supplies container, and go around each room once, cleaning everything as you go. I learned all about what supplies you should have, many of which they sell on their website, www.thecleanteam.com. Most things can be purchased lots of places, but it was so helpful to know everything I needed to have. I’ve been cleaning in little bursts here and there when JJ is occupied–I need to figure out if I can find a way to do it all at once. It would save me loads of time overall. Our presenter said she cleaned her home in about an hour and 15 minutes. Now she’s an expert and doesn’t have kids, so I might not be quite that quick, but it is inspiring. Any time I save cleaning is a bonus.

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