With the Christmas holiday season underway, I am frantically trying to get all my housekeeping done and organize my home, time and energy. Housekeeping is not my strong suit, but I do like to organize. The Christmas holiday season always gets me motivated to do both.
Like my mom, I like to do a thorough cleaning before we decorate for Christmas. So for the last week I have been dusting, scrubbing and vacuuming like a mad woman. The living room and den are almost done, windows and all! The kitchen is well on its way and so is the carpet cleaner. My husband cleaned out little ones’ room, so hopefully Friday we will put up our Christmas tree and start the decorating.
For my holiday housekeeping, like most other things, I need to organize! To me, the words “organize” and “list” are synonymous. I have my Housekeeping To Do List. I make a heading for each room: living room, kitchen, den, bathroom, etc. Then I make a detailed list of each thing to do: declutter mantle, clean off tops of cabinets and TV armoire, wash windows, vacuum under sofa cushions, all the big and little things. As I make progress I cross items out.
I leave this list by the telephone. You would be surprised (I always am) at how many times one of my kids will choose something off the list – do it and then cross it off. Without me even asking! I don’t think they mind helping out with chores, but they need something to guide them in what they do.
I know that if I was more thorough in my housekeeping all year I wouldn’t have the big housekeeping project at Christmas. And to be fair, I do a complete cleaning the first week that I am off work in the summer, but there are still some things that just don’t get done until I have the “big” motivation. But, it feels so good when it’s all done and the Christmas decorations are the icing on the cake. Everything so clean and jazzed up and sparkling for the big celebration of our Savior’s birth! Now that’s motivation!
