Laundry, Dishes + Daily Transitions
We all know the old saying, “Failing to plan is planning to fail.” It stings every time. In the throes of child rearing and house managing and food prepping…there are lots of things worth planning! But then of course there’s the feeling of “why even plan when I am constantly on my toes to clean the next diaper blowout or spilled milk or _____?”
So for the sake of both things being true at once, let’s make an all-out effort at making our list of plans short and our rates of success high!
Laundry: Take the load off (pun intended) by just committing to one load of laundry a day. Right when you wake up, throw a load into the wash. By the time breakfast is over and morning play is well under way, you could be looking at your sweet spot to throw those wet clothes into the dryer. Just before naptime when everyone heads to their rooms, bring the basket of clean clothes and place them in each child’s closet. Or better yet, teach them to fold, hang or toss into their spots! (Keep your expectations low for the littles and try to talk up the pride and peace we all get by taking care of our things!)
Dishes: Your best chance at less mental clutter is a clean kitchen. On days when I can’t seem to do anything but meet the urgent and immediate (and of course oh so important!) needs of toddlers, I aim to at least make sure that every dish that goes into my sink is rinsed. A sink full of dishes doesn’t stress me out nearly as much when I’m not seeing stuck-on lunch bits. But on those days when you’ve got your systems going and margin for more, it’s best to aim for resetting your kitchen between meals! Everything up and in its place after each meal. This helps you and the kids move out and on from what can feel like a whirlwind of culinary requests all day long. There are truly days when I feel like I am walking around in a circle of “can I have a snack?”! But when I reset the kitchen and announce “The kitchen is closed!” everyone gets the message.
Transitions of the Day: Whether it’s mealtime, nap time or an errand, there are definitive points of transition for most of us during the day. Mark these transitions by getting your kids (yes, even your 2-year-old) to help with a glorious “room reset.” We actually call it that at my house. A little clap of the hands and “Ok y’all, it’s time to reset the room before we go play, nap, ____.” I’ve mentioned this before, but our family often uses our little timer shaped as a chicken for this. The kids named it Cluckey and they know when Cluckey gets turned to the 5 minute marker, we’ve all got to bust tail to get our toys, shoes, clothes, trash picked up! Find your own variation! Music, dance party, special treat or book after! I can’t tell you how much better bedtime is when we don’t have to spend 30 minutes cleaning up a day’s worth of everything.
If these tips get you just one minute more of peace in your home, then amen to that!
From Another Mother,
Lex