Homestead Haven Beginnings

Cleaning day!

Today, my focus area is deep cleaning.  So, on top of my dailies, I will be:

Dusting

Washing bedding

Hose off house

Clean front porch

Wash walls and base boards

Move furniture to do a thorough vacuum

Windows

Help kids sort laundry...tomorrow my focus area is Laundry

And whatever else I can make time to do.

Dinner tonight is BBQ hamburgers, Fried zuchinni, Green salad and Apple pie.

It should be a productive day, and I will sleep well tonight!

Blessings, Rossie

Chores...

I just came from Home Sweet Simple Home blog (YPAmy5 in my friends list) and I also visited Choosing Home blog.  And once again they have gotten me going on my how to improve our chore time wagon!!!!  I love the idea that Amy changed the name of chores to Acts of service, and am going to use that in our home.  Hopefully this will cure the cringing that the children do when I say, "Okay kiddos...it's chore time!"  Even when I put on the biggest smile, it still drags out the "SIGH" in all of us.

I wanted to share what we do in our home to curb the I-would-just-rather-do-this-myself need we have as mothers.  I do my child's chore with them the first couple times, and then I post a checklist for them in their area...for example DD7 has the bathroom as one of her morning duties, and on the wall is her checklist:

Clear and wipe counter

Extra rolls of toilet paper

Empty trash

Wipe toilet seat

Close shower curtian

Put out fresh hand towel

Clothes and towels in hamper

Wash hands when finished

Thankyou Gabrielle for doing such a great job...We love you!

Abraham (5) has backyard duty, but doesn't know how to read, so I have drawn pictures of:

Dog food

Dog water

Pick up toys

Line up bikes

Pick up trash or things that do not belong in back yard

And a big Lip print on the bottom from his mama!

This has helped sooo much, even with tidying their rooms they have a checklist...I know I always work better with a list and it seems to be working with them as well!

Blessings, Rossie

Chores Chores Chores

"Wash on Monday,

Iron on Tuesday,

Mend on Wednesday,

Churn on Thursday,

Clean on Friday,

Bake on Saturday,

Rest on Sunday."

This always humbles me, because, Ma in "The Little House on the Prarie" had a million other things to do I'm sure.  Certianly many more than myself, but I could list at the drop of a dime the billion things I do.  Sometimes I think I carry that list in my pocket, waiting and just daring someone (DH usually) to ask me what I do everyday!  Ma did not have bells and whistles on to announce when she was doing her chores, didn't complain and always had a good attitude.  She didn't tally what she did nor did she compare, this was her life...a simple life, and she just did.