Cleaning...Schedule?~priddymomma

WOW has this been a busy couple of weeks!  I’m typing this much later than I usually would get to it, because MY KIDS ARE GROWING UP!!!  Princess Cheerio just turned one this week!  ONE!  And Cheerio Champ turned five last week!  We’re planning a big party this weekend, we had family pictures taken yesterday, we hosted an Easter brunch at our place last weekend, there was a lot of spring cleaning, and etcetera!  Thus, last minute post.  I’m doing good to have remembered to post at all…

Cleaning!  I’m not sure I know what that even is!  I feel like my house has been in desperate need of a cleaning since I was pregnant with my first.  I found out the hard way that my husband has way looser standards of what “clean” is than I.  (Rinsing out a bowl to use a second time a day later is NOT clean, man!  What is WRONG with you??!)  He works full time, so he doesn’t have the “time” to spend on chores that I “do”.  (“apparently”  I feel like “using”  “quotations” all the “”time””?)”  He cleans when he’s feeling charitable, so I try to keep him happy.  (Is that so wrong?!) 

My house is in a state of flux at all times.  Its clutter and cleanliness are directly reflective of my inner state of mind at any given time.  If the front of the house looks great, I’m putting on a face for the world, but you can bet the bedroom is full of things to sort through and organize.  Hey!  I just sorted through some inner demons!  Time to tackle that closet!

I try to keep up with the day to day things and at least not make a bigger mess of things, though I’m finding that harder and harder the more mobile Princess Cheerio gets.  She likes to pull all the books off the bookshelves and eat them.  Literally EAT them, like a literal adorable bookworm.  I’m not sure that is the healthiest thing on the planet, so I try to discourage that if at all possible.  But, I digress.  Cleaning up after the kids 1,048,209,034,403 times a day is not helping me catch-up on backlogged chores.  Also, homeschooling and exercise dips into that time drastically, and errands, not to mention actually spending time with my family!

I read a tip once that helps.  Let’s say you are in your living room, but you need to get your kiddo a cup of water.  On your way to the kitchen, you can grab a cup someone left on the coffee table and rinse it out as you get your kid his juice.  When you head back to the living room, you have the juice, but you can also take that magazine that came in the mail to the coffee table.  See where I’m going with this?  It works, but I have one issue:  I easily get sidetracked and find myself leaving jobs half-finished or starting a project that is just not very high on the priority list.  (Yeah!  What a great time to scrub the faucet!  My face sure looks funny like that!)  Two hours of cleaning = zero complete projects.  “Hi honey!  What did you do today?”  “…I don’t know…”

Don’t believe all the tips though.  I read a tip that suggested not procrastinating anything that takes less than 30 seconds to complete.  That sounds reasonable and is all good and fine if it’s a toilet paper roll on a holder, but 30 seconds is an eternity in tot time.  Tot time, by the way, is the term for the amount of time that passes when you are not actively watching your child.  (Yes.  Coined by me.  I’m allowed to do that.  I’m a blogger.  Please don’t try this at home….unless you’re a blogger.)  You know the feeling.  “Kids are playing nicely.  Awesome!  Time to pee!”  *sits down*  CRASH!  *gasp*  “WHAT WAS THAT??!”  THAT was a tot second.  30 seconds five times in a row lands you some dead kids.  That’s all I’m saying. 

In a perfect world, I have assigned each family member (who is old enough) chores per day, leaving chores on their chore towers when they haven’t been finished.  We flip them when they are completed.  Here’s the schedule:

Sunday:

• Hubby-take out trash, wash dishes with wifey (no.  He doesn’t call me this, thankfully), dust mop floors (we have hardwoods), bathroom surfaces (main bathroom)
• Myself-bathroom surfaces (master bath), wash laundry, wash dishes with hubby, sweep and mop bedrooms and hall, wash towels
• Cheerio Champ-make bed, clean room, help sort laundry

Monday:

• Hubby-clean toilet (main bathroom)
• Myself-clean toilet (master bathroom), wash laundry, wash dishes, dust mop
• Cheerio Champ-make bed, help sort laundry

Tuesday:

• Hubby-take out trash, clean bathtub and shower (main bathroom), wash dishes, clean out van
• Myself-clean shower (master bathroom), wash laundry, dust mop
• Cheerio Champ-make bed, help sort laundry

Wednesday:

• Hubby-day off
• Myself-wash towels, wash laundry, wash dishes, dust mop
• Cheerio Champ-make bed, help sort laundry

Thursday:

• Hubby-take out trash, wash dishes, mow lawn (though not in the winter, obviously)
• Myself-take out recyclables, wash laundry, dust mop, wash Princess Cheerios’ bedding
• Cheerio Champ-dust, make bed, help sort laundry

Friday:

• Hubby-take trash cans to curb, sweep and mop dining room
• Myself-wash Cheerio Champ’s bedding, wash laundry, wash dishes, dust mop
• Cheerio Champ-take sheets off bed, help sort laundry

Saturday:

·         Hubby-wash dishes, sweep and mop kitchen, laundry room, living room

·         Myself-wash laundry, wash my bedding, dust mop

We have monthly chores on a checklist that we try and usually fail to keep up with.  I remake the list each month.  Trees hate me like that.

Like I said:  that’s the run down in a perfect world.  Usually, I run out of time in my day or collapse in utter exhaustion before it gets completely finished.  Or throw a tantrum.  That happens occasionally.  Okay, frequently.  FINE!  Every afternoon.  Get off me!  If something disgusts me enough, or if I know company is coming, I clean.  This is why cleaning businesses do so well.  I would be putting people out of their jobs if I cleaned!  They have mouths to feed!  I guess that implies that I’d hire them.  I’m too embarrassed to invite them inside!  My house is a mess…

How do you do it all, moms?  What about you, dads?  Any advice?  Stories from the trenches?  Cleaning company recommendations?  Leslie will have her say on Saturday, and we will have a fine new topic in the week following.  Good night! Zzz

Fanatics and Superhumans~priddymomma

First, a confession:

I have been procrastinating.  I had plenty of time the rest of the week to get this typed up, but I waited until the day I should be posting it to get to work.  Now I’m up at six in the morning, WITHOUT COFFEE, trying to get this done before my house turns into a very merry unbirthday party.  Now, you probably have two questions:  1.) Why have I been procrastinating?  and 2.) Why on Earth would I be without coffee?  What is wrong with me? (Okay fanatics.  That’s three questions.  Get off me). 

Sweet, delicious tease.  Curses!

In answer to your second question, I’m attempting to give up coffee.  I love coffee, but I’m quite addicted to it.  I’m to the point where I don’t even enjoy it anymore.  I’ll drink warm urine-tasting coffee and complain the entire time about how it tastes, but I will still finish it.  Alas!  In answer to your illegal third question, they still haven’t found the answers, but they are out there somewhere.

I’ve been procrastinating, because I have too much to say.  My opinions are strong ones, and they are not necissarily representative of anyone but myself.  I hope you find this post helpful.  Here we go.

Home-school vs. Public School

Being a teacher is one of our primary jobs as parents, regardless of whether we chose home-school or public school.  We start teaching our kids the moment we bring them into the world.  We teach them how and what to eat.  We teach them how to love.  We move on with language and potty training and what not, but the point is that from the first day, they look to us to know how the world works.  A lot of parents hear that we home-school and they immediately respond with, “oh, I could never do that!”  Their reasons are usually that they are afraid they’d leave something out or not be smart enough.  What they fail to realize is that they have been teaching their kids from day one!  Moving on to academics is just an easy canter from there. 

Eh.  Not my color.

I went to public school, got an edumacation, and turned into a well-adjusted adult (QUIT LAUGHING!).  I made amazing friends, had wonderful experiences, and really liked many of my teachers.  If I could go back, I would definitely do it again.  Public school can be a wonderful option.  There are great schools out there and great teachers!  The friends your kid makes are vital to his or her growth.  Being away from mom and dad is an important step in gaining independence.  All of that is fantastic.

We chose to home-school. 

Safety was a factor in our decision to home-school.  As a parent, I worry constantly about my child’s safety.  I don’t need to put it down in words all the things to worry about.  I feel like I need to worry a lot less when my kids are home with me, where I can see them and/or hear them at all times.  I know what they’re eating, wearing, doing, and whom they are associating with because I have pre-approved of these aspects.

Another factor was curriculum.  In a home-school setting, you can follow your child’s lead.  If he or she is excelling at a fast pace, move on quickly.  If he or she is struggling, you can afford to take the time.  We as a society push our kids so hard, and we rarely give them a choice in the matter.  Kids are naturally curious and want to learn.  I believe that if the information is there or is presented in the right way, kids will jump at the chance to learn all they can about a subject.  Right now, Cheerio Champ is really interested in presidents.  He’s memorized all of them (I only taught him the first eight!).  In fact, he’s asking for more information to keep learning.  Not only is he learning an astonishing amount (all 44 presidents at age four!), but I’m learning as well.  I learn/relearn my facts before presenting them to him, and then we watch movies, read books, or explore websites together and learn more.  He’s learning and so am I.  I’m teaching him valuable research skills and providing him with a lifelong love of learning.  And there is ample opportunity to become closer through our experience.  The fact that we love homeschooling has been the primary reason we continue to do it. 

Another of our biggest reasons for homeschooling is time.  If my son went to public school, when would I see him?  He’d have to get up earlier than he does now in order to catch a bus to go to school.  He wouldn’t get home until around the time my husband usually gets home from work, leaving us with one hour before I had to start dinner, followed by eating dinner, shower, and bed.  During dinner prep, he would likely be completing homework/running around like a crazy person.  The weekends would be our primary time together, which wouldn’t leave him with much time with his father at all, as hubby works on Saturdays.  Yes, I would have more time to myself during the day, but at what cost?  Sure, it would be easier to just take care of my youngest during school hours, but it would be less enjoyable too.  Some of the most rewarding parts of my day would be missing.  We have much more family time this way.  (We usually don’t do homeschooling on my husband’s days off.  We home-school four days a week nearly all year, for two to three hours a day. )

How can you choose between homeschooling and public schooling?  Here are some factors to consider:

• How good are the schools in your area?  If they aren’t up to your standards, are you willing to drive week days to another school?
• Do you have the time to home-school?  Are you a stay-at-home parent, or do you work a 40 + hour week?
• Do you want to teach your child from home?  If not, don’t!  There are other options.  Don’t want to home-school or public school?  Try charter or private!
• How deep are your anxieties about the things your child will be exposed to at public school?  Will this affect your sleep and daily life? 
• Where are you at financially?  Home-school does not equal free school!  There are a lot of things you can do for free, but somewhere you will have to drop some money.  Public school offers tuition assistance programs to those that need them. 
• Do your kids have severe food allergies?  I personally would never allow my kids out of my sight if they had a food allergy, so I’m including this here as a precaution.  Your kids can take their lunch to school, but what’s to stop them from trading lunches or sharing food at a classroom party?
• What do your kiddos want?  Are they already in school and love it?  Do they have a lot of friends or want to make friends? 
• How important is religion in your home?  Do you have the time to teach all that you want to teach about religion while your child attends public school?

I have another bullet, but I’ll make a paragraph to elaborate instead.  How do you feel about being constantly judged and possibly ridiculed?  People feel very strongly about the education they are providing for their children.  If you don’t measure up to their standards, they will not hesitate to tell you.  Oftentimes, people seem to take it as a personal insult if you home-school while they send their kids to public school.  Also, there is still a social stigma associated with homeschooling.  First, people believe that if you home-school, you are either snobs that don’t want your kids associating with the general population, crazy cult religious people, red-necks that don’t believe in education, Quakers, or you have too many kids to count.  People are constantly asking us to justify our choice to home-school.  Why should we have to?

 I should point out there is another side as well.  There are parents out there that hear you home-school and treat you like you are some kind of superhuman.  They hear you home-school and immediately feel the need to justify why they do not, usually elaborating on personal flaws they believe they have.  They start treating you like you have an amazing intellect (maybe you do, maybe you don’t) and try to impress you with some things they are doing “right”.  It’s really quite strange, but true.

Sometimes the other homeschooling parents are the worst.  They tend to go on and on about what junior can do and what methods they are using and “OMG!  I just started prepping him for the SAT!  I should have started MONTHS ago!  He’ll be four in a week!”  Possibly these parents just want to receive a pat on the back for their efforts, but I tend to not care in the slightest what junior is doing.  Good for him, provided he’s having fun.  It isn’t going to change what I do with my kids at all.

It comes down to what you are most comfortable with and what is the best fit for your child.  And remember:  you don’t have to exclusively do either!  You can teach your kids supplementary education to that they receive in school.  You can send your kid to public school one year and home-school the next.  You allow your child to take extracurricular activities or a chemistry class at your local high school and do the rest of his education at home.  The options are endless and the choice is yours.  Don’t let anyone tell you what is best for your child.  You know him or her better than anyone else. 

{Note:  If you wish to home-school, find out what the laws are for your state from the Department of Education.}