Thursday, May 7, 2009

ENTROPY


I remember sitting in a biology class my freshman year in college and learning about this law of physics.

In lamen's terms Entropy can be described as, a natural law of science that everything around us eventually turns to chaos. Wow! That sums up my everyday home appearance in a nutshell!

So here is my question...HOW DO YOU KEEP ENTROPY FROM HAPPENING?

A few things that I do, or at least try to do:
*C.A.Y.G. : Clean As You Go This rule of thumb was demonstrated to me by my mother. (ie. You are cooking and open a can. Instead of leaving the can on the counter until after the meal, throw it away after opening it and using the contents)

*Organization: To me if everything has a place to end up then it doesn't seem to pile up.

*A Good Routine: I have often heard of and tried to apply this concept. Everyday has a simple task to accomplish. (ie. Instead of saying that you are going to get all the laundry done in a week you specifically set aside a load each day. Mon: Kids clothes Tues: Whites Wed: Darks Thurs: Sheets Friday: Towels)

What does your weekly schedule look like?

How do you keep up with cleaning, errands, kids, cooking, laundry, etc.?

What tips do you have for keeping a home clean and orderly?

6 comments:

Tannie Datwyler said...

I agree about your rules for keeping things from falling into that order of chaos! CAYG, organization, and routines are some of the things I live by.

I am not a clean freak; I like to have things cleaned up, but I don't go around santizing all the time, that's terrible - I should be better.... my kids get sick too much, I'm just not sure how to get on track - any suggestions? I'd like to remember to keep things germ free more, but I can't seem to get it to cement in my brain. Sorry - that was a side note.

But in any case, although I don't like to clean my surfaces and I don't worry about things being "dirty" persay, I am OBSESSED with organization and clutter drives me nuts!! So here are some things I do.

I pick up the toys and clean up several times a day. For example, I clean up the toys before naptime and then also in the afternoon before my husband gets home (my daughter helps me with this) then I also clean up before bed - I like to have a clean house in the morning. Sometimes I do it more than that - depending on the chaos. But for the most part I am picking up around the house several times a day. These pick up times only take me a few minutes each, so although it seems like I am cleaning all day, the reverse is actually true. I spend less time picking up if I do it often. I find that when I leave the mess until it gets HUGE, I am so overwhelmed. THAT is my main thing that keeps me from having entropy in my house.

As for your idea with dividing things up (the laundry example)... that is SUCH a good idea. But, one that doesn't work for me. It doesn't work for me becauuse then I feel like I am doing chores ALL WEEK LONG and I don't like that. That is my personal thing. So other than picking up the house, wiping off the counters, and doing dishes, I rarely do other cleaning tasks on a daily basis. Instead, I do most of these things on the weekend (although if the floor is really yucky I will sweep it midweek or same rule applies to vacuuming....)

Saturday is my BIG "get it done" day. My husband is around to help, so we can get it all done.

So first: groceries. Every other week we do a BIG shopping trip in which we try to buy most of the groceries for 2 weeks. On the off Saturdays I usually just run to the store quick with my little girl and pick up perishable stuff.

Second: cleaning - we scrub the bathroom, vacuum all the floors, give the kitchen a thourough scrubbing and mop the floor on Saturdays. We also do laundry on Saturdays and fold it that night while we watch a movie or read a book.

Then, I believe you asked about cooking. I have dinner at around the SAME time each day. This helps me to keep sane (again, I am obsessed with routines/schedules). I make dinner almost every day around 4:30 or 5:00 (depending on the dish) and we almost always eat around 5:30. I like this because that is when my husband gets home and it is nice to have something ready so we can all just sit down and relax for a few minutes (although dinner isn't always relaxing when you are trying to get a stubborn 2 1/2 year old to eat and a 7 month old to open his mouth for purees.... but the idea is there).

You also asked about errands. I try to do errands on Mondays. That is my big day. I usually pick 1-3 errand tasks (depending on what it is) and get them done with my kids sometime in the morning. If I try to do much more than that it doesn't work. If I have a lot of errands to run that week I will sometime do them on a weeknight when my kids are asleep and my husband can sit with them.

I think that answers your questions... I'll stop now since I've written a novel. Thanks for the topic - I'm excited to see what others say!!!

Kelly A. said...

So I never used to consider myself a "schedule person." I used to think I was a spontaneous, take things as they come type of girl, but since becoming a stay-at-home mom I have found that I like a schedule, though I am not at all strict with it. I still can be totally flexible and move things around, but at least in my head I have a "list" of what needs to be done and approximately when. For example, Monday I do laundry, Tuesday I sweep and mop the floors etc. I have chores like that set aside for each day. Again, I don't always stick to it but I like this because I don't feel like I am spending an entire day cleaning. I can break it up into little bits each day.

Megan said...

I don't have an exact schedule that I follow. I generally look at what errands I need to do that week and pick a day that work's best for my husband to leave me the car. Usually, my errands are in walking distance and I use the stroller.

Like Tannie mentioned, I try to clean up the toys in the a couple times a day. This generally happens when Lucas goes down for a nap and right before my hubby comes home.

For my kitchen, I try not to leave any dirty dishes in the sink, it makes me feel like my kitchen is cleaner. And yes, this sometimes mean my dishwasher is used twice a day. I also use Clorox anywhere spray on my counters and the high chair. It has a nice fresh scent and I don't have to worry about spraying it around Lucas. I also try to use the CAYG, but am not the best at it.

Laundry is the one thing I dislike doing most. It generally piles up until I am forced to do one big day of laundry, except towels, they get down a couple times a week as I don't want mildew or the smell of sour towels.

Jared and Delia said...

This is something I do great for a few weeks and then I have a week like this last week when my house is unrecognizably dirty and messy. Blech! Usually...I have a day set aside for each chore. Mondays I clean the whole house, Tuesdays I pay bills and file papers, etc., Wednesdays I buy groceries and strip all sheets and towels, Thursdays I do laundry and it my goal to have it put away by Friday and to have the ironing done that day. Saturdays we tidy up and do quick cleaning. My laundry tends to spill over many days of the week. Even if I try to get it done it done in one day, the next day someone wets the bed, or vomits, or something!...so I wonder why I worry about that so much. I pretty much do it five days a week really.
My SIL who has five kids does two loads a day just to keep up. She folds whenever she is on the phone and stuff like that.

Like Tannie...we try to always have dinner about 5:30. To help reduce time in the kitchen I cook large portions and use leftovers creatively. If I make a roast, we eat it with mashed potatoes and salad one night, then in a pasta dish the next, and then in a tacos the third night. OR I make a large dish one night, then another the next night, then we eat leftovers from the first large dinner the third night and then have leftovers from the second large dinner the fourth night. That way we don't get sick of the dinners too easily.

We don't have set clean up times during the day but we always clean up before bed and we try to clean up most toys before we leave the house. I make a habit of doing the dishes right after dinner and if I can't then I do it before bed. I HATE waking up to dishes in the morning. I find a lot of satisfaction going to bed in a clean house so I tidy up the house each night. Helps me sleep better at night! ;) Things that make it easier is, like Courtney said, clean as you go. I always do that. I am constantly picking up without really thinking about it. We live in two stories, so I have a spot on my dresser for things that need to go down stairs and I leave things at the bottom of the stairs if they need to go up. Every time I go up or down I am putting something away.

I don't know that I shared anything original. I hope that helps someone. I am looking for tips always! So others...please share!

One thing that has changed for me over the years is my attitude toward the chores. My husband and I used to share many chores when we were both in school and working. Now since I am home with the kids and he is gone all day, I assume almost all responsibility for chores (but leave the manly ones for him when he has time :)). It leaves us more time for each other at night. Instead of putting the dishes off until it a pile of stink, I recognize that until my oldest gains a few years I am the only one who is going to do it, so I hold my breath and plow through. That has helped the most in helping the work go by easier.
Tannie...as for sanitizing. I used to set a side a day for that. Now I just make it apart of my routine do it while I clean once a week and sometimes more if we have been sick. I just take a clorox wipe and wipe down door knobs, remotes, phones, and light switches. I just sanitize toys after we have been sick and when I think about it which is every month or so.

Wow...this is REALLY long. Sorry.

Tannie Datwyler said...

Thanks for the sanitizing tip - that does help! :) Wow you moms are ambitious. I can't do bit jobs 5 days a week, I get burned out. :) I like what you said about the chores Delia. This is my first year staying home with my kids since I worked for 3 years. Richard and I always shared the chores equally (and we still do - maybe even a bit more on his side), but I want to do more since I am home. I am just so used to splitting it down the middle since for A LONG time we were both REALLY busy (5 years).... Hmmmm, I'll have to think of ways to do more of it and take some load off of him. Thanks for that thought.

Jes said...

Im STILL trying to figure out some sort of schedule/routine that works for me with this kind of stuff. Im trying a new one right now (lol that sounds weird) ...but if I like it after this week I will post and share :)
Im like Delia though, and do really good for a while... then not so well.

Also... thats how I do the simple everyday sanitizing too... the clorox wipes (or if we're out I use the spray)