job jars, chocolate and wine

 

I have recently had several conversations lately with new Mama's and it seems their question for me is "how do you do it all in one day?"  OK time for confession, I DON'T, or at least not in one day.

One way that I keep my house in order, now I said in order and not immaculate, is to have a "job jar".  When I was first married and working full time I had Monday's off.  I used to cram everything into Monday's.  Laundry, grocery shopping, cleaning, ironing and on and on.  I was so exhausted by the end of the day I didn't feel that I even had a day off.  I had a friend, K.C., and she was home with 2 kids and her house was always put together.  How in the world did she do it?  I mean if you are home with your kids you don't work, right?  Wrong, trust me I wish I sat around here eating "Chocolate Covered Strawberries and drinking Wine" (thanks for the analogy Melissa).  K.C. let me in on her secret, she said she had a "job jar".  She put down every chore, one by one, on a slip of paper and kept them in a jar and she pulled a couple out every day and did them at some point during the day. That way at the end of 7 days every chore in keeping house had been accomplished at least once.   Ingenious I say!   

These days I still practice that method.  Of course while using cloth diapers I am running laundry every other day, the dishes are done everyday and my OCD pushes me to sweep and vacuum.  This method has worked for me for over 10 years, both working at home and away from home.  These days I make a task sheet for the week and I divide up the chores that way, but none the less it is the same idea.  

Finding that your chores are overtaking you, give this a try.  It worked for me to give me more time and I am all about those "chocolate covered strawberries and wine".  No I am not perfect and some days well the dusting or cutting fabric can wait until tomorrow because "Mama" is needed at that moment, but my job is "Mama" these days and that is just fine with me.  After all Cameron said it best, “you are not a lady, you are just a Mama and Mama’s are special!”.