Maintaining Order....

Part of the formula for "finishing projects" in 2007 is reclaiming our time. Part of reclaiming our time is not letting housekeeping get away from us. One of the first things I did off the giant to-do list was to (finally*) make a chore chart. We all chip in and mark down things like taking out the garbage, doing laundry, filing papers, and feeding pets. Some of it is stuff we do every day... some is the stuff that tends to get put off to the point where we end up having to spend an entire day just cleaning.

Kiddo has been very motivated by the chore chart and she now helps by feeding pets (the cat and the sea monkeys), setting the table, and tidying, after which she eagerly marks her initial on the chart.

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*Hubby suggested a chore chart some time ago... but apparently I rejected the idea. Oh well. .... Better late than never?
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Now I am watching one of those shows that boggles the mind when I imagine how they pitched it to network execs: "How Clean Is Your House?" Two British women, Kim and Aggie, who find the scariest, filthiest houses and go in to help the owners clean up and learn some housecleaning tips. Generally, the owners "don't realize" how disgusting their houses are until it is "too late" and then it's hard to care. It is stomach-turning to watch (they found a dead mouse at the back of a drawer in tonight's episode) but pretty good at keeping me vigilant as to the state of our own home.

::shudder::