OYOL Week 9

I have a few things to share before I give my Week 9 update.

Bare Minimum/Routine Status: I remind myself often that this whole thing is a process and it will be little changes made daily or weekly that will combine together to make it a success. The concept of the routine has been easy for me to implement. I'm still struggling with some elements on it- mainly getting going after nap time, getting the boys to put their toys away before bed, and to give G his stars that he earns for doing his jobs (he's doing them but doesn't know enough to remind me to put them in the jar).

What I Learned This Week:

*This whole experience has been very thought provoking for me. I signed up hoping it would help me get my house in order but realize how much more needed to be done. I've not made any progress on the house but feel like I am making progress overall.

*We experienced a last minute change in schedule that I did not handle with a good attitude. I realized that I can put the effort in to get "my life" organized, but it is crucial that I communicate with my husband so we know what each other is thinking and planning.

*I decided to see if dedicating one day to cleaning rather than splitting it up throughout the week would work better. I think this method will work especially because I woke up that day knowing that cleaning was my focus. I was able to clean some things on my monthly and semi annual lists, however I was frustrated that I didn't get to the bathrooms. I overlooked all that I accomplished and focused on what I missed. I wish I wasn't so pessimistic. I know I set my expectations too high. I just wish I could be more realistic about how much I can really accomplish in a set amount of time, so disappointment and frustration doesn't have to set in.

Now for this week's assignment. Week 9 had us come up with a plan to implement the monthly, quarterly, and annual jobs that we wrote down in week 3. It was suggested that we use this chart to keep track of when these jobs were done. I liked how it looked but was finding that it didn't have enough room or all of the timing options that I wanted. So I decided to remake it because you know, I have tons of time on my hands :)

In addition to making my charts, I've gone through this week and found several things that needed to be added to it. I guess I have not done them in so long that I forgot they needed to be done! Onto the chart they go and hopefully they will be accomplished or I'll at least be able to track how long it has been since they were accomplished. I plan to add these to my Mom Binder that I mentioned in a previous post. It's almost done!!

(Click the image to see them larger)

For now I think I'm going to stick to cleaning on Thursdays while G is in school. The thought of it doesn't sound appealing but the pressure is removed from feeling like I should be cleaning everything everyday. This plan might change in a couple of months when school is out. I'm going to include one or two monthly cleaning things on this day. I will pick one or two things from the other lists to try and accomplish either Fri or Sat mornings since those times were free.

I'd like to add that everything I post on here is a goal. I am hopeful to get it done, but am realistic (or maybe pessimistic) that it might not be done with the frequency that is my goal.

**Note: If you are interested, I created my charts as a Word document meaning you could customize them more than the one from Money Saving Mom. If you would like me to email them to you leave your email address in the comments.