When I used to stay under my parents' roof, my room was constantly in a mess. I would clean and de-clutter it maybe once a year. But a weird thing happened after I moved out and into my own marital home.

I suddenly dislike mess. And the more children I have, the less tolerance I have for dirt, dust and clutter. I think it enroaches too much into our already limited space that causes me to feel claustrophobic!

I know that in the larger scheme of things, dust, dirt and clutter do not matter at all. But I just dislike it!

Last week, I was as sick as a dog and couldn't clean the house. Thankfully, ds (10 years old) rose to the occasion and vacuumed and mopped downstairs for me. But the bedrooms were not done. Today, I managed to clean up the whole house and the I just love, love, love the feeling of squeaky clean floors on bare feet!

If only the house can feel so clean daily!

I guess that's why people have live-in maids, huh? Even with a part timer, you can never achieve this state of clean-ness! You just need to mop daily. Now who has that kind of time and energy?

In order to achieve that feeling of clean-ness, Vacuuming alone is not enough. You need to mop! And preferably with as little liquid detergent as possible. The best cleaner to date that I have used is good old vinegar! Yep, vinegar and water gives you squeaky clean floors! We have ceramic tiles all over and this works out well for us. I don't know if it'll do for marble or parquet floors though.

Unfortunately, since we live near the park, our place is often windy and dusty! So the clean squeaky feeling lasts all of a day unless I keep all the windows closed. I used to mop after the kids have gone to bed just so I can enjoy waking up to clean squeaky floors! Lol!

I have some friends who simply had to be forced to live with less than squeaky clean floors after giving up their maids. They tried to keep up the daily routine of vacuuming/sweeping and mopping that the maid used to perform but found that it was physically not possible when you have young children in the house.

But I hear the Scooba is a good buy. It is the counterpart to the Roomba. Very tempting to buy one.....

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Articles for the Christian SAHM can be found at :

www.BuildingUpMoms.com

If I ever write an organising book, this would be it!

This lady has great tips all packed in a very affordable eBook. And guess what? It is FREE this weel at the Homeschool eStore!

Sign up as a member and you can download Organzing 101 for FREE!!!

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Articles for the Christian SAHM can be found at :

www.BuildingUpMoms.com

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Just got this off an email group that I am on. It is on how to deal with a stove top fire. I just showed it to my oldest who helps me cook porridge and macaroni on our stove top.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4nFIoLS8KZg

Yes, that would be me the past few weeks!

It has been crazy here. And having the Chinese New Year break has not made it any easier. Schedules are disrupted, children are cranky from too much junk food and too little outdoor play. Dad and mom are plain tired.

While catching up with friends and family is nice, it also means that daily chores and erands have not been accomplished. So then we play catch up! Catch up on laundry, catch up on dusting, mopping, vacuuming, packing, de-cluttering, putting up stuff For Sale.....I think the only thing that we will never be able to catch up with is sleep!!! 

Then there was the big transfer and reformatting of Building Up Moms website. That took up a lof of time!

A headless chicken, yes that would be me!  I absolutely loathe it but can't seem to help it. Coz the moment I am awake, I am running to get things caught up. But I am plain tired. And gorging on those New Year goodies (my aunt's pineapple tarts are my downfall!!!) have done little to boost energy levels. All I get is the rush and utlimate crash of too much carb and sugar injection into the system. Bleh! When will I learn to eat healthily instead of just going for what tastes good?!

We start school on Monday (18th February) and that means I cannot afford to run around like a headless chicken anymore. Otherwise things are going to unravel even faster!

This is my game plan - sit down and be still before the Lord and start planning!!!

To function normally, I need 2 basic plans : Lesson Plans and Menu Plans. So guess what I'll be rushing to get ready this weekend?  Pray, pray, pray. Plan, plan, plan. Now if only the baby will let me focus for 3hrs straight - ha!

* For more on how to avoid being a headless chicken , read Priorities.

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Articles for the Christian SAHM can be found at www.BuildingUpMoms.com

This morning, I just received a few emails that are helpful for those of us who are looking for tools to help us in home management.

Menu Planning Central is having a promotional offer from now till the end of the month! If you are looking to Learn How To Plan Your Meals, you can just sign up for their FREE newsletter. This is an on-going promo.

But if you choose to purchase their Menu helper, it is now on offer for US$9.97 instead of US$19.97! Click on Menu Planning Central for more details.

The other emails I received were from :

Crystal Paine of Biblical Womanhood (http://www.wholesomechildhood.com/crystaltime/)
and
Tawra Kellem of Living On A Dime (http://www.wholesomechildhood.com/dimetime/).

They are both promoting a Time Management eBook by Jim Erskine that you may be interested in. It is at a special price of US$7.00 for the next few days only. I don't earn anything from this, I only thought it may be of use to those of us juggling many balls. You choose who you want to purchase from, they will get the commission.

Hope these are of use to you as you start the new year!

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Articles for the Christian SAHM can be found at :
www.BuildingUpMoms.com

Remember my article Dust Everywhere? I had mentioned Ostrich Feather dusters being supposedly good for attracting dust versus Chicken Feather dusters which spread the dust around? Well, I googled around and surfed eBay and Flylady and I found an Australian company selling it!

I had to laugh though. Here I was googling on ebay USA for ostrich feather dusters that are sold in Australia - our almost next door neighbour! So silly right?  Of course, they are cheaper direct from Australia plus shipping is more reasonable too.

What's my verdict? Well, it definitely does not spread the dust around the way chicken feather dusters do but it does not attract dust well as I thought it would.  Perhaps if I weren't as sensitive, it would work very well. But as I am super sensitive to dust, my lips itch like crazy everytime I dust the house  As I still feel itchy after I use the ostrich duster, it means that the dust is still being stirred up onto the air even though I can't see it, and not caught as well as what I have read.

But having said that, I still love my ostrich feather duster! It is much easier to dust with this duster than a wet cloth or the microfibre glove my dh bought for me from NTUC. It is also great to use on areas that I have a lot of stuff. I can just jiggle the duster over them and all the dust is removed! I don't have to pick up the stuff one-by-one! And it is so fun to use, my children can't wait to help me dust! Now isn't that fun!

In case you are wondering what it looks like, you can take a look at this picture on the seller's eBay store or visit his website. I bought a 12" handled plastic duster - not shown. Please note : I do not get paid for this nor am I related to this company/person.  I just like the dusters! But I think I have to get those disposable masks to wear over my mouth when I dust! Lol!

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Articles for the Christain SAHM can be found at :
www.BuildingUpMoms.com

It is amazing how dust accumulates so fast in our home. You dust today and by the end of the day, you see it coming back with a vengeance!

It really doesn't help that out of the 8 of us, 4 of us are seriously allergic to it! Our noses itch and run, eyes turn teary and skin and eve lips itch badly!!!

Q : What's the solution?
A : I have no idea!!!

So whoever can give me a solution to eliminating dust will be my hero!!!

Right now I am even contemplating getting a basic water-based vacuum cleaner to help eliminate some of the dust in the house. I know a HEPA vacuum cleaner is good too but oh my! the cost!  A friend just got an iRobot and is raving about it. Hmmm..................tempting.

So meanwhile, we are still doing it the old fashioned way - dust weekly, vacuum daily and mop as often as I can. But the question is - who's got the time to dust the books on the book shelves?!

I read that ostrich feather dusters do a good job of attracting the dust balls away from surfaces so you can just dust & then go outside and shake it off (into the neighbour's house probably! Lol!) This is in comparison to chicken feather dusters which merely spread the dust around and, in my mom's time, doubled up as the rod on us!  

Well, I don't see any ostrich feather dusters available here in Singapore, which again means I have to pay an arm & a leg to but it from the US! And if all ther hype isn't true.......................

Now if I succumb and buy one, I'll let you guys know if it's any good.

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Articles for the Christian SAHM can be found at :
www.BuildingUpMoms.com

Everytime we are blessed with a child, our home gets a revamp.  

Once the 1st trimester blahs go away, my new burst of energy almost always leads to the re-organising and de-cluttering of the home. This nesting mode often makes my dh very wary since he is the one who has to haul the furniture around the house.   Our previous 2 homes were single storey apartments, so moving cupboards/shelves/beds around wasn't too bad. However, our current home is a 2-storey apartment. So moving the heavier and bulkier furniture up and down is going to be a challenge! Any one wants to volunteer their dhs?

One of the 1st things we did was to prepare to move our 22mth old toddler to the girls' room. Upgrading her to a toddler bed was the 1st step. Soon, she'll move in with her 2 older sisters. Now that is another story since she is one gal who hates changes!

De-cluttering is a major exercise when the nesting instinct hits. All of a sudden, the clutter and messiness of the house gets to me and I start thowing out stuff and do really deep cleaning! Ahh! As if the baby cares, eh?  But I take advantage of this feeling to get stuff out of the house! Afterall, we need to make space for one more body in the house!

How do I de-clutter?

My modus operandi is to attack room-by-room. In this case, I attacked the rooms on the lower floor 1st. The balcony with the toy shelves was the 1st to be dealth with.

Then the study. Each child gets his/her own shelf. All their school books/files and pencil cases go into that shelf. Completed workbooks are placed in a box to be filed away for at least 1 yr before being thrown out.

The kitchen was next. Thankfully, not much clutter has accumulated in the cabinets as I had done a very thorough job when we moved. Everything that did not get used or did not match were given away or thrown out.

The main source of "clutter" in the living room is the bookshelves. Not much can be de-cluttered there as that's where we store our referral books and curriculum.

I then tackle the 3 bedrooms as ONE entity. The boys' room contains 2 bookshelves of children's fiction books, 2 boxes of puzzles(already purged) and our photo albums. The girls' rooms houses a linen cupboard (only the children's bedsheets and pillowcases) and a chest that holds their old clothes. So there's actually very little to de-clutter. The biggest item is clothes! Simply because there are 7, soon to be 8, of us in the house. Even if each of us only had 5pieces of clothing, that works out to be a lot of clothes to keep!

How do I decide what stays and what goes?

Toys - toys that are not played with will be either thrown out or given away. This includes board games. Even "educational" toys. Gasp! Yep. I get quite heartless. There are toys/games that I feel are good but if no one is playing with them, then it has become clutter. I might as well bless someone with them. As we have been blessed, so should we be a blessing. Those that I really, really like and think I can convince them that they are great games,   I put aside in a box. I have told myself that if after 3 - 6mths, no one, including me, has asked about them, I shall pass them on.

Books - the same principle applies to books. Obviously, solid Christian and/or creation based books are to be kept. Fluff will be thrown out. I try to have books that are suitable for the different age groups so that at any one time, any child can go to the bookshelves and pull out a few books to keep themselves occupied.

Clothes - this has been easy to pare down. Those that are immodest or scruffy will not be considered. What's considered immodest to us are obviously short skirts and spaghetti tops/dresses. Outfits that are too sheer also get the boot. I keep a few tight fitting tees for the girls to wear under their too large dresses so that they don't expose their bodies inadvertently.

Because we are open to have as many children as the Lord blesses us, I've always kept a few pieces of boy and girl baby clothes.   But realistically speaking, since my younger ds is almost 5, I will be passing on all the boy clothes that are too small for him. If the Lord should bless us with another baby, it'll be at least another 2yrs or so. And what if it is a girl, again? Then I'll be hanging on to a huge bagful of clothes that is gathering dust and occupying space! I can trust the Lord to provide if and when He blesses us with a boy. I do not want to end up hoarding stuff.

Knick Knacks - put simply, we don't have these in the house. Yes, I know they can beautify the home but practically, they just add to our workload. The only knick knacks we have in the home are photographs of our family.

I hope this gives you some idea of what to do when you wish to de-clutter your own home. And no, you don't have to wait till you are pregnant to do this!  I was determined to de-clutter coz I realise that it was difficult for my ds to vacuum the house when he had to keep on moving pieces of "stuff" around. So if you are finding it hard to keep up with your chores, or that cleaning the house is taking too long, then it is probably time for you to de-clutter.

Another tip - try to not have stuff on the floor. Leave your floors as bare as possible so that vacuuming and mopping are a breeze. You don't have to waste time moving items from place to place as you vauum/mop.

I first learnt about order and organisation with my first child when we put him on a loose 3hr feeding schedule when he was about 4mths old. Before that, I could never figure out what each day would bring. When he would eat and sleep was always a hit and miss affair. Most stressful for a 1st time mother! Then my aunt introduced me to Gary & Anne Marie Ezzo's book Preparation for Parenting. Once I put in place the basic principle of eat-play-sleep cycle for him, life became so much more manageable. I started enjoying being at home and being a mother more! He also became a much more contented baby. I was now able to cook, do housework, and even have ME time!

With that in place, I was able to face accepting another baby into the family with confidence. With each baby added to the family, he/she would be slowly integrated into our routine and it was mostly peace and harmony. :)

But there were other issues that need to be settled. With more children in the house it was difficult to find time to do everything without staying up late every night. I then chanced upon Teri Maxwell's book Managers of the Home or MOTH. This and many other good books can be found at the Maxwell's website http://www.titus2.com. Wow! It helped put so many things into place. Now that we have a routine in place, everyone knew what they were supposed to be doing.

I already had our meals and sleeping times fixed but the book gave me ideas on how to schedule homeschooling and housekeeping as well. Once the system was set up, I had to get everyone used to the new routine. After a few weeks, everyone knows exactly what they are supposed to be doing when. Isn't that great?

Every once in a while, the system needs to be tweaked. Like when the toddler outgrows his morning nap or when we add another baby to the family :) Or when the older child needs to spend more time on school. We have gone through at least 4 or 5 versions of MOTH since I bought the book when were expecting our 3rd child.

But as Teri Maxwell says in her book - the schedule, any schedule , is not our master but our tool. It is a tool that helps us manage our households better and in a more productive and efficient way. I have tweaked it so much that I am now only following the MOTH principle, not its exact implementation. I made it work for our family.

As the years have gone by, I have become much more relaxed. I think having more children have also forced me to relax a bit more :) So I can testify that a routine does not necessarily need to stifle your spontaneous style but will allow you more accountability.

A routine is helpful for a 2-child family but definitely crucial for a large family. This is yet another way we manage our large family. May it help yours!

To some, decluttering is a painful exercise. For me, it is cathartic :) When I see the amount of stuff we have bought which have ended up as white elephants, it really makes me more wary and careful the next time I purchase something.

I had previously tried to offload the items on auction sites but I have found out that Singaporeans are generally not keen on 2nd hand items unless they are dirt cheap :( Also if they are purchasing items for their children, they would prefer to purchase them new.

It really wasn't worth my time taking pictures, loading them, writing out descriptions, wrapping them carefully, going to the post office, etc to find my item selling for $2.00 or $5.00. And meanwhile, the items sit in my house, taking up valuable space while I wait for buyers. I'd rather bless someone else who needs the item and will use it or donate it to some homes. That's just my opinion of course.

So how and where does one start decluttering? It would be too overwhelming to do the whole house all at one go. As Flylady says (http://www.flylady.net) 15min a day is good! Meaning, you just plan to declutter one room of the house at a time for just 15min a day. Of course if you can devote the whole day to this exercise w/o interruptions, then you go girl! :) But most of us can't. So 15 min a day or better still, 15min in the morning, 15min in the afternoon and 15min in the evening can accomplish much.

I usually do the bedrooms 1st. Firstly, it is a smaller area to declutter. Secondly, I can then see what space I have released in these rooms in case I need to store stuff from the living room in here. Then I work on the living room and then the kitchen. Now we have a balcony so I would have to work on that too.

Decluttering doesn't mean moving stuff from room to another OR pushing everything into the storeroom! It means throwing out! Flylady has another tip that I like - throw out whatever you do not like! But this is easier said than done. Sometimes we keep things out of sentimental reasons even tho the item is really ugly!!! Or keep it in the hopes that one day we will use it. My friends, this is called hoarding! If you haven't used it in 6mths, you probably won't ever use it.

Why do we hoard? Usually out of fear. The fear that keeps us thinking "Maybe one day I will....." I have yet another easier-said-than-done solution :) Trust God! Yes, trust that He will provide when you need it. there's no need to hoard.

If you are quiverful llike us, then you'll need to keep some baby clothes, toys and books in the house longer than most people. But babies don't need a lot of stuff to keep them happy. So please don't keep them by the boxful!

Toys to me are easy to declutter. Anything that occupies the children's attention for all of 10 min is not a keeper in this house. Toys with missing or broken parts also get tossed out.

Clothes that don't fit anymore or are not in line with our standards of modesty also get booted out. We have been blessed by many friends willing to pass down their almost pristine clothing and even shoes to the children! So we can afford to be alittle more choosy. But I'd rather have a few pieces of modestly cut clothing than lots of skimpy spaghetti tops! :p

Books however are my downfall :( I find it extremely difficult to pare them down, esp my own books! But as space is tight, I have slowly released my books. It gets easier over time :) Children's books are a little easier to declutter. Books that promote backtalking, puts friends above parents, deal with the occult are of course weeded out. Some books are held in storage as they are not meant for younger readers. But when the children mature, we will be releasing these books to them so that we can have a dialogue on the topics the books deal with.

By the time I get to the kitchen, I often lose steam :( So once in a while, I start decluttering the kitchen 1st. Storage containers with no covers are obviously to be thrown out unless they make good toys for the beach or for playing masak-masak. If that is the case, they then goes to the toy basket. Appliances that no longer work for us are also tossed out.

If done regularly, decluttering does not need to be a major affair. But as with all things, the 1st time is always the most difficult. Start decluttering. Clear out the junk in your house and free up space! I love it when we have lots of space surrounding us instead of having to squeeze pass stuff all the time. It is also easier and faster to clean the house when you don't have to shift clutter from one place to another.

Have fun!

Most of us want to feed our families and ourselves healthy and nutritious food. But we can't do it all the time. It could be a time or money constraint. Our resources are limited. But we have a responsibility to God to be good stewards of our earthly bodies. To eat junk food and pray that God will look after us is as presumptuous as dashing across the road and saying that angels will watch over us :p

While eating good quality organic food sounds like the way to go, I find that it is just not practical in the long run. Especially in Singapore where such a high percentage of our food is imported. Unlike the US, where friends tell me that they either rear their own food (chicken, beef, goat, vegetables, etc) or they have neighbours who do. So save yourself the guilt trip if you can't feed your family organic food all the time. I refuse to let it bug me. What I do try my best to do is eat as little processed food as possible. Eating food as close to the way God created it is best, according to Rex Russell (What The Bible Says About Healthy Living) and Jordan Rubin (The Maker's Diet)

So how are we to feed our families reasonably well and not bust our food budget. Oh! And not have to slave in the kitchen for hours? One way to get around this problem is to plan ahead.

I used to plan a weekly menu when we had less children and I had more time :) But now, I plan a whole month's menu. By planning ahead, certain things are accomplished.

1. You don't have to crack your head everyday thinking of what to cook.

2. There is no mad rush before mealtimes because you already know what you are going to cook and the necessary food item would have been defrosted or marinated.

3. In the same way, you will not discover just before cooking that you have run out of soya sauce or some other spice that you need for the dish you are cooking.

4. You don't have to resort to calling take-aways for your dinner.

5. At a glance, you can at once see if you are eating too much of a single food group and space it out accordingly. This is esp helpful when you are avoiding certain food groups due to allergy issues.

6. You can stick to your food budget.

After planning the month's menu, I then draw up my grocery list by the week. This allows dh to help me shop for groceries instead of me bringing all 5 to the supermarket :) It may be educational for them but it is extremely tiring for me. But whenever possible, each of them get to take turns to follow daddy to the supermarket :)

Ideally, I should cut up and portion up all the meat items once the groceries are brought home (this will save even more time in food preparation) but generally I am too preoccupied with other things when the groceries come back :( So it doesn't get done.

Does this mean that we never eat junk food? OR that we follow the menu to a T? Of course not! :) Contrary to popular opinion, I am human too. Lol! And I, too, get lazy and uninspired. So sometimes we do order pizza or McDonald's or KFC. But with planning, this becomes the exception, not the norm.

Does planning ahead spoil the spontaneity of life? Only if you let it rule your life. When I feel like cooking something else not on the menu OR if beef or duck (usually more expensive) is on offer, then I will cook it and just skip the original menu plan or save it for a rainy day :) Let the menu plan help you, not frustrate you. It is a tool to simplify your life.

There is one more method I must share with you. It is called OAMC (Once a Month Cooking). It literally means what it says - you just cook once a month. For one day or two (if you are just starting out) you will cook everything on your menu and freeze it. And that's it! You are done! All you need to do in the days aheasd is to pull out what you need and defrost it in the oven and voila! A meal is served in just a few minutes! If you need more details just google for it. You'll be amazed at the amount of information out there. Why did it not work for me? Simple - I had no stamina to stand and cook for the whole day! I'd rather spend 15 - 30 min per meal each day to get my fresh food. :)

Happy planning!

So as much as it is possible, school, cooking & housework is done when the children are awake & around me. So how is this done?

Firstly, I teach the children to play by themselves as soon as possible. This starts from when they are babies. Now I must admit that I have not been very consistent with this. And I have reaped the consequences of this :( But when I have been consistent with it, it is just so freeing to be able to put the bb or toddler in his crib/room with a few toys & tell him - "Playtime!" and he would happily stay in the room or crib (depending on the age) for at least 30min. Many things can be achieved in 30min :)

Later on, when this is no longer necessary, when the child is able to sit still for a longer period of time on the couch, I will vacuum or mop with him sitting on the couch watching me or the tv. Yes, we do use the tv :) This also means that I need to work fast. I do not have the luxury of dilly dallying. Unless there is some great mess to be cleaned up, I vacuum the lower floor in 15min max. As for the deep cleaning, I vacuum, mop both upper & lower floors & wash all the toilets in 1.5hrs.

One big help in achieving such speed is making sure I do not have to move furniture around too much. IOW there is very little on the floor to transfer from place A to place B & then back to place A, kwim? However, clutter has been slowing building up & I need to de-clutter again soon. Also, a friend has blessed us with a 3 +2 seater sofa set which tho' wonderful, is taking up more space than I would like. I need to re-configure the house layout again in order to help make my job easier.

Back to occupying the children when I do the housework - all of them have learnt through experience (including the 17mth old toddler) that if mama says "wet floor", they had better stay put whereever they are or quickly get to a chair/sofa & sit there till I say "floor is dry now". Now that I have older children, I sometimes pack all of them upstairs with the toddler while I do the lower floor. The older children will then occupy the toddler till I give the all-clear to come down.

So doing housework while the children are awake instead of waiting till they are asleep has helped me to accomplish much more in the day. This way has another side benefit - they see mama doing housework. Housework is not something that gets done with a wave of the wand :) By teaching the children to occupy themselves when I am working has allowed me to re-charge during the afternoon rest times & to do other stuff that require my complete attention at night when they have all gone to bed.

Then when David came along - wow! I had to learn fast how to do everything at one go - look after the bb, clean the house & cook! Let me tell you - it was not fun.

I promised myself that my children will not have to learn the hard way like me. The earlier they learn how to manage & run a house, the easier it will be for them later on, whether they get married & have children or not.

To recap : Everyday - vacuuming. Mondays - Ironing. Tuesdays - Kitchen Stove & Sink. Fridays - Deep Cleaning.

So this is how everything (well, almost!) gets done here.

Tidying/Picking up

We do pick ups every day (usually before bedtime unless the house is extremely messy). Each child has their own assigned area. I try to remember to switch them around after 3 months or so. Every item has a place of its own. If it doesn't, it either gets thrown out or I create a space for it or I throw out something else.

De-cluttering is a constant exercise. I love it - very liberating! But I have friends who find it a painful exercise. For me, it reminds me to think very carefully before I make my purchases the next time!

Vacuuming

I vacuum every day now. I used to use the broom - less noise! But the dust & especially hair! is better caught with the vacuum. So in order to not disturb sleeping bbs & toddlers, I vacuum midday - after lunch, everyday except on Sundays. I will vacuum as thoroughly as I can - under sofas, lift up toys boxes, etc...ButI only vacuum daily like this for the living room, study, kitchen & balcony. The bedrooms are magic-mopped by David & Sarah. David does it on Mondays & Wednesdays, Sarah, Tuesdays & Thursdays.

Dusting

Dusting is taken care of by the 2 older children now. Before they helped, I almost never dusted! :) I only dusted when the dust was thick enough to form dust balls or when company was coming over. One thing about me - I cannot stand the feeling of dirt & dust on the floor but can most certainly overlook the dust on the shelves & table tops that I seldom visit in the course of the day.

Ideally, I would like to mop on alternate days & wash the most used toilets 2x/week but I can't handle that kind of workload at this point in time. So I am waiting for when the children are able to be more useful helpers & train them to help out.

to be continued...

Deep Cleaning - almost!

On Fridays, I do the whole hog - vacuum & mop downstairs (corridor, living room, study, kitchen, balcony) & upstairs (3 bedrooms) & wash all 3 toilets And I am done till next Friday.

Laundry

Laundry used to be done 2x/week when we had less people in the house. 1 load of light coloureds & 1 load of dark coloureds. But now, I do a load everyday, alternating between light colours & dark colours. But I still only iron once a week, on Mondays.

We only wash towels once a week. Our bodies are clean after our showers, right? So why the need to change the towels so often? PJs are changed twice a week. Our children seldom sweat in the night even without the use of airconditioning. But if they did or if they had accidents, then of course, we will change their PJs more regularly.

Clothes worn at home (home clothes) are changed everyday, of course. But dress clothes (outside clothes) are worn only when going out & then changed out of immediately upon reaching home & hung up. They must be worn at least twice (ie for 2 outings) before they are thown into the laundry basket to be washed.

Bedsheets & soft toys & blankets are washed once a month, unless accidents happen.

I try to wash our curtains every quarter. But the liklihood of that happening ia rare. Lol! Which reminds me that it is time to wash my curtains! It's been 8mths since we moved in! Yikes!

Kitchen stove/sink/fridge & cabinet doors

Mess and/or oil splatters on the kitchen stove is supposed to be wiped everyday. A thorough cleaning is given every Tuesday. The sink is scrubbed every Tuesday too. Fridge & cabinet doors are given a wipe down by Sarah every Wednesday.

to be continued...

If you are non-Singaporean & reading this, you may be puzzled as to why this is such a big deal :) Well, most Singaporeans have either a live-in maid, a part-time maid (comes in 1 to 3 times per week) or parents/parents-in-laws helping out. To raise children, do housework & cook without any outside help is a rarity in Singapore. Throw in homeschooling to the mix & people just about fall flat on their faces wondering if you are some kind of a wonderwoman or a mad one :)

When I had only 1 child, I would do all the housework & meal preparation when bb took his morning nap. When he had his afternoon nap, I would quickly prepare dinner & then jump into bed to nap too! Ah!!! those were the easy days!

Then we were blessed with #2. During that pregnancy, I had very bad backache even in the 1st trimester. Doing housework would put me out the entire day & a half! So things had to change. We got a helper who would come in once a week to do vacuuming & mopping of the entire house, dust & iron the clothes. I still handled the other daily household chores. This modus operandi continued with child #3. This new helper was a dear! She would clean my windows for me & even remind me to wash my curtains! Wow! But as the due date for bb #4 came along, she told me that she could only stay till end of May. I thought that was ok since Esther was due end of April, which meant that I had my 1 month of confinement to rest.

Esther of course decided that she wasn't going to follow her supposed due date, arriving 5 days past her EDD. She arrived on a Thursday, and I was discharged from the hospital on Saturday. The helper usually comes on Tuesdays. So I thought - oh great! The house would be clean again soon. I was to be disappointed. The helper never turned up! And so I had to manage the 4 children & the house alonefrom that day on!

So I have been handling the chores & food & children fulltime since then (May 2003).

I discovered that self-discipline is such a blessing & being unable to function in a messy house another bonus :)

to be continued....