I once read the most hilarious quote and it said, “Cleaning with kids in the house is like brushing your teeth while eating Oreos.” i seriously died of laughter – not only because it is true… but because I have experienced this first hand! {As I believe MANY of you can relate!} I can spend all day cleaning and by the time Tyson comes home, the place is a huge mess again! Laila loves to “organize” our DVD’s and “arrange” her toys into different drawers. Oh and don’t forget “changing” the toilet paper roll for me too! It is super hard to clean with a baby, which makes it a little hard for me to be motivated to do it!
I of course have my daily routine of basic cleaning and chores around the house, but today I am talking about the deep stuff. Like the nasty toilets and behind the couch. Dusting the entertainment center and shelves. Scrubbing the refrigerator, stove and microwave. You know – those things that I am not a very big fan of!
Spring is such a good time to make our homes fresh! To get the germs and dust mites away and to make each room sparkle! I was at my mother-in-law’s house the other day and she had the BEST idea on how to jump into Spring Cleaning! I loved it and asked, “Did you get that from Pinterest?!” {as all good ideas seem to come from there!} and she said, “NO! I made it up!” SO – I present to you Spring Cleaning with Sticks by Shelly Davis.
THINGS YOU WILL NEED:
- 2 Jars
- Popsicle Sticks
- A piece of paper to make a mini calendar
HOW TO MAKE IT:
- On each individual stick, write out a job that needs to be done. Some ideas would be to vacuum underneath the couches, dust the lamps and fans, scrub the baseboards and clean out your closet. Of course, make them specific for your home and what needs to be done around your house. Even those chores your dread.
- Put all of the sticks in one of the jars
- Make a mini calendar like the one pictured above and tape it to the second jar that is empty.
Every morning draw a stick out of the jar – whatever job is on the stick, that is your job for the day! Place the stick in the second jar and write it down on your calendar taped onto that jar. One day at a time, you will be able to get a chore done to help your home be a little cleaner! Eventually, your list of Spring Cleaning jobs and chores will be complete and your jar of sticks full of things to do, will now be an empty jar, next to all of your completed tasks!
I absolutely love this idea because it really can help you stay motivated! Especially as a mom with children, it is so overwhelming to look at your long list of chores and things you want to get done around the house. With the help of Spring Cleaning with Sticks, you can feel organized, accomplished and stress free! A list of 10 things to do each day is a lot… but I think I might be able to handle ONE a day!
Good luck this Spring as you get your house in order and always remember one of my favorite house mottos, “Our house is clean enough to be healthy, but dirty enough to be happy!”
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Danielle is the owner of Today's the Best Day. She strives to provide creative and uplifting content in order to enrich the parenting experience for women everywhere. Danielle hopes to help you and your family to make every day the best day! 
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Our Family World
April 25, 2014 at 1:36 pm (11 years ago)That is so true. I love the quotes. The sticks are a great idea
Danielle Davis
April 25, 2014 at 10:38 pm (11 years ago)Thank you! I love using them. It helps me feels like I accomplished something during the day. Thank you for coming by and checking out our site!
Rena (An Ordinary Housewife)
April 25, 2014 at 4:20 am (11 years ago)I know what you mean about cleaning all day only to have nothing to show for it at the end of the day. Sometimes I feel like I’ve been picking up all day and when hubby comes home it looks like nothing’s been done. 🙁
Danielle Davis
April 25, 2014 at 10:39 pm (11 years ago)I definitely know what you mean! When my husband comes home sometimes I usually tell him, “I swear I did stuff today!” lol.
Jennifer
April 25, 2014 at 3:50 am (11 years ago)I love this idea! I’m a visual person (and I absolutely HATE cleaning), so if I work all day and don’t see anything that’s been done (or I feel like what I see isn’t enough), then I feel that it’s been a waste. But with this, you can see each chore that’s been done for the day/week.
I’m wondering how to incorporate my toddler and preschooler though – I mean, I need to vacuum under the couches, but their help is probably not going to be much help at all. Are you doing one jar for adult chores and one jar for kids chores or just having your kids help with your chores? I’m guessing it’s the latter, but I figured I’d ask.
Danielle Davis
April 25, 2014 at 10:42 pm (11 years ago)Thanks for commenting Jennifer! It’s so nice to have great people like you drop by our site. Great question about incorporating a toddler. I have two separate jars. One is for mommy only chores and the other is for mommy plus one chores. Laila loves following me around and being a great helper with whatever I am doing. During the week we use the mommy plus one jar and when my husband is home I use the mommy only jar. It has helped her learn it’s good to help me but time will only tell if she’s learning from it lol.
Michelle
April 25, 2014 at 2:35 am (11 years ago)I love this idea. Our house isn’t dirty but it isn’t necessarily clean either since we do live in it. I love the idea of spreading out big chores over several days. Thank you for the great tips. -Michelle S.
Danielle Davis
April 25, 2014 at 10:43 pm (11 years ago)Hi Michelle! Thank you for your kind words! I hope this idea helps in your house like it has helped in mine!
Michelle F.
April 25, 2014 at 2:24 am (11 years ago)I love that idea! I just starting getting my toddler to help me clean up her toys.
Danielle Davis
April 25, 2014 at 10:44 pm (11 years ago)Congratulations on getting your toddler to help you clean up her toys. That is no small task! Keep up the great work!
Michelle
April 25, 2014 at 1:50 am (11 years ago)Thanks for the great spring cleaning chore tip! Our house isn’t always clean as we actuall live in it! I like the idea of spreading out the long list of chores over several days. Thanks so much!
Kristy - Savvy and Sassy
April 25, 2014 at 12:29 am (11 years ago)I love this! Breaking it up makes it seem a little less daunting too. 🙂
Danielle Davis
April 25, 2014 at 10:47 pm (11 years ago)Hi Kristy! Breaking it up sure does help! Thanks for stopping by!
Sarah Jane
April 25, 2014 at 12:22 am (11 years ago)I LOVE the quote at the end. My daughter is three years old and might be a bit young for the Popsicle stick idea, but she does have chores, i.e. helping to fill and empty the dishwasher, picking up her toys, putting her clothes away, etc.
Danielle Davis
April 25, 2014 at 10:48 pm (11 years ago)Sarah it sounds like you are a great mom and are on top of things! When your daughter gets older try the stick idea. It’s super fun and makes cleaning a whole lot less daunting of a process.
paula schuck
April 24, 2014 at 10:22 pm (11 years ago)Well what if the kids don;t like their chosen tasks? Can they switch? I love the final saying their. That’s very cute. Dirty enough to be happy. Lately I need things clean. Dirty is making me crazy.
Danielle Davis
April 24, 2014 at 11:21 pm (11 years ago)We are doing it that you have to do it no matter what – but you can switch things up however you would like in your own home! My sticks are for me personally SO there is nobody to swap with! 🙂 I love that saying too!