A New Normal

Our new normal… okay, our new chore schedule. It has changed so many times, and I'm seriously hoping we can find one that works - forever - so we don't have to change it again. However, I'm wise enough to understand that for some strange reason, that's just not possible. But we have to do something.

Growing up we had a chore chart. We rotated weekly - that included both everyday assignments and weekly assignments. When I was smaller than that, and we were living with my grandmother for a time, we actually drew assignments out of a can every Saturday - the down side to that is that you might actually end up with the same assignment every week (which could be awesome if you actually liked your assignment, but that usually wasn't the case).

For some reason, changing things up every week feels like too much to me right now. Might be the new house - might be having just come out of soccer season (mostly) where so much was changing so quickly (well, just schedules between games and practices and such), or it might just be me being a little strange. Certainly wouldn't be the first time. In any case, we've (read that as I've) decide that we'll rotate on a monthly basis.

A whole month of the same assignments. Sounds long right?

But here's the beauty of it:

By being on the same assignment for a whole month, mom and dad always know who is on what. Because, really, it takes about a week to figure that out once there's a change anyway. This way there are another 23-24 days each month where we don't have to figure it out - we just know.

And because they each have the same assignment for a month, they have a good chance of actually get good at it. I'll be able to follow what is and isn't getting done. I'll be able to point out missed places, or teach specific skills as needed. Training each child in a specific zone of the house. And with a month to practice those skills, they should be pros!

For us, it's a room (or sections, if you want to count the entry, hall, bathroom area). These are the main areas of the house. There are five - not counting the kitchen. We have five kids. The four year old gets to have mom as a buddy all the time. Mom is mostly a floater based on what else she has to get done that day. The kitchen is a full on team effort directly following dinner. And each person is responsible for their own bedrooms. Additionally, the actual scrubbing of bathrooms is currently assigned to the girls (they each get one to do), while the boys are in charge of taking out the trash and recycling everyday - as well as burying any compost and bringing in wood - and any other side jobs needing attention outside. Eventually those assignments might also rotate. But for now, it's just the main section rooms that do.

Last night we set a timer (one hour) and everyone attacked what they could during that time. Then we had movie night (something we haven't done in a long time). Today we continued to attack - and we've mostly gotten things caught up. This next week will be the remainder of catching up (while maintaining what we've already done), then the following week should see us only needing to spend about 15 minutes (or less) each day in those rooms. Friday afternoon - or Saturday morning (as they choose) - will be for the weekly portions of cleaning (the vacuuming while moving all furniture, windows, dusting, etc).

I'm feeling optimistic - and that's saying something, because I'm rarely optimistic about housework.

Here's to a new routine!

I'd like to say...

I'd say I can't believe it's been so long since I posted, but that would not be entirely accurate. After all, it seems that once life gets moving, the ball never quite stops rolling. That has certainly been the case in our lives, and I honestly can't even see the next slow down up ahead.

This year we put several new things on our plates - starting with a move. Not far, just up the street, but a move none the less. I seriously believe it was easier to pack and move with four kids seven and under from across the country then it was to move with five kids between the ages of 4 and 12 just up the road - less than a minute's worth of a drive.

As we did that, we also jumped right back into coaching soccer, and between running the kids back and forth and here and there and coaching three teams (because at least we were smart enough to bump the one kid up to keep us down to three teams), we've been hectic afternoons and evenings. Add to that the normal dance, plus an extra day of dance, Bob picking up smaller jobs at work - to add to work - his having been called into the Bishopric in our ward, and me starting to sub this year and well, you start to see the picture we've been living. (And that doesn't touch music or anything else)

In between - whatever that really is - we've tried to finish unpacking (though we're not all there yet), figure out some semblance of order, fight off illness, and generally try not to fall apart when there just isn't any time left for each other (that would be me). Writing went to the side, though I'm fighting hard to try to put it back into a more prominent position in my life because, if nothing else, I need it.

Curve balls are never far away, and we're doing our best not to get totally knocked over. So, hopefully, I'll figure out some sort of sanity routine which might actually include the blog again. In the mean time, thanks for continuing to care about our family. We really haven't tried to fall off the face of the earth, but we are learning that with five kids and trying to be as involved as possible with each of them, even in keeping things "simple" it's not really simple.