the list

our family is one of the least organised bunch of people there is.   something i'm working on but its really hard to institute organization in chaos.   its also overwhelming.   i try to break things down for the kids so a chore isn't so staggering.   still, every day, i got something done and then looked around not knowing where to go next.   and everyday, the kids came and asked for this and that, tv, games etc.  before the chores were done.  here is my solution.

i made "the list".

i have a clear list of things that need done and the kids don't ask for anything til its all done.


we have several large frames that were left in the house we are renting.   i took the picture out of one and started writing all of the things i could think of that needed done.   when the kids came home, more things came up.   as the week went on, more things were added.  
it sounds like a lot but it's easy stuff that just has to be done and the kids like checking things off.   its great to actually see some progress with each check mark.   some of ours were brush hair and a place for each person to check.   not really an issue but nice to see check marks.   same for brush teeth.   i broke some thing down like : dirty laundry, wash laundry, dry laundry, fold laundry and put away laundry.   there are two reasons for this.   first, i keep ending up with dirty clothes all at once instead of a little every day.   second, just washing the laundry isn't "doing" the laundry.   anything that had more than one step had to be broken down.   its also nice to see those check marks going up.

after we had our basic list worked out i put colored paper under the glass with everything written on it so we can  just wipe it off every day.

i left room for the bigger or ongoing projects like finish the sandbox, clean off the porch, or finish unpacking.   so when things are done we can take on something else if there's time. 

we also have weekly to-dos.   change bedding, take garbage to curb and the like.

so far it's working pretty well.   we have relapses of our chaos addiction but at least we seem to be on the way to recovery.